Every DIYer should own one of the best cordless drills; it's a versatile power tool that can tackle a wide range of home improvement tasks. It makes total sense to invest in a good one, but you'll find it harder to find a "bad" drill so striking a balance between power and features that sit within your budget will be key.
With this in mind, you will need to think about the task at hand and how often you plan to use your new drill. Have a think about the type of material (concrete, masonry, plastics or wood) that you'll want to be using your new cordless drill on, too. And then we can run through the best available options.
We've got hands-on with all but two of these cordless drills and deployed our expertise to narrow down your search to just seven options. This includes impact drivers, combination drills, drill drivers and hammer drills. They're all perfect suited to your best reciprocating saw so once you've taken out that built-in bathroom cabinet, you can use the space (and your new drill) to build something else.
The Quick List
Haven't got a lot of time to spare? Here's a quick overview of the best cordless drills, along with quick links that allow to you skip down the page for more details.
This is the ideal cordless drill for all kinds of projects and can drill into wood just as easily as it can into masonry. It's lightweight, great value for money and has good battery life too.
The Makita DHP458Z hammer drill is a high-quality, versatile drill suitable for both home DIY tasks and demanding construction sites with its two-speed metal gearbox.
This Black+Decker affordable drill is versatile and suitable for tasks like assembling furniture, mounting shelves or curtain poles, and drilling into wood and metal.
The DeWalt DCD796 includes a substantial 5Ah battery, providing approximately nine hours of runtime, and it can be swapped for a smaller battery for reduced tool weight.
The Ryobi 18V ONE+ RID1801M Impact Driver features a robust motor that provides 220Nm of torque, ideal for tackling challenging DIY projects and stands out as the most powerful cordless drill in this selection.
The Makita two-drill set is a cost-effective solution for a variety of tasks, including drilling into wood, plastic, metal and masonry offering great value by providing both drills in one package.
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The sturdy construction and impressive power of this drill more than make up for its higher price. Despite being a serious piece of kit, it is still easy to handle.
The best all-round cordless drill for serious DIYers
The Bosch AdvancedImpact 18V comes with everything that any DIYer needs to get straight on the job, including two lithium Ion battery, three attachments and a carry case.
This is a well-priced drill that, despite being lightweight and fairly compact, is suitable for both novice DIYers as well as those who are more experienced. Our reviewer, Garry Martin, found that it handles a variety of materials with ease, and can be used for screwing, drilling in wood, metal and plastic.
Garry found that it’s easy to catch your thumb on the hard, plastic sides of the mode adjustment ring, and there's no charge indicator on the battery. Aside from this, they felt that it's geared more towards the higher end of the DIY market and trades, and the interchangeable chucks differentiate it from most of its competition.
Read our Bosch AdvancedImpact 18V Cordless Drill review for more details.
The best cordless hammer drill
The Makita DHP458Z 18V Hammer Drill is a top end drill that can be used for DIY tasks at home or on a busy building site.
It has a two-speed metal gearbox and an impressive no load speed of 2000rpm, which allows for drilling into almost all materials. And the hammer feature, at 30,000 blows per minute, allows for drilling in masonry as well.
Our reviewer, David Hilton, found that Makita's XPT technology impressively helps to prevent dust and moisture ingress, while a single sleeveless chuck allows for easy bit installation and LED lights aid working in darker areas.
The battery isn't included, but the tool is compatible with the vast range of Makita LXT batteries from 1.5Ah to 6Ah, so you can save money if you already own a Makita tool. David also notes that this cordless drill is heavy and may be too powerful for DIY beginners.
Read our full Makita DHP458Z 18V Cordless Hammer Drill review for more detail.
A budget-friendly option that's easy to use
Our reviewer, Pete Wise, found that this affordable hammer drill from Black+Decker can easily tackle flat pack furniture, be used to put up shelves or curtain poles or drill into wood and metal.
It offers 10 different torque settings, with a variable speed function that will give you complete control at all times.
It's lightweight and compact enough to be easily used anywhere around the home. But in Pete's expert opinion, you may want a more powerful drill if your tackling a larger renovation job.
Read our full Black + Decker BCD700S1K-GB combi drill review for more detail.
The best for battery run time
The DeWalt DCD796 is a compact 18V cordless, brushless drill/driver/hammer drill that will suit every task.
It comes with a huge 5Ah battery that has a great run-time of around nine hours, depending on your task of choice (you can use a smaller battery to reduce the weight of the tool if necessary). The battery charges in 75 minutes and the battery technology optimises power to help you complete jobs quickly.
The drill offers 13 torque settings. Garry reviewed this one too and he found that drilling in to various materials (steel, wood, masonry etc) was "straightforward". It has an excellent quality, single-piece, all-metal chuck capable of supporting drill bits from 1.5mm to 13mm in size, and can drill up to 13mm in steel, 13mm in masonry, and 40mm in wood. It also has three modes of LED work light. Garry shared: "so long as you use the correct bits and the correct approach to drilling, the DCD796 isn't going to let you down."
Similarly to the Makita DHP458Z, DeWalt 18V batteries are compatible with the whole DeWalt XR suite of tools, so if you already own something from the range, the bare version of this drill would be a cost-effective choice.
Read our full DeWalt DCD796P1 review for more detail.
The best cordless impact driver
The Ryobi RID1801M ONE+ Impact Driver is a tool for your wish list if you're looking for a solid, straightforward impact driver.
Our reviewer, Steve Jenkins, found that it had a decent battery life and plenty of torque for the DIY jobs that other cordless drills would have struggled with. Steve had great success using 120mm screws with this impact driver to secure fence panels to wooden posts, and when using 100mm screws when drilling into masonry although an extra drill bit had to be bought separately for this.
Sold as the bare tool, it is part of Ryobi's ONE+ range, so again, if you already own other Ryobi tools and already have a 1.5Ah (or above) battery – this is a great buy. If you don't own other tools from the range, then starter kits including the tool, battery and charger are available.
Read our full Ryobi ONE+ Cordless Impact Driver review for more detail.
The best combination deal
Why buy one cordless drill when you can buy two? This two-drill set from Makita is great for completing multiple jobs, such as drilling into wood, plastic, metal and masonry. And they come together at a very affordable price.
Both models feature an ergonomically designed rubberised soft grip for ease of use, and as part of the twin kit you also get 2x 1.5Ah lithium-ion batteries, a charger, a hard plastic carry case with accessory compartment lid, and 3 x 65mm PH2 impact gold drill bits to help with high-energy applications when using the impact driver.
Combi drill
The combi drill features three drill functions (combi drill, rotary drill and hammer action) and boasts a two-speed gearbox to provide greater torque. It also features a single-sleeve keyless chuck for easy bit installation.
Impact driver
The impact driver packs power with 140Nm of torque, has a variable speed controlled by the trigger for greater control, and comes with a LED job light with pre-glow function to help you work in dimly lit conditions.
Both models also come with a one-year guarantee, but it's important to note that the 18V batteries supplied are not compatible with the Makita LXT range.
A robust cordless impact driver
This Einhell cordless impact driver is fitted with a powerful two-speed transmission with a torque of 40 Nm, which makes powerful drilling and screwing work possible. An ideal choice for general DIY projects the drill comes with two 2.0Ah Power X-Change batteries. When one runs out you can quickly swap out for the other battery, meaning you have continuous use.
It has 21 torque settings, an integrated LED light and an impressive range of accessories including a fast charger, storage case and a 64-piece accessory set.
How to buy a cordless drill
To ensure you buy the best cordless drill for your budget and purpose, make sure you consider these specifications:
Torque
You can trust Homebuilding & Renovating. Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and materials in order to help you choose the best for your home and garden. Find out more about how we test.
As a rough guide, 4-15Nm will be fine for small screw driving tasks like hanging up pictures; 15-30Nm will be suitable for drilling holes and driving in medium-size screws; and 30Nm and above is advised for tackling heavy duty jobs and materials.
Voltage
Voltage works in a similar way. You'd only likely want anything below 18V for very light-duty screw driving tasks, whereas anything above is likely to meet most homeowners' needs.
Battery
Cordless drills don't all come as the same, so keep a look out for the following when it comes to the battery:
Batteries are available with various capacities, allowing you to use lighter, lower capacity (Ah) batteries when keeping the weight of the tool down is important, or heavier, higher capacity batteries when you want to achieve the maximum run-time between charges. Two or more batteries are ideal, so you can have one in use and one on charge at all times.
It can also be useful to compare cordless drills on their no load speed (the maximum speed it can reach when it's not drilling hols or driving screws) – as once in use, the speed will depend on how demanding the task is.
FAQs
What are the different types of cordless drill?
There are five types of drill that you need to know about as a DIYer because each of them will help you in different ways.
- Drill driver. These are designed for making holes in wood, laminate, plastics and interior walls. Some may also screw in screws, but not as well as an impact drill driver. They are one of the smaller and more affordable drill types.
- An impact driver. You can drive-in screws with one of these, but not drill holes. They're ideal for use on wood where drilling isn't required such as decking, framework and studwork.
- Then there's the combi drill. This drill type is perfect for DIYers. It can drill a hole and screw in screws, too. You'll see that there is a lot of choice but opt for a good one and you'll be able to use it on other materials than just wood.
- Hammer drills will make holes in masonry, stone and concrete. They use a hammer action which is (really) noisy, and the tool itself is often a lot heavier.
- And for anything heavy-duty you'll want an SDS drill. The Slotted Drive System (SDS) is a unique design that allows the drill bit to move back and forth for a strong hammer action. It can be used on concrete, brick and masonry.
What does brushless mean on a drill?
The difference between a brushed motor and a brushless motor can set you back £40-£50 – but it's worth paying the extra to get a brushless drill.
Brushed motors sit in the drill and require small metal brushes to work with magnets to convert electricity into power. When they break, you have to replace them.
Brushless drills meanwhile have an electronic circuit board and a sensor to do the same thing. Not only do you not have to worry about replacing them, but brushless drills are more energy-efficient because no energy is lost through friction from the brushes.
What drill feature and accessories do you need?
If your deal of choice includes batteries and a charger then that's extremely handy. If, however, you are only looking to buy the bare model, then make sure you get two batteries and a charger: one battery so you can use your drill right away, and the other battery for charging while you're working.
Another useful accessory is a drill holster [available on Amazon] or a clip that you can place on your tool belt, which makes it really easy to slot your drill in and carry it around with you.
How we're testing the best cordless drills
There's a lot to consider when buying one of the best cordless drills, and the Homebuilding & Renovating team is getting hands-on experience with the products in this buying guide to help you feel confident in choosing the right drill for you.
In our ongoing independent reviews we are testing the ease of use and power to gauge each drill's efficacy, and assessing key factors including battery life, weight and value for money. We’re also reviewing everything in-between from additional features to which drills are most beneficial for you depending on your task of choice.
Our team is passionate about DIY and home improvement (which probably won’t be a surprise) so we already have detailed knowledge about the brands that make these drills. Moreover, we have taken into account user reviews when compiling this buying guide, and gleaned key information from our sister sites such as Real Homes and Ideal Home to help you find the best cordless drill for your home.
Still intrigued by our testing process? Find out more about how we test on our page. Here are a few of our Homebuilding & Renovating tools testers:
David is a renewables and ventilation installer who is passionate about testing new tools. He has reviewed the the Makita DHP458Z 18V Cordless Hammer Drill and the DeWalt DCD796P1 Cordless Drill for Homebuilding & Renovating to assess their suitability for the toolboxes of self builders and renovators.
Garry is an independent product tester and tools addict. For Homebuilding & Renovating, Garry has reviewed the Bosch AdvancedImpact 18 Cordless Drill, which he describes as "well-balanced, comfortable to use", and the Makita DHP482M1JW Cordless Drill which he called a "robust combi drill ... that is equally at home helping out with DIY as it is surviving the rigours of wet, dusty job sites."
