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DeWalt 12V or 18V drill driver

Updated: 2026-10-23

The DCD701 kit sits next to 18 V DeWalt bodies. The title says 12 V and the amazon.co.uk voltage cell says 18 V. Trust the title and the manual before you buy a battery that will not click home. Length, chuck and torque for the 12 V tool come from DeWalt's UK page and the DCD701 manual, because the amazon table disagrees. We did not run a lab test. Every ASIN is on the [DeWalt cordless drill driver comparison](/hub/drilling-and-accessories/de-walt-cordless-drill-driver). Listings were checked on 20 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The DCD701 kit sits next to 18 V DeWalt bodies. The title says 12 V and the amazon.co.uk voltage cell says 18 V. Trust the title and the manual before you buy a battery that will not click home.

Our top picks

DeWalt DeWalt DCD796P1, 1 x 5.0 Ah

Best overall

DeWalt DeWalt DCD796P1, 1 x 5.0 Ah
9.4/10about £119.98
View offer
DeWalt DeWalt DCD701D2 12 V kit

Alternative

DeWalt DeWalt DCD701D2 12 V kit
9.4/10about £138.64
View offer
DeWalt DeWalt DCD776 body only

Best value

DeWalt DeWalt DCD776 body only
9.2/10about £54.50
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What the DCD701 listing actually says
  2. 2.What fits the slide
  3. 3.Cupboards versus brick and long screws
  4. 4.Why the kit can cost more than a bare 18 V combi

What the DCD701 listing actually says

B07V1VVTBF is the only 12 V drill in this set: a DCD701D2 with two batteries, a charger and a TSTAK, at about £138.64, with 4.7 from 28 reviews. Brushless is stated. The voltage cell says 18 V. Ignore it. DeWalt's page is a 12 V XR sub-compact drill with two 2 Ah batteries. The manual is 12 V peak and 10.8 V nominal, with a 10 mm chuck, 57.5 Nm hard and 25.5 Nm soft. Masonry is blank. The hammer sibling, the DCD706, is not in this comparison.

What fits the slide

12 V XR and older 10.8 V XR packs are one family. A DCB124 fits that rail. It does not fit any other drill in this set. The test is the shoe, not the colour. An 18 V saw or a bare combi here means the DCD701 starts a second charger. A 10.8 V driver means the DCD701 continues that pile. Charging temperatures are on the how to use a DeWalt combi drill page.
DeWalt DeWalt DCD796P1, 1 x 5.0 Ah

Testsieger

DeWalt DeWalt DCD796P1, 1 x 5.0 Ah
9.4/10about £119.98
View offer

Cupboards versus brick and long screws

The manual leaves masonry blank, and the title does not say hammer. A plug hole in brick belongs on an 18 V listing that states a hammer, such as the DCD796 or the DCD776. The DCD803 manual has no hammer symbol either. The DCD776 states 42 Nm as a body at about £54.50, without a battery. The DCD796 states 70 Nm with a 5.0 Ah pack named. You give up the short head of the DCD701 and gain the rail most DeWalt UK cordless tools already use.

Why the kit can cost more than a bare 18 V combi

About £138.64 for the DCD701 looks expensive beside about £54.50 for the DCD776, until you price the box. The 12 V listing includes two batteries and a charger. The cheap 18 V listings do not. It is worth the money when a cupboard is the problem and you will keep 12 V packs. It is poor value when you already own 18 V XR batteries. Then the DCD776 is the best value body and the DCD796 is the first kit, both on the best DeWalt cordless drill driver page. The amazon voltage cell is not the rail you will still own in two years.

Common questions

Will my 18 V XR pack run the DCD701?
No. The DCD701 is on the 12 V XR rail. An 18 V XR pack, including a FlexVolt pack used at 18 V, does not fit that slide. The amazon voltage cell that says 18 V does not change the shoe. You would be buying a pack you cannot click in.
Will an old 10.8 V pack run the DCD701?
Yes, if it is a DeWalt 10.8 V XR pack on the same slide. DeWalt treats 10.8 V and 12 V XR as one battery family, and a pack such as the DCB124 is sold for both labels. A worn pack that no longer holds charge is a separate problem. The fit is the rail, not a promise about runtime.
Why does Amazon say 18 V on a 12 V title?
The voltage cell on this ASIN contradicts the title, DeWalt's UK page and the manual. We treat the cell as a bad row. The tool is 12 V peak and 10.8 V nominal. Do not buy 18 V batteries to match the cell, and do not assume the rest of the technical table is cleaner than the voltage line.
Is 57.5 Nm on the 12 V tool the same kind of number as 70 Nm on the DCD796?
Not really. The DCD701 manual prints 57.5 Nm hard and 25.5 Nm soft. The DCD796 listing prints 70 Nm as its torque cell, on a larger 18 V combi with a stated hammer. You cannot subtract one from the other and call the difference a bit less power. They are different tools, with different chucks and different jobs.
When is the shorter tool worth more money than a bare 18 V combi?
When you need the short body, you want two batteries and a charger in the box, and you are starting or continuing a 12 V pile. About £138.64 then buys a kit, not only a drill. It is not worth more when you already own 18 V packs, because the DCD776 body is about £54.50 on that rail and the DCD701 packs will not move across.
Does FlexVolt help the 12 V drill?
No. FlexVolt is the pack that runs on 18 V XR tools, and on DeWalt's higher-voltage tools, depending on the model. It does not adapt the DCD701. If FlexVolt is already on your shelf, you are an 18 V owner, and the bare 18 V bodies are the drills that can use that investment.

Related pages

DeWalt cordless drill driver buying guide

DeWalt cordless drill driver

Best DeWalt cordless drill driver for UK home jobs

DeWalt combi drill for brick and household plug holes

How to use a DeWalt combi drill: collar and speeds

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, last checked on 19 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures in the display file.

  1. Toolstation drill buying guide (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. DeWalt UK, DCD709N-XJ (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. DeWalt UK, DCD799P2T-GB (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. DeWalt UK, DCD701D2-GB (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. DeWalt DCD701 manual (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. GOV.UK, Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. HSE, vibration regulations (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. Top 7 Tools battery platforms (retrieved 19 October 2026)