Cordless impact driver buying guide

Updated: 22 October 2026

You have a fence, a kitchen carcass, or a softwood deck to fix, and the amazon.co.uk titles all say impact. That word is not a specification.

You have a fence, a kitchen carcass, or a softwood deck to fix, and the amazon.co.uk titles all say impact. That word is not a specification. A listing can be a 1/4 inch hex driver, a square-drive wrench, or a bare body with no battery in the price. This cordless impact driver buying guide takes the decisions in order: the nose, the basket, the stated torque, then one battery platform. Figures are the 19 October 2026 amazon.co.uk capture on the cordless impact driver comparison. Products Compared did not lab-test these tools. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Our top picks

Badge	Product	Drive	In the box	Stated torque	Note	Price	Offer
Best overall	DeWalt DeWalt DCF887N	6.35 mm hex	Body only	205 Nm	9.4	about £59.95	View offer
Best value	GALAX PRO GALAX PRO 95307	6.35 mm hex	1.3 Ah, charger, 6 bits	100 Nm	8.8	about £42.83	View offer
Alternative	NANWEI NANWEI NW-S5240	6.35 mm hex	2× 2.0 Ah and charger	240 Nm	8.6	about £59.99	View offer

Best overall

DeWalt DeWalt DCF887N

9.4/10about £59.95

View offer

Best value

GALAX PRO GALAX PRO 95307

8.8/10about £42.83

View offer

Alternative

NANWEI NANWEI NW-S5240

8.6/10about £59.99

View offer

On this page

1.Hex collet, not a square anvil
2.What the price includes
3.Stated torque and modes
4.One battery platform
5.Cells that disagree with the title

Hex collet, not a square anvil

Start with the nose, because a torque figure is useless on the wrong tool. A cordless impact driver in this set has a 6.35 mm hex collet. A 1/2 inch square anvil is an impact wrench. A jaw chuck is a drill, and one of those was removed before this table was built. MakerUK’s bands, about 100–250 Nm for a driver and about 300–700 Nm for a wrench, are not a measurement of these six listings. Wheel nuts belong on impact driver vs impact wrench.

What the price includes

On that October capture both DeWalt rows are bare bodies. The DCF887N is £59.95 and the DCF850N is £98.43, and neither included line names a battery or a charger. GALAX PRO at £42.83 includes one 1.3 Ah pack, a charger, and six bits. NANWEI at £59.99 includes two 2.0 Ah packs and a charger. Dong Cheng at £64.99 names one 2.0 Ah battery and does not name a charger. INGCO at £117.99 includes a driver, a separate impact drill, two 2.0 Ah packs, and a charger.

Testsieger

DeWalt DeWalt DCF887N

9.4/10about £59.95

View offer

Stated torque and modes

BuildWiz treats about 100–130 Nm as occasional screws, 150–180 Nm as renovation, and 200 Nm and above as heavy timber where you must stay in control. GALAX PRO states 100 Nm. Both DeWalt rows state 205 Nm. NANWEI states 240 Nm. INGCO states 285 Nm on the driver. GALAX PRO has no mode switch. Deck boards use the same habit, on the impact driver for decking page.

One battery platform

The voltage on the carton is a label, not a ranking. DeWalt’s bodies take 18 V XR packs, and those packs do not fit a tool sold as 20 V MAX. GALAX PRO’s 20 V MAX label is that seller’s own pack, not a shared foot. NANWEI’s Makita 18 V line is a seller claim plus one review, not a statement from Makita. If you already own DeWalt 18 V tools, a bare body can be the smaller extra spend. If you own nothing, buy a kit that names a charger.

Cells that disagree with the title

Read the part number before you trust an attribute cell. GALAX PRO’s voltage cell says 240 V while the bullets describe a 20 V MAX pack. The DCF850 item-weight cell says 1 g. The bullet says 0.95 kg tool only, so use the bullet. The DCF887 part number is DCF887N-XJ. The model-number field says DCF850NT-XJ, so check the body you receive. The £59.95 row is the bare body, not a kit.

Common questions

Is a cordless impact driver the same as an impact wrench?

No. A driver here has a 6.35 mm hex collet for bits. A wrench has a square anvil, usually 1/2 inch, for sockets. Both hammer, which is why titles get mixed. MakerUK’s ranges, about 100–250 Nm and about 300–700 Nm, are a guide rather than a test of these listings. Wheel nuts belong on the versus page, and the last tightness is the vehicle figure on a torque wrench.

What stated torque is enough for home timber screws?

BuildWiz’s occasional band is about 100–130 Nm, which covers a lot of fence and deck-board work if you can feather the trigger. Renovation sits nearer 150–180 Nm on that guide. At 200 Nm and above you ease off or the head sinks. GALAX PRO states 100 Nm and the DeWalt rows state 205 Nm. None of those figures was measured on one rig, so treat each as a listing claim.

Why is a bare DeWalt not the cheaper way to start?

The DCF887 body is £59.95 and the NANWEI kit is £59.99 on the 19 October 2026 capture. The DeWalt price is the tool only. You still buy an 18 V XR pack and a charger if you do not own them. NANWEI includes two 2.0 Ah packs and a charger. GALAX PRO at £42.83 includes one 1.3 Ah pack and a charger. Compare the cost of the first screw, not the lowest tool-only figure.

Does 20 V MAX mean a stronger tool than 18 V?

No. On the GALAX PRO bullets, 20 V MAX is a label for that kit’s pack. It does not out-torque an 18 V DeWalt by definition, and the packs do not share a foot. DeWalt’s bodies here are 18 V XR. NANWEI’s Makita 18 V line remains a seller claim plus one review. Match the battery you own, or buy one complete kit and stay on it.

Does the GALAX PRO listing say brushless?

Brushless is named on the DeWalt, NANWEI, Dong Cheng, and INGCO listings. GALAX PRO does not state a motor type, so you cannot tick it from that page. A brushless claim tells you the motor the seller is offering. It does not put a battery in a bare box, and it does not prove the torque was measured against the other five tools.

Best cordless impact driver