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Impact driver vs impact wrench

Updated: 22 October 2026

A wheel nut and a long timber screw both feel tight, and amazon.co.uk lists the tools together. The impact driver vs impact wrench choice is the nose. A driver holds a 6.35 mm hex bit for screws. A wrench holds a socket on a square anvil for nuts. The four listings in the [impact driver comparison](/hub/tools/impact-driver) are hex drivers, including a Bosch title that says impact wrench. Peter F. updated this on 22 October 2026 from those listings, Homebuilding and DeWalt's support site, with no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

A wheel nut and a long timber screw both feel tight, and amazon.co.uk lists the tools together. The impact driver vs impact wrench choice is the nose. A driver holds a 6.35 mm hex bit for screws.

Our top picks

Bosch Bosch UniversalImpactDrive 18V-210

Best overall

Bosch Bosch UniversalImpactDrive 18V-210
9.6/10about £78.90
View offer
DeWalt DeWalt DCF887N

Rank 2

DeWalt DeWalt DCF887N
9.4/10about £59.95
View offer
Galax Pro Galax Pro 95307

Best value

Galax Pro Galax Pro 95307
8.8/10about £42.83
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Hex bits or a square socket
  2. 2.The torque numbers on the box
  3. 3.The Bosch listing that says wrench
  4. 4.Wheel nuts and specified torques

Hex bits or a square socket

An impact driver closes on a 6.35 mm hex collet and hammers in rotation as the screw bites. An impact wrench closes on a square anvil, usually 1/2 inch, and a socket clicks on. Homebuilding draws that line: hex for screws, square for nuts. An 80 mm decking screw takes the hex. A wheel nut takes the socket. If you are driving screws, the battery and the bits are on the impact driver buying guide. If you are turning nuts, you want the square drive.

The torque numbers on the box

Homebuilding places a typical impact driver around 200–300 Nm and a typical impact wrench around 400–1,000 Nm. The four listings here claim 100–210 Nm: Galax Pro 100 Nm, Einhell 140 Nm, DeWalt 205 Nm, with another field at 200 Nm, and Bosch 210 Nm. All four sit below the wrench band, so 210 Nm is still a driver number. Wrench listings removed when this category was cleaned sat nearer 682–1,000 Nm. These four have no clutch, so the trigger is your only control, with no numbered stop for a specified nut torque. DeWalt's support page says a 1/4 inch hex driver may lack the force for wheel nuts after a pneumatic gun.
Bosch Bosch UniversalImpactDrive 18V-210

Testsieger

Bosch Bosch UniversalImpactDrive 18V-210
9.6/10about £78.90
View offer

The Bosch listing that says wrench

On amazon.co.uk, listing B0FQV97X72 uses the words impact wrench in the title, and the item type says the same. It is ranked 11 in Impact Drivers. The bullets give 210 Nm, 3,300 rpm, a brushless motor and two settings, and the fit note is screws. The price was about £78.90, with 4.8 from 35 reviews, a listed weight of 990 g, and no battery in the box. The chuck size is not stated. Reviews describe screwdriving, and one reviewer could not run it from an existing Bosch drill battery. Skip it for nuts, and skip it if you need a chuck size in writing. Who each listing suits for screws is on the best impact driver page.

Wheel nuts and specified torques

Homebuilding gives wheel nuts to the wrench. DeWalt's support page says a 1/4 inch hex driver may lack the force after a pneumatic gun. Drill and Bit allows light nuts and a hex adaptor, and still rules out the final torque. That case does not cover these four. An adaptor can join the drives, and Homebuilding says you should leave that join unused. You stay inside 100–210 Nm, while the wrench band starts around 400 Nm. Finish on a torque wrench, or hand the car to a garage. Toolstation has placed tyre changes under impact drivers, which conflicts with those sources. Screws and holes are on impact driver vs combi drill. Keep these four on the screw side.

Common questions

What is the nose difference in one sentence?
An impact driver takes a 6.35 mm hex bit for screws. An impact wrench takes a socket on a square drive, usually 1/2 inch, for nuts. These four listings are hex drivers. A similar pistol grip does not replace the square anvil.
What torque bands do Homebuilding and these four listings use?
Homebuilding puts drivers around 200–300 Nm and wrenches around 400–1,000 Nm. These four claim 100, 140, 205 and 210 Nm, with a second DeWalt field at 200 Nm. All sit below the wrench band. Those ranges are the guide's bands, not a bench test.
Can you undo wheel nuts with one of these four?
No. DeWalt's support page says a 1/4 inch hex driver may lack the force after a pneumatic gun, and an adaptor still leaves out the final torque. Use a torque wrench to the handbook figure, or let a garage refit the nuts.
Why was the Bosch kept, and what is still missing?
Amazon ranks B0FQV97X72 in Impact Drivers, the fit note is screws, and it lists 210 Nm at about £78.90 with 4.8 from 35 reviews and no battery. The title says impact wrench and the chuck size is not stated. Skip it when you need sockets.
Do adapters make an impact driver into an impact wrench?
No. An adaptor can join a hex collet to a socket, and Homebuilding says that link is better left unused. Torque stays inside 100–210 Nm, against a wrench band from about 400 Nm. Keep each tool on its own drive.
What was left out of this comparison?
1/2 inch impact wrenches listed around 682–1,000 Nm, a combi drill, and a hand screwdriver set were left out. Those wrenches are not models to buy from this page. What remains are four hex drivers from 100 to 210 Nm.

Related pages

How to use an impact driver

Impact driver

Best impact driver: match the pack you already own

Impact driver buying guide: nose, battery and torque

Impact driver vs combi drill: which tool to buy first

Sources

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.

  1. Screwfix, Impact driver buying guide (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  2. Screwfix, 18 V impact drivers (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  3. HSE, Hand-arm vibration regulations (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  4. legislation.gov.uk, Vibration regulation 4 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  5. HSE, Construction vibration FAQ (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  6. GOV.UK, Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  7. OPSS, Product safety report 2511-0084 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  8. Homebuilding, Impact driver vs impact wrench (retrieved 21 October 2026)