The best impact drivers, compared.
Top pick: Bosch UniversalImpactDrive 18V-210 Best value: Galax Pro 95307 – About £42.83 with a 1.3 Ah battery, a charger and six bits, and 4.4 from 872 reviews. Updated October 2026.
An impact driver spins under a light load and adds short rotational hammer blows when a screw tightens, so less twist comes back through your wrist. In the UK the usual nose is a 6.35 mm (1/4 inch) hex collet, not a drill chuck and not a 1/2 inch square drive. You buy one when a combi drill stalls on long timber screws. It does not drill masonry, and it is the wrong tool for wheel nuts. Match the listing to the job, to whether a battery is already in the box or on your platform, and to the listed torque. Packs do not cross platforms. A bare body only makes sense if you already own that pack. There is no clutch: control is numbered speed steps or a variable trigger. Use impact-rated hex bits. PZ2 is the everyday wood screw, and many jobs move to Torx. A charger, when the box includes one, needs a fused UK plug. The hex nose and the square-drive gun are separated in the [impact driver buying guide](/hub/tools/impact-driver/sub/impact-driver-buying-guide).
An impact driver spins under a light load and adds short rotational hammer blows when a screw tightens, so less twist comes back through your wrist.
14 products checked · 58 hrs invested · +19,200 readers
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
Do you already own a battery for this job?
The Bosch UniversalImpactDrive 18V-210 is a bare body at about £78.90, with bullets stating a brushless motor, 210 Nm, 3,300 rpm and two speed or torque settings. amazon.co.uk shows 4.8 from 35 ratings, the highest star line here and the smallest sample. UK reviews describe it shifting screws a drill driver would not move, and they call the housing solid and the body light, against a listed weight of 990 g. The title and item type say impact wrench, the chuck size is not stated, and the rank is 11 in Impact Drivers at a listed 210 Nm. The scope of supply is a cardboard box with no battery, and one UK reviewer could not fit a pack from a different Bosch drill, while other reviewers already had a compatible 18 V pack. A belt clip is not in the listing, and one UK reviewer wanted one. The 17 review blocks show no repeated motor-failure pattern, and 35 ratings leave this as a thin sample next to the larger pools in the set.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You already have a compatible Bosch 18 V battery and want a light bare body for stubborn screws, and you accept a 35-review sample.
Less suitable: You need a chuck size printed on the page, a battery in the box, a belt clip, or a large review pool.
Specifications
Common questions
Does this listing include a battery?
No. The scope of supply is a cardboard box. The saved price is about £78.90.
What power figures are stated?
The bullets state a brushless motor, 210 Nm, 3,300 rpm and two speed or torque settings. An integrated LED is also listed.
What chuck size is listed?
It is not stated. The title and item type say impact wrench. The best-sellers rank is 11 in Impact Drivers.
Across 5,167 amazon.co.uk reviews, the DeWalt DCF887N bare body at about £59.95 drives screws and coach bolts with less effort than a drill, and owners use it for decking and general screwdriving. The title lists three speeds and BL, with 205 Nm in one field and 200 Nm in another, a 6.35 mm hex, and a maximum bolt size of M12. Reviewers who already own 18 V DeWalt batteries treat the naked body as the point of that price; a battery is not in the box, and the parcel is often a plastic bag rather than a case. Several reviewers report side-to-side play in the collet, and some find speed 1 too light and speed 2 too strong, so they go back to a drill for finer work. The part number is DCF887N-XJ while the model-number field says DCF850NT-XJ, and one owner could not register a model number for the warranty. The weight field says 1 kg and a bullet says 1.24 kg; reviewers still call it light enough for one-handed DIY, and several mention LED lights that are not a specification-table row. It is the top pick in this set on 4.7 from 5,167 ratings, the strongest large sample here.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You already own 18 V DeWalt batteries and want a hex driver for decking screws and coach bolts up to the listed M12.
Less suitable: You need a battery in the box, a case, or finer control where speed 2 is too strong.
Specifications
Common questions
Does this listing include a battery?
The title says naked body only and bare unit. A battery is not in the included-components list. The saved price is about £59.95.
Which model number is printed?
The part number is DCF887N-XJ. The model-number field says DCF850NT-XJ. The listing does not resolve that clash.
What bit mount is listed?
6.35 mm. Amazon reviews say impact-rated bits are required and that round drill bits do not fit.
The Einhell TE-CI 18/1 Li is a bare Power X-Change body at about £50.39, listed at 140 Nm and 2,300 rpm with one speed, electronic speed control and a 6.35 mm hex. Across 1,812 amazon.co.uk reviews the line is 4.6, and owners use it on fences, decking and a log cabin, on the same 18 V pack as an Einhell drill, mower or strimmer. One reviewer reports a 4.0 Ah pack lasting a day on a cabin, and the three LEDs are used to line the bit up. The battery and charger are sold separately, so the price of about £50.39 holds if you already own Power X-Change, and sharing the only pack with a mower is awkward in the reviews. There is no case, brushless is not stated, and one reviewer doubts 140 Nm on very tight screws and calls the motor brushed. In the first 50 reviews, one tool ran for about five seconds and was returned, and one collet would not hold bits. Those two faults are single reports, and at 1.17 kg one reviewer still found the body a bit heavy.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You already own Einhell Power X-Change batteries and want a compact hex driver for fences and decking screws.
Less suitable: You have no Power X-Change pack, or you want three speed steps and a brushless motor stated on the listing.
Specifications
Common questions
Does this listing include a battery?
No. The item type says the battery and charger are not included. Power X-Change packs are sold separately. The saved price is about £50.39.
What torque and speed are listed?
140 Nm and 2,300 rpm, with one speed and electronic speed control.
What bit mount is listed?
6.35 mm, also written as a 1/4 inch hex. Bits are not listed in the box.
The Galax Pro 95307 is the only kit in this set: about £42.83 on amazon.co.uk includes the driver, a 1.3 Ah pack, a charger, a tool holder and six screwdriver bits. Across 872 reviews the line is 4.4, and buyers use it on fence panels, shed bases, flat-pack and furniture screws, with a variable trigger from 0 to 2,800 rpm. Listed torque is 100 Nm, the lowest figure in this comparison, and reviewers who tried heavier work say it is not as fast or as sturdy as they hoped. The title says 20 V and the technical voltage field says 240 V, so that 240 V row is a listing clash. The single small pack is the complaint that keeps returning: one reviewer bought a second battery because runtime was short, and the charger is a DC plug rather than a dock. More than one review describes a failed charger lead and a spare that is hard to find, and one order arrived without a charger. There is no case, the six bits are described as too alike, and it is the best value here because the battery is in the box at the lowest price.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You do not own a battery platform yet and want a first hex driver for fences, sheds and furniture screws.
Less suitable: You need a long day on one pack, a listed torque near 200 Nm, or a dock charger with a ready spare.
Specifications
Common questions
What is in the box?
One impact driver, a 1.3 Ah battery, a charger, a tool holder, six screwdriver bits and a user manual. The saved price is about £42.83. A case is not listed.
Why do two voltages appear?
The title says 20 V. The technical voltage field says 240 V. The listing does not resolve that clash.
How is a bit changed?
The bullets say you pull the collet back. No separate tool is listed for that step.
Four amazon.co.uk listings were scored from the stored pages. Shelf date 21 October 2026. The score is the star rating times 20: 4.8 is 96, 4.7 is 94, 4.6 is 92 and 4.4 is 88. It is not a laboratory test. Review-count notes sit beside the score. They are not a second penalty inside the number. The top pick is the highest star line with at least 500 reviews. The best value is the lowest price among listings that include a battery. One of each. The checks below sum to 100. They are how each listing was read. They are not a second score.
Drive and job
25%A 6.35 mm hex collet for screws scores. A 1/2 inch square drive is a different tool even if the title says driver. Masonry drilling and wheel nuts are outside this category.
Battery and platform
25%A battery and charger in the box score for a first kit. A bare body scores only when you already own that platform. Packs do not cross brands.
Listed torque and control
20%Points use the stated Nm and whether the listing gives numbered speeds or only a variable trigger. There is no clutch. A second torque field that disagrees is noted, not averaged into the star score.
Bits
15%Impact-rated 1/4 inch hex bits are required. A household bit is likely to shatter. PZ2 is the everyday UK wood screw. Bits in the box are recorded. They are not treated as a full set.
Mass and charger plug
15%Mass is the stated figure with the pack excluded on a bare tool. A charger in the box needs a fused UK plug. These listings were not measured for BS 1363, vibration or noise.
Buy the nose and the battery before you buy a star line. A hex collet drives screws. A square drive is a different tool. A bare body is cheaper only when that pack is already on your shelf. There is no laboratory torque test in this set.
An impact driver spins under a light load and adds rotational hammer blows when the screw tightens, so less twist comes back through the wrist. In the UK the usual nose is a 6.35 mm (1/4 inch) hex collet, not a drill chuck and not a 1/2 inch square drive. People buy one when a combi drill stalls on long timber screws. It does not drill masonry, and it is the wrong tool for wheel nuts. This category is the cordless hex impact driver, sold bare or as a small kit.
A 1/2 inch gun is a different tool even if the title says driver. Homebuilding puts typical drivers around 200–300 Nm and wrenches around 400–1,000 Nm. The Bosch title says impact wrench at a listed 210 Nm, ranked in Impact Drivers.
Only the Galax Pro includes a 1.3 Ah pack and a charger. Einhell, DeWalt and Bosch are bare. A bare body is cheaper only if you already own that pack. One Bosch reviewer could not use a pack from a different Bosch drill.
The part number is DCF887N-XJ. The model-number field says DCF850NT-XJ. The listing does not resolve that clash. A Screwfix DCF887N-XJ at £79.99 is a different seller from the amazon.co.uk price of about £59.95.
Confirm a 6.35 mm hex collet and that the job is screws. A square-drive wrench, masonry drilling and wheel nuts sit outside this page. Homebuilding puts typical drivers around 200–300 Nm. These four claim 100–210 Nm: Galax Pro 100 Nm, Einhell 140 Nm, DeWalt 205 Nm with another field at 200 Nm, and Bosch 210 Nm. There is no clutch. DeWalt lists three speeds, Bosch two settings, and Galax Pro and Einhell a variable trigger. Then check the battery.
Screwfix says impact-rated 1/4 inch hex bits are required and that a normal bit is likely to shatter. PZ2 is the everyday UK wood screw, and reviewers also move to Torx. A mixed impact set on Screwfix starts around £9.99. Galax Pro includes six screwdriver bits. The other three do not list bits. Mass, with the pack excluded on a bare tool, is 990 g for Bosch, 1 kg or 1.24 kg on the two DeWalt lines, 1.17 kg for Einhell and 1.5 kg for Galax Pro. A charger in the box needs a fused UK plug.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You have a fence, flat-pack or a few long screws and no trade pack. The Galax Pro 95307 is the best value at about £42.83, with a 1.3 Ah battery, a charger and six bits, and 4.4 from 872 reviews. Listed torque is 100 Nm. The title says 20 V and the voltage field says 240 V. Short runtime on one small pack is the recurring complaint.
You already own 18 V DeWalt batteries and you will drive decking screws and coach bolts. The DeWalt DCF887N is the top pick at about £59.95, with 4.7 from 5,167 reviews, three speeds and 205 Nm listed. No battery is in the box. The part number DCF887N-XJ clashes with the model field DCF850NT-XJ.
You already share 18 V Power X-Change packs with a drill or a mower. The Einhell TE-CI 18/1 Li is about £50.39, with 4.6 from 1,812 reviews, 140 Nm and 2,300 rpm listed. The battery and charger are sold separately. Brushless is not stated.
The top pick is the DeWalt DCF887N at about £59.95, a bare 18 V body with 4.7 from 5,167 reviews, three speeds and 205 Nm listed. The best value is the Galax Pro 95307 at about £42.83, the only kit, with a 1.3 Ah battery and 4.4 from 872 reviews. The Bosch UniversalImpactDrive 18V-210 is 4.8 from 35 ratings at about £78.90, with 210 Nm listed and no chuck size on the page. The Einhell TE-CI 18/1 Li is 4.6 from 1,812 reviews at about £50.39, 140 Nm, on a bare Power X-Change body. None of these scores is a laboratory test. A bare body is the cheaper route only if you already own that pack.
Galax Pro 95307
About £42.83 with a 1.3 Ah battery, a charger and six bits, and 4.4 from 872 reviews.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources from the research digest, used for this page in October 2026. Prices, stars and review counts are from the four amazon.co.uk listings captured on 21 October 2026. Vibration limits apply at work. They are not a measurement of these drivers.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk (tag pcuk26-21). If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars and review counts are from the listings. This is not a laboratory test.
