Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

BGS socket set for car repairs

Updated: 22 October 2026

You are changing a wheel on the driveway, and the only sockets in the boot are a BGS case or a BGS rail. A BGS socket set for car repairs helps when the millimetre on the fastener is in that list, and when the socket stays on a hand ratchet. Wheel nuts come first, then brake and plug fasteners, then the jobs to leave alone. Prices and the wider table sit on our [BGS socket set comparison](/hub/hand-tools/bgs-socket-set). We used amazon.co.uk listings and public UK guidance, and we did not lab-test these sets. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are changing a wheel on the driveway, and the only sockets in the boot are a BGS case or a BGS rail.

Our top picks

On this page

Which wheel-nut sizes these BGS lists actually hold

17 mm, 19 mm and 21 mm are a common shop pattern for wheel nuts, not a size for every UK car. Use the nut on the stud and the handbook figure. On BGS 2292 the deep sockets are 16, 17, 18, 19 and 22 mm, so a deep 21 mm is missing, while the wider line runs through 32 mm. BGS 2226 includes 17, 19, 20 and 21 mm. BGS 2267 reaches 36 mm. BGS 9106 and 9107 skip 20 mm. None of these is an impact socket. The gap is explained on the BGS socket set buying guide.

Brakes, plugs and the rest of the car

BGS 2292 lists glow plug sockets at 16 mm and 21 mm, and an 18 mm spark plug wrench. They help only when the plug is that diameter. A caliper bolt needs a full socket wall. BGS 1105 at £31.76 is slotted for sensors and bent pipes, and that slot will not sit evenly on a caliper bolt. If you already own the ratchet, 2226 at £18.14 covers 8–24 mm including 20 mm. Seating the square is in how to use a BGS socket set.

When the set is the wrong tool

A hub nut that stays put on a breaker bar is the moment to stop. A pipe over the handle can split a chrome vanadium socket. These sets are not a locking-wheel key. A bleed you cannot finish, or a seized piston, is a garage job. Who should skip a 192-piece case is on the best BGS socket set page.

Inch rails are a different fastener

BGS 2755 at £15.19 and BGS 2433 at £5.13 are inch sizes. UK reviews of 2755 mention Harley-Davidson brakes, not a 17 mm, 19 mm or 21 mm wheel nut. Use an inch rail only when the head is imperial. An inch socket that is merely close will round a metric nut.

Common questions

Will a BGS set do wheel nuts?
Yes, if that size is in the set. Use a hand ratchet or breaker bar, then the handbook torque. 17 mm, 19 mm and 21 mm appear on several lists, but not on every UK car. Deep sockets on BGS 2292 are 16, 17, 18, 19 and 22 mm, so a deep 21 mm is missing. They are chrome vanadium. Toolstation says an impact wrench can break them.
Do these sets include 17, 19 and 21 mm?
Not as one promise. BGS 2226 and BGS 2267 include 17, 19, 21 and 20 mm. BGS 9106 and BGS 9107 include 17, 19 and 21 mm and skip 20 mm. On BGS 2292 the deep row has 17 and 19 mm and no deep 21 mm, while the 1/2 inch sockets run through 32 mm. Confirm 21 mm on the live contents if the nut is recessed. The ends of a title range are not every step between them.
Is 20 mm in the short rails?
It is in BGS 2226 (8–24 mm) and in BGS 2267, which also reaches 36 mm. It is not in BGS 9106 or BGS 9107, even though both include 17, 19 and 21 mm. A 20 mm fastener then meets a 21 mm socket that rocks on the flats. The £12.90 raw price of 9106 only helps when you know 20 mm will not appear. Read the size list on the listing, not the span in the title.
Can I use BGS sockets with an impact gun on the wheels?
No. Toolstation states that standard sockets should not go on an impact wrench, because the shock can break them. These BGS sets are chrome vanadium hand tools, not the chrome molybdenum sockets sold as a sleeved 17, 19 and 21 mm impact set. Break the nut free with a ratchet or breaker bar, and finish to the handbook torque. A thin-wall comment on 9107 refers to suspension bolts, not to an alloy-wheel impact socket.
Which BGS set has glow plug sockets?
BGS 2292 lists glow plug sockets at 16 mm and 21 mm, and an 18 mm spark plug wrench on the 3/8 inch row. Use them only when the plug on your engine is that size. Another diameter needs another socket, and 2292 does not cover every diesel on UK roads. The same plug sockets are not part of the BGS 2243 contents unless that listing says so. Check the live bullets before you count on one being in the box.
Is the slotted BGS 1105 meant for brakes?
No, not for ordinary caliper bolts. BGS 1105 is a slotted 3/8 inch set, at £31.76 in the saved listing, for sensors and pipes that block a normal socket wall. A hex head needs a socket on the flats. The slot will not bear evenly, and the head can round. Choose 1105 when the obstruction is a sensor or a bent pipe. For wheel nuts and hex brake bolts, use a listed metric socket, and add a ratchet if the rail has none.

Related pages

Sources

Sources for this comparison, last checked on 22 October 2026.

  1. BGS technic, Socket Set Super Lock 192 pcs (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. Toolstation socket set buying guide (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. Older BGS catalogue PDF (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. BSI BS ISO 1174-1:2011, driving squares (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. BSI BS ISO 1711-1:2019, hand-operated wrenches and sockets (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. HSE PUWER FAQ (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. GOV.UK, accepting returns and giving refunds (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. amazon.co.uk, BGS 2292 listing B001ILG27K (retrieved 20 October 2026)