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For most home DIY in the UK, choose the cordless drill that matches the materials you drill and how often you will use it, not the biggest voltage on the box. A drill driver is enough for screws, flat-pack and holes in wood or thin metal. If you regularly drill brick or block, a combi drill with a hammer setting is the more useful single tool.

Key takeaways

• Pick a drill driver for screws and timber; pick a combi if you often drill masonry.
• Use 18V-class kits as the home all-rounder, and 12V-class drills for small, regular jobs.
• Higher Ah batteries usually run longer and weigh more; a spare pack often beats one huge battery.
• Judge clutch, gears, chuck size and weight, not peak torque alone.
• UK tests show gaps in speed under load and battery life, even among known brands.

Drill driver or combi drill: which one belongs in a home kit?

A drill driver drills holes and drives screws. A numbered clutch limits torque so you are less likely to strip a screw once it is home. It covers flat-pack, hinges, pilot holes and most timber.

A combi drill adds a hammer setting that pulses the bit into brick and block when you fit a masonry bit. It is wasted weight if you never drill masonry. Keep hammer mode off for wood, metal and for driving screws, and use the clutch instead.

An impact driver is a different tool. It drives fasteners with rotational impacts and is a poor stand-in for a general drill. If your list is mostly long screws, read Impact Driver vs Drill: Which One Do You Actually Need? before you buy a second body. UK Tool Guide notes that some people add an impact driver and spare batteries for heavier work such as a deck, and that the biggest specification is not automatically the right buy.

How to choose a cordless drill for home DIY in the UK

Voltage is the first split. Compact drills sold as 10.8V or 12V are lighter overhead and in cupboards, and they suit furniture, plasterboard and small pilot holes. They fade sooner on large bits, thick steel and repeated masonry.

18V is the usual all-round class for UK homes. Some brands label a similar pack 20V Max, which is a peak marketing name, not proof the drill will do more work. Compare the tool and the battery. Heavier 18V kits cope better with a mixed weekend of timber, a metal bracket and brick plugs.

Amp-hours (Ah) measure stored charge, not turning force. A higher Ah pack generally runs longer and weighs more. For a room of holes, a second battery beats waiting on one large pack. Confirm the kit includes a charger with a UK plug. A bare body (no battery or charger) is only a saving if you already own that platform.

Most battery packs do not fit another brand’s drill. The drill you buy can lock you into a charger and a tool family. That choice is set out in Choosing a Cordless Tool Battery Platform: Voltage, Ah and Lock-In.

What do torque, speed and chuck size change?

Torque, in newton metres (Nm), is turning force. More of it helps with larger holes and stubborn screws. It does not by itself make a drill pleasant to use. A clutch you can set, a trigger with real speed control and a gearbox you can shift matter on ordinary jobs.

Most home drills have two speeds. Low gear is for screws and large bits; high gear is for smaller holes. A variable trigger lets you start without the bit skating. Which? clocked speed with a tachometer both free-running and under load, and found that the stronger drills barely slowed while weaker ones lost momentum.

The chuck holds the bit. Compact drills often have a 10 mm keyless chuck; a 13 mm chuck takes larger straight shanks. Check that it grips firmly so masonry bits do not slip. Match the bit to the material: a wood bit in brick overheats and wanders.

Brushed or brushless: what is worth paying for?

A brushed motor switches current with carbon brushes. A brushless motor does it electronically, and is generally more efficient, often cooler, and able to draw more runtime from the same pack. It usually costs more. Which? treats brushed versus brushless as one buying decision, not as a substitute for the right voltage and chuck.

Light, rare use can still suit a decent brushed drill. Weekly workshop use is where brushless and spare batteries are easier to justify. Skip hammer mode, brushless electronics and a high Ah pack if the real work is flat-pack. Skip the lightest 12V tool if the next job is solid brick.

Which drill suits typical UK homes?

Homebuilding suggests listing the tasks, how often you will do them, and the material. UK homes tend to fall into three patterns.

Furniture and plasterboard

A compact drill driver, 12V-class or a light 18V, with a clear clutch and a modest battery, covers pilot holes and plugs into timber studs. Use a cable and pipe detector first. Cables run in stud walls.

Shelves into brick or block

A combi drill belongs here. Use hammer mode, a masonry bit of the size the plug maker states, and a steady speed so the bit does not glaze. A spare battery helps for a whole room. Hammer mode is not a heavy rotary hammer for long spells in concrete.

A shed or timber frame

Choose an 18V drill driver or combi with a 13 mm chuck, two speeds and enough batteries for a day’s fixing. Long runs of structural screws are often quicker with an impact driver. If you are planning the building itself, See the official My Shed Plans website is a seller’s plan product (affiliate link). Use any plan only as a starting point, and check size, foundations and local rules before you buy timber. A plan does not replace measuring or the right fixings.

What have recent UK guides actually reported?

Which? has tested drill drivers and combi drills from Bosch, DeWalt, Makita and Ryobi. Experienced DIYers and newcomers drilled wood, steel and brick. The stronger drills went through metal and brick; others slowed or ran batteries down surprisingly quickly. Which? also asks whether cheaper drills can rival dearer brands. That is a reason to read a test, not a reason to assume price and result move in lockstep.

Homebuilding, updated in September 2026 by Megan Milstead, names the Bosch AdvancedImpact 18V as its top pick of six, with further picks aimed at hammer use, a lower budget, runtime, an impact driver and a combi deal. The Telegraph’s 5 April 2026 guide, by Katherine Ormerod, states that its journalists tested the products independently. Rankings from that piece are not listed here.

A checklist before you pay

1. List the next ten jobs. Mark timber, board, metal or masonry.
2. Choose drill driver or combi from that list.
3. Pick a voltage class, then a battery platform you would still want later.
4. Check Ah, how many batteries, charger, case, and whether a bare tool needs a pack you own.
5. Note chuck size, two-speed gears, clutch and weight.
6. Add bits for wood, metal and masonry, plus drivers that fit your screws.

Before drilling a wall, scan for cables and pipes and stop if you are unsure. Wear eye protection, and clamp small pieces instead of holding them.

FAQ

Is 12V enough for a first UK kit?

Often, if the work is furniture, plasterboard and small fixings. Move to an 18V-class combi if you drill brick or block regularly, or if you want batteries that can run other tools later. A compact 18V drill driver is a fair first buy when masonry is only occasional.

Do I need hammer action to hang shelves?

Only when the fixing goes into masonry. Stud walls and flat-pack shelving do not need it. Brick, block and many external walls do. Find out what the wall is made of before you buy, and before you drill.

What does a higher Ah rating change?

It stores more charge, so runtime usually rises, and so does weight. It does not raise voltage. A second modest battery is often more useful on a Saturday than one very large pack.

Can one combi drill replace an impact driver?

It will drive screws, but long runs of large screws are what an impact driver is for. UK Tool Guide describes keeping a drill for general work and adding an impact driver when a deck or similar job gets demanding. Use low gear and the clutch for ordinary screws.

Do familiar brands remove the need to compare?

No. Which? included Bosch, DeWalt, Makita and Ryobi and still found drills that slowed under load or emptied a battery quickly. Homebuilding’s September 2026 list also separates budget, runtime and hammer picks. Match the result to your job and your battery platform.

Where to go next

Write down the next jobs and the materials, then decide drill driver or combi, voltage and battery platform in that order. Compare two kits on chuck, clutch, weight and what is actually in the box. If you need both masonry holes and long screw runs, plan a combi drill now and an impact driver later, rather than expecting one body to excel at both.

Sources

• Which?: Best cordless drills for DIY jobs in 2026
• UK Tool Guide: Best Cordless Drills in the UK (2026)
• The Telegraph: best cordless drills (5 April 2026)
• Homebuilding: cordless drill buying guide (September 2026)