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Rankings re-checked weekly · Last re-checked 3 November 2026
·Listings checked daily·AI-assisted, run by Jaco Olwagen
2 quick taps. We'll match you to a pick using the same scores we rank with.
The picks, in order
6 picks
Number one at the top, number 6 at the bottom. The tier label on each card says which price bracket it sits in.
★ Our #1 Pick
1
Bosch Professional
Bosch Professional GDR 18V-215 18V Brushless Impact Driver (Body Only)
Bosch Professional 18V215Nm2 Speeds
Value
Rank #1
Bosch Professional GDR 18V-215 18V Brushless Impact Driver (Body Only)
Our Verdict
Body only, blue Bosch Professional. 215Nm, two speeds and two auto driving modes from a 126mm head, sold and dispatched by Amazon.
Why it's number one: It is the one driver on this list that is both in stock at Amazon and covered by a published review of the exact model: Pro Tool Reviews scored the GDR18V-215 9.7 out of 10. It also carries the highest torque figure here, 215Nm, with two auto driving modes that stop the tool as the fastener seats, and it is sold and dispatched by Amazon rather than a marketplace seller.
8.5ExcellentTop7 Score
✓Checked today
OwnersSolid owner rating from a substantial record on Amazon UK
✓ Ships from the UK
Ad· we may earn a commission if you buy through this link, at no extra cost to you.
This is the blue line, not the green one: GDR is Bosch Professional, it runs the same 18V Professional packs as the GSB and GSR drills, and a green Power for All battery from a UniversalImpactDrive will not fit it. It takes the slot of the Makita DTD156Z, which has lost its Amazon offer, and it brings a sixth battery platform to the list rather than a third Makita.
The listing publishes 215Nm of torque and 3,300rpm with two selectable speeds, which is the highest torque figure on this list, a little above the two DeWalt XR drivers. Bosch does not publish an impact rate on the listing, so it cannot be compared with the 4,000 impacts per minute the fastest drivers here claim. Two auto driving modes, one for wood and one for metal, stop or slow the tool as the fastener seats, which is the feature that keeps self-tappers from stripping and cabinet screws from punching through. The head is 126mm and the listing gives a weight of about 1kg.
Pro Tool Reviews scored it 9.7 out of 10, calling the auto modes the thing that sets it apart from more basic drivers and singling out the three LEDs around the collet, which the Amazon listing does not mention. That review is why it leads the list while the DeWalt DCF850N has no Amazon offer: the two drivers that beat it on owner rating have no published review of the exact model. Against it: no sealing rating and no per-charge runtime on the listing, and an owner record that is solid rather than deep. It is sold and dispatched by Amazon, so returns are the simple kind.
Power
9.3
Build
8.1
Battery
8.5
Owners
7.8
Owners is our reading of this listing's Amazon UK owner rating (solid rating, substantial record), shrunk toward the category average when the record is thin. Fewer than two published reviews of this exact model, so the owner rating carries that weight too. Tick marks show the category average.
How we scored it
Each measure is marked against the category's rubric, where 10 is the best you can buy, 8 is strong, 6 is basic but sound and 4 falls short. The bars show that mark on the Top7 scale (a 6 reads as 7.0, an 8 as 8.5); the notes quote the rubric mark.
Power 9.3 (rubric 9): The listing publishes 215Nm, the card's 200 to 219Nm band at 9; no impacts-per-minute figure is published on the listing, so the 4,000ipm bonus cannot be applied.
Build 8.1 (rubric 7.5): A 126mm head inside the card's 120 to 135mm band with two speeds and two auto driving modes, at about 1kg; no LED is published on the Amazon listing, so it sits half a point under the card's 8 anchor.
Battery 8.5 (rubric 8): Brushless body-only tool on Bosch Professional 18V, one of the card's named professional platforms with large packs sold in the UK: the card's 8 band, with no platform-size bonus because no tool count is cited.
Makita DTD173ZJ 18V LXT Brushless Impact Driver with Makpac Case
18V LXT Brushless180Nm4-Stage Power
Premium
Rank #2
Makita DTD173ZJ 18V LXT Brushless Impact Driver with Makpac Case
Our Verdict
Body only, in a Makpac Type 3 case. Makita's current LXT flagship: four selectable power stages from 20Nm to 180Nm, an assist mode, a 111mm body and 0.85kg bare.
Why it isn't number one: It scores higher than our number one, but only 0 published reviews of this exact model.
9.1OutstandingTop7 Score
✓Checked today
OwnersExceptional owner rating from a thin record on Amazon UK
✓ Ships from the UK
Ad· we may earn a commission if you buy through this link, at no extra cost to you.
This is the most controllable driver on the list and the reason to own it is the switch panel rather than the headline number. Makita publishes four selectable impact stages - 20, 50, 170 and 180Nm, running at 0-1,100, 2,100, 3,200 and 3,600rpm with 0-1,100, 2,600, 3,600 and 3,800 impacts per minute - so the same tool that pulls an M16 bolt down will also set a 4mm brass screw into softwood without shearing the head off. On top of the four stages sits an assist mode that starts the fastener slowly before speeding up, which is what stops a self-drilling screw walking and stops a long screw cross-threading in the first turn. The body is 111mm long and 0.85kg bare, the lightest and second-shortest here, with a ring illumination LED and a light mode, an electric brake and an anti-wobble bit structure that keeps the collet true. The ZJ suffix means the Makpac Type 3 case is in the box, which stacks with the rest of the Makita system, but there is still no battery and no charger. Two honest caveats: at 180Nm it gives away 25Nm to the DeWalt drivers here, and it is new enough that its owner review base is a fraction of theirs. Makita's LXT platform runs past 300 products, and registering the tool inside 30 days takes the guarantee from one year to three.
Power
8.9
Build
10.0
Battery
8.9
Owners
8.9
Owners is our reading of this listing's Amazon UK owner rating (exceptional rating, thin record), shrunk toward the category average when the record is thin. Fewer than two published reviews of this exact model, so the owner rating carries that weight too. Tick marks show the category average.
How we scored it
Each measure is marked against the category's rubric, where 10 is the best you can buy, 8 is strong, 6 is basic but sound and 4 falls short. The bars show that mark on the Top7 scale (a 6 reads as 7.0, an 8 as 8.5); the notes quote the rubric mark.
Power 8.9 (rubric 8.5): Makita publishes 180Nm maximum fastening torque, the card's 180 to 199Nm band at 8.5; the top stage runs 3,800 impacts per minute, under the 4,000 needed for the speed bonus.
Build 10.0 (rubric 10): The card's top anchor in full: 111mm overall length, 0.85kg net weight, four selectable stages plus an assist mode, and a ring illumination LED with light mode.
Battery 8.9 (rubric 8.5): Brushless body-only tool on 18V LXT, a professional platform with 5.0Ah and larger packs sold across the UK, plus half a point for a range Makita lists at over 300 products.
Pros
+ Four published power stages from 20Nm to 180Nm, so one tool covers brass screws and M16 bolts
+ Assist mode starts the fastener slowly, which stops Tek screws walking and long screws cross-threading
+ Lightest here at 0.85kg bare in a 111mm body, with a ring illumination LED and an electric brake
+ Makpac Type 3 case included, and it lands on LXT - over 300 products on one pack
Cons
− Body only - the case is in the box, the battery and charger are not
− 180Nm is the lowest ceiling of the four pro-tier drivers here
− Still a thin owner record on Amazon UK, a fraction of what the older Makita and DeWalt bodies carry
18V LXT Brushless180Nm4-Stage PowerAssist ModeMakpac CaseBody Only
Body only, and 12V rather than 18V. Milwaukee publishes 170Nm and 4,000 impacts per minute from a 127mm body - the fastest-hitting driver here and the one for one-handed work.
Why it isn't number one: It scores higher than our number one, but only 0 published reviews of this exact model.
8.9ExcellentTop7 Score
✓Checked today
OwnersExceptional owner rating from a deep record on Amazon UK
✓ Ships from the UK
Ad· we may earn a commission if you buy through this link, at no extra cost to you.
The M12 is the pick for anyone who spends the day on kitchens, wardrobes, door furniture and second fix in occupied houses, where the job is a hundred small fixings in awkward places rather than a deck. Milwaukee publishes 170Nm, up to 3,600rpm and 4,000 impacts per minute from a POWERSTATE brushless motor in a 127mm body - the highest impact rate on this list, which is what you notice on a batch of screws rather than on one stubborn bolt. The four-mode DRIVE CONTROL gives three speed and torque settings plus a dedicated self-tapping mode that eases the fastener in before going to full power, REDLINK PLUS manages the electronics, and there are tri-LEDs rather than a single light. Being 12V is the whole trade-off: it is genuinely a one-handed tool up a ladder or overhead, and it will not match an 18V body on a 100mm structural screw or on runtime from a single pack. Two things to know before you buy. Milwaukee has no Amazon UK storefront, so this arrives through a marketplace seller - Ashford Retail Ltd, dispatched by Amazon - and Milwaukee's guarantee extension from one year to three is granted only on tools bought from an Authorised Milwaukee Distributor and registered within 30 days, which a marketplace purchase cannot satisfy. You keep the standard one-year guarantee and your Amazon returns rights, not the extension. On the evidence it is one of the best-rated tools in the category, with an exceptional owner rating across a deep Amazon UK record.
Power
8.9
Build
8.9
Battery
8.5
Owners
9.2
Owners is our reading of this listing's Amazon UK owner rating (exceptional rating, deep record), shrunk toward the category average when the record is thin. Fewer than two published reviews of this exact model, so the owner rating carries that weight too. Tick marks show the category average.
How we scored it
Each measure is marked against the category's rubric, where 10 is the best you can buy, 8 is strong, 6 is basic but sound and 4 falls short. The bars show that mark on the Top7 scale (a 6 reads as 7.0, an 8 as 8.5); the notes quote the rubric mark.
Power 8.9 (rubric 8.5): Milwaukee publishes 170Nm, the card's 160 to 179Nm band at 8, plus half a point for a published 4,000 impacts per minute - the only tool here to clear the 4,000 threshold on a torque band.
Build 8.9 (rubric 8.5): A 127mm body with four modes and tri-LEDs is the card's 8 anchor, lifted half a point for the shortest length in that band and a fourth dedicated self-tapping mode on top of three speed settings.
Battery 8.5 (rubric 8): Brushless body-only tool on a professional platform - Milwaukee sells 6.0Ah M12 packs in the UK - but no platform-size bonus, and a 12V pack cannot match an 18V one for work per charge.
Pros
+ 4,000 impacts per minute, the fastest hammering rate on this list, from a 127mm body
+ Four-mode DRIVE CONTROL including a self-tapping setting that eases the screw in before full power
+ Genuinely one-handed for overhead and ladder work where an 18V body is a two-hand job
+ An exceptional owner rating across a deep Amazon UK record, second only to the DeWalt DCF887N for depth on this list
Cons
− Milwaukee's extended guarantee cannot be registered on a marketplace purchase - it needs an Authorised Milwaukee Distributor, so you keep one year rather than three
− Sold by a third-party seller (Ashford Retail Ltd, dispatched by Amazon), not by Amazon itself
− 12V M12 packs do not fit M18 tools, and a 12V body gives away torque and runtime to every 18V driver here
− Body only, and Milwaukee does not publish a bare weight for this model
12V M12 FUEL170Nm4000 IPM4-Mode DRIVE CONTROLSub CompactBody Only
Body only. The volume DeWalt: up to 205Nm, 3,250rpm and 3,800 impacts per minute, three modes and a 135mm body, with an exceptional owner rating across a very deep UK owner record.
Why it isn't number one: It scores higher than our number one, but only 0 published reviews of this exact model.
8.9ExcellentTop7 Score
✓Checked today
OwnersExceptional owner rating from a very deep record on Amazon UK
✓ Ships from the UK
Ad· we may earn a commission if you buy through this link, at no extra cost to you.
If one tool defines the DeWalt half of this shelf it is this one. The DCF887 has been on sale long enough to accumulate a very deep Amazon UK owner record and it still holds an exceptional rating across it, which is a rare combination in any power tool category. DeWalt publishes up to 205Nm, up to 3,250rpm and 3,800 impacts per minute, with three speed and torque modes on a switch behind the collet and a three-LED ring rather than a single foot light. At 135mm long and 0.9kg bare it is the longest professional body on this list, 34mm longer than the compact DCF850 - and what the extra length buys is a published impact rate of 3,800 per minute, a figure DeWalt does not quote for the compact model and the one that counts when you are running a deck or a floor. The collet is drop-and-load, so bits go in one-handed. It is body only, on the 18V XR platform DeWalt lists at over 250 products, and the guarantee runs one year, or three if you register it. The honest limitation is at the top and bottom of the range: there is no assist or precision mode here, so the finest work still wants the Precision Drive of the DCF850 or a four-stage Makita, and at 135mm it is the longest pro-tier body on this list. As the cheapest 205Nm tool in the category it is the value pick, and by a distance.
Power
9.3
Build
8.5
Battery
8.9
Owners
8.9
Owners is our reading of this listing's Amazon UK owner rating (exceptional rating, very deep record), shrunk toward the category average when the record is thin. Fewer than two published reviews of this exact model, so the owner rating carries that weight too. Tick marks show the category average.
How we scored it
Each measure is marked against the category's rubric, where 10 is the best you can buy, 8 is strong, 6 is basic but sound and 4 falls short. The bars show that mark on the Top7 scale (a 6 reads as 7.0, an 8 as 8.5); the notes quote the rubric mark.
Power 9.3 (rubric 9): DeWalt publishes up to 205Nm, the card's 200 to 219Nm band at 9; the published 3,800 impacts per minute sits just under the 4,000 needed for the extra half point.
Build 8.5 (rubric 8): The card's 8 anchor exactly: a 135mm body at the top of the 120 to 135mm band, three selectable modes and a three-LED ring, but no precision or assist setting.
Battery 8.9 (rubric 8.5): Brushless body-only tool on 18V XR, a professional platform selling 5.0Ah and larger packs in the UK, plus half a point for a range DeWalt lists at over 250 products.
Pros
+ Up to 205Nm with a published 3,800 impacts per minute - power and speed, not just one of them
+ Three speed and torque modes and a three-LED ring, on the largest owner review base of any DeWalt here
+ An exceptional owner rating across a very deep Amazon UK record, the second-deepest in the category
+ Cheapest route to 205Nm on this list, on a platform DeWalt lists at over 250 products
Cons
− No precision or assist mode - small screws and Tek screws want a finer first turn than this offers
− At 135mm it is the longest of the professional bodies here
This is the gap filler in the Makita range and, for a lot of UK buyers, the sensible one. It is brushless, which the far better known DTD152Z is not, and it costs a fraction of the flagship DTD173. Makita publishes 140Nm maximum fastening torque, two speed ranges of 0-1,300 and 0-3,000rpm, and 0-2,000 and 0-4,100 impacts per minute - the second-highest impact rate on this list, so it drives a batch of screws quickly even though its ceiling is lower than the DeWalts. There are three selectable modes on the tool, an A-mode alongside hard and soft, an LED work light, an anti-wobble bit structure and XPT sealing against dust and water. The body measures 133 x 81 x 232mm and Makita quotes 1.2 to 1.5kg with a battery fitted depending on the pack. What you are giving up for the money is the top end: 140Nm will not pull a long coach screw into dense timber the way a 205Nm DeWalt will, and Makita does not publish a ring LED for this model. What you get is a brushless motor on the biggest trade battery platform in the UK, with a real owner base behind it, sold body only so it lands cheaply if you already own LXT packs.
Power
8.1
Build
8.5
Battery
8.9
Owners
8.5
Owners is our reading of this listing's Amazon UK owner rating (excellent rating, substantial record), shrunk toward the category average when the record is thin. Fewer than two published reviews of this exact model, so the owner rating carries that weight too. Tick marks show the category average.
How we scored it
Each measure is marked against the category's rubric, where 10 is the best you can buy, 8 is strong, 6 is basic but sound and 4 falls short. The bars show that mark on the Top7 scale (a 6 reads as 7.0, an 8 as 8.5); the notes quote the rubric mark.
Power 8.1 (rubric 7.5): Makita publishes 140Nm, the bottom of the card's 140 to 159Nm band at 7, plus half a point for a published 4,100 impacts per minute, over the 4,000 threshold.
Build 8.5 (rubric 8): A 133mm body inside the card's 120 to 135mm band with three selectable modes and an LED work light; no ring LED and no bare weight published, so it does not reach the top anchor.
Battery 8.9 (rubric 8.5): Brushless body-only tool on 18V LXT, a professional platform with 5.0Ah and larger packs sold across the UK, plus half a point for a range Makita lists at over 300 products.
Pros
+ Brushless LXT for far less than the DTD173 flagship - more work per pack than the brushed DTD152Z
+ Published 4,100 impacts per minute, the second-fastest hammering rate here
+ Three selectable modes plus XPT dust and water resistant sealing
+ Lands on LXT, the biggest trade battery platform in the UK at over 300 products
Cons
− 140Nm is the joint-lowest ceiling here - not the tool for long coach screws in dense timber
− An LED work light rather than the ring illumination Makita fits to the DTD173
− Body only, and Makita publishes weight with a battery fitted rather than a bare figure
18V LXT Brushless140Nm4100 IPM3 ModesXPT SealedBody Only
Einhell TE-CI 18 Li Power X-Change Cordless Impact Driver
18V Power X-Change140Nm2300rpm
Budget
Rank #6
Einhell TE-CI 18 Li Power X-Change Cordless Impact Driver
Our Verdict
Body only, and the entry point of the list. Einhell publishes 140Nm at 2,300rpm from a 1.17kg body with three LEDs, on the Power X-Change platform that also runs the mower.
7.6GoodTop7 Score
✓Checked today
OwnersExcellent owner rating from a deep record on Amazon UK
✓ Ships from the UK
Ad· we may earn a commission if you buy through this link, at no extra cost to you.
Einhell holds the budget end of this shelf honestly, which is more than can be said for the unbranded 20V and 21V drivers around it. Einhell UK lists this one as the TE-CI 18/1 Li-Solo and publishes 140Nm maximum torque, an idling speed of 2,300rpm, a 6.35mm hex bit fitting, a weight of 1.17kg and three power LEDs arranged for all-round illumination rather than a single light at the foot. Electronic speed control on the trigger is the only adjustment - there is no mode switch and the motor is brushed, so it will not get the work out of a pack that the brushless tools above it manage, and it will warm up if you drive screws back to back for an hour. Inside its range, though, it is a capable tool: 140Nm is the same published ceiling as Makita's sub-compact DTD157Z, which is plenty for flat-pack, hinges, decking boards and fence rails. The argument for it is really the platform. Power X-Change runs past 300 Einhell tools and stretches from drills and saws to mowers, hedge trimmers and pressure washers, so a household that wants one battery for the shed and the garden gets further with it than with a trade platform. Sold body only, with an excellent owner rating across a deep Amazon UK record behind it.
Power
7.8
Build
7.0
Battery
6.6
Owners
8.5
Owners is our reading of this listing's Amazon UK owner rating (excellent rating, deep record), shrunk toward the category average when the record is thin. Fewer than two published reviews of this exact model, so the owner rating carries that weight too. Tick marks show the category average.
How we scored it
Each measure is marked against the category's rubric, where 10 is the best you can buy, 8 is strong, 6 is basic but sound and 4 falls short. The bars show that mark on the Top7 scale (a 6 reads as 7.0, an 8 as 8.5); the notes quote the rubric mark.
Power 7.8 (rubric 7): Einhell publishes 140Nm maximum torque, the bottom of the card's 140 to 159Nm band at 7; no impacts-per-minute figure is published, so it takes no speed bonus.
Build 7.0 (rubric 6): The card's 6 anchor: a single-speed driver with no mode switch, adjusted only by electronic speed control on the trigger, though its three power LEDs beat a single foot light.
Battery 6.6 (rubric 5.5): A brushed body-only tool scores 5 on any platform under the card, plus half a point because Einhell lists over 300 Power X-Change tools on the same pack.
Pros
+ 140Nm published ceiling, matching Makita's sub-compact brushless driver, at the entry price tier here
+ Three power LEDs for all-round illumination rather than a single work light
+ Power X-Change runs past 300 Einhell tools including mowers, trimmers and pressure washers
+ An excellent owner rating across a deep Amazon UK record - a real evidence base, not a thin one
Cons
− Brushed motor: least work per charge on this list and more heat under sustained driving
− No mode switch - only electronic speed control on the trigger
− Einhell publishes no impacts-per-minute figure for this model
− Body only, and a DIY-leaning platform rather than a trade one
18V Power X-Change140Nm2300rpmBrushed3 LEDsBody Only
Nothing on this site is bought, tested or handled. Each driver is scored against a published rubric - Power and torque 45%, Build and ergonomics 30%, Battery and runtime 25% - using specifications taken from the manufacturer's own UK site (makitauk.com, dewalt.co.uk, uk.milwaukeetool.eu, einhell.co.uk), owner ratings at scale on Amazon UK, and published reviews of the exact model where they exist. Only one tool here has one: Pro Tool Reviews scored the DeWalt DCF850 9.4 out of 10. Where a figure is not published for a specific model it is left out rather than borrowed from a sibling in the same range - Makita publishes a ring illumination LED for the DTD173 and only an LED work light for the DTD152, and DeWalt publishes an impacts-per-minute figure for the DCF887 but not for the DCF850. Owner ratings are shrunk towards the category mean so a driver with a thin owner record cannot outrank one with a very deep record on a rounding difference.
The Amazon UK impact driver node is badly mixed, so the shortlist was cleaned before anything was scored. Out went the manual hand impact drivers - the Aurlloct, Blue Spot and QWORK sets, one of which ranks second in the entire node - along with every 1/2in cordless impact wrench, including DeWalt's DCF922N, because a wheel-nut tool is not a screwdriving tool. Out too went Makita's DTM50Z oscillating multi-tool, Ryobi's R18PD3 percussion drill and Bosch Professional's GSB 18V-25, which is a blue Professional combi drill despite appearing in the impact driver results, plus a shelf of third-party hammer drills sold as compatible with Makita 18V. Unbranded 20V and 21V generics were left out as a class - Dong Cheng, INGCO and NANWEI among them - as were real brands whose review base is still too thin to rank, such as JCB Pro, Trend, Excel and Stanley FATMAX. Prices move daily and are not quoted in this text; tap through for the current figure on Amazon.
Scored on Power and torque 45%, Build and ergonomics 30%, Battery and runtime 25%, plus owner ratings and critic reviews
This is the single most common mistake on Amazon UK, and the listings encourage it. An impact driver has a 1/4in hex collet and is built to drive screws and coach screws into timber and light steel. An impact wrench has a 1/2in square drive, usually two to five times the torque, and is built for wheel nuts, scaffold fittings and structural bolts. They look similar in a thumbnail and they are not interchangeable: hex bits will not fit a square drive, and an impact wrench is far too coarse for a 5mm woodscrew. If the listing says 1/2in, or the headline torque figure is in the hundreds above 300Nm, you are looking at a wrench. The same node also carries manual hand impact drivers, which are a hardened bit holder you hit with a hammer to crack a seized screw - useful, and nothing to do with a cordless tool.
Body only is the default here, and it is not a like-for-like comparison
Every one of the seven drivers below is sold body only - the tool in a box, no battery and no charger, and only the Makita DTD173ZJ adds a case. That is normal on this shelf and it is why the numbers in the listings look so different from one another. Comparing a body-only Makita against a kit with two packs, a charger and a case is comparing two different purchases, not two different tools. If you already run packs on the platform, body only is the right buy and the obvious one. If you do not, budget for a battery and a charger before you commit, and read the bundle titles carefully: some of the best-selling listings on this shelf pair a tool with a 5.0Ah pack and still do not include a charger.
Torque, impacts per minute and modes do different jobs
Maximum fastening torque is what breaks a stubborn fixing loose and what drives a coach screw home without stalling - 140Nm handles cabinetry and general fixings, 165 to 180Nm covers decking and framing, and anything over 200Nm will pull a long structural screw into dense timber. Impacts per minute is how fast the tool gets there once the hammering starts, which is what you feel on a batch of deck screws. Modes matter as much as either: a three or four stage selector lets you drop the speed for a small brass screw that a full-power driver would shear, and dedicated assist modes - DeWalt's Precision Drive, Makita's assist mode on the DTD173, Milwaukee's self-tapping setting - start slowly and speed up once the fastener bites, so Tek screws stop walking across the steel.
Commit to a platform, not a tool
Makita's LXT is the biggest trade platform in the UK and Makita publishes over 300 products on it. DeWalt lists over 250 on 18V XR, and XR packs also take FlexVolt. Einhell's Power X-Change also runs past 300 tools and reaches deep into garden kit, which is why it suits a household rather than a site. Ryobi ONE+ is the widest-stocked DIY platform in the country, sold at B&Q, Homebase, Screwfix, Argos and Amazon. Milwaukee splits into 12V M12 for sub-compact work and 18V M18 for everything else, and the two do not share packs. Bosch sells two 18V ranges that are not battery compatible - blue Professional and green Home & Garden - and Amazon listings blur them constantly. Screwfix's Erbauer EXT and Titan TXP are worth knowing about because so many UK tradespeople own them, but they are Screwfix-only, and Titan TXP packs are not backward compatible with older non-TXP Titan tools. One thing you can ignore in this category: every impact driver is cordless, so the 110V site transformer question that governs corded saws and drills does not apply.
Brushless or brushed
A brushless motor has no carbon brushes to wear out and no brush friction to waste, so it gets more work out of the same pack, runs cooler under sustained load and lasts longer before it needs a service. Every driver here is brushless except one, and it is an honest entry-level tool rather than a bad one: Einhell's Power X-Change unit, which holds the budget end. Makita's brushed DTD152Z is still the most-rated impact driver on Amazon UK, but it has no Amazon offer behind it at the moment. The practical line: if the driver is going in a van and coming out every day, buy brushless. If it lives in a cupboard and comes out for flat-pack, a deck once a summer and the odd hinge, a brushed driver on a platform you already own is the better use of the money.
Check who is selling it, and start the warranty clock
Amazon UK's impact driver shelf is not all first-party. Milwaukee has no Amazon UK storefront of its own, so its tools arrive through marketplace sellers - the M12 below is sold by Ashford Retail Ltd and dispatched by Amazon. That is fine for delivery and returns, but Milwaukee's guarantee extension from one year to three is only granted on tools bought from an Authorised Milwaukee Distributor and registered within 30 days, so a marketplace purchase cannot be registered for it. Makita and DeWalt are more forgiving: Makita extends a one-year guarantee to three if you register a CE and UKCA marked tool within 30 days of purchase, and DeWalt does the same on registration. Either way the clock starts the day it arrives, so register it before the box goes in the loft.
An impact driver is the tool you reach for when a drill starts fighting back. Rather than leaning on the trigger and letting your wrist absorb the reaction, the driver spins up, meets resistance and then starts hammering the fastener round - thousands of rotational blows a minute, delivered straight down the axis of the screw. Almost nothing comes back through your arm. For second fix, decking, stud work, kitchen carcasses and anything involving a 100mm timber screw, that is the difference between a morning and a whole day.
The interface is what makes it a different tool from everything sitting next to it. Every driver on this list takes a 1/4in hex bit in a collet that releases when you pull the sleeve forward. That is not the 1/2in square drive of an impact wrench, which is a wheel-nut and structural-bolt tool and does not belong in this category, and it is not the 13mm keyless chuck of a combi drill. Amazon UK's impact driver listings mix all three, plus manual hand impact drivers - the sort you strike with a lump hammer to shift a seized screw. Roughly a third of the top results in that node are one of those things rather than a cordless impact driver, and the ones set aside are named in the methodology below.
The genuine UK shelf is narrower than it looks. Makita LXT and DeWalt XR take most of it. The Makita DTD152Z carries more owner ratings than anything else in the category by a wide margin, and DeWalt's DCF887N is the next biggest. Nearly all of them are sold body only - no battery, no charger - because the impact driver is usually the second thing a buyer puts on a platform, after a combi drill. Ryobi ONE+ is stocked in every UK shed from B&Q to Argos, and Screwfix's Erbauer EXT and Titan TXP lines are what a lot of UK tradespeople actually own, but the Screwfix ranges are not sold on Amazon, so they cannot be picks here.
Which means the question in front of you is usually not which impact driver is best. It is which battery you want to keep buying for the next decade. Get that right and the driver itself is close to a detail; get it wrong and you end up buying a second set of batteries for everything that follows. Bosch makes the trap concrete: the blue Professional range (GDR and GDX codes, ProCORE and AMPShare packs) and the green Home & Garden range (Power for All, UniversalImpactDrive and EasyImpact codes) both say 18V on the battery, and neither pack fits the other's tools.
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What is the difference between an impact driver and an impact wrench?+
An impact driver has a 1/4in hex collet and drives screws - deck screws, coach screws, Tek screws, hinges, stud work. An impact wrench has a 1/2in square drive and far more torque, and it is for wheel nuts, scaffold fittings and structural bolts. The bits are not interchangeable and the tools are not substitutes: an impact wrench is far too coarse for a 5mm woodscrew, and a 1/4in hex driver will not shift a seized wheel nut. This matters on Amazon UK because the impact driver category is full of 1/2in wrenches - several of the top results in the node are wrenches rather than drivers, and DeWalt's DCF922N is one of them. If the listing says 1/2in square drive, or the torque figure is well over 300Nm, it is a wrench. And if it has no motor at all, it is a manual hand impact driver, which you strike with a lump hammer to crack a seized screw.
Do I still need a combi drill if I buy an impact driver?+
Yes. They are a pair, not alternatives, which is why most UK buyers own both and why twin packs sell so well. A combi drill has a 13mm keyless chuck that takes round drill bits, holesaws and spade bits, a clutch you can set to stop at a given torque, and a hammer action for masonry. An impact driver takes 1/4in hex only, has no clutch and no hammer mode, and cannot drill into brick. What it does instead is drive long screws without twisting your wrist and without cam-ing out of the head. The usual working pattern is the drill in one hand for pilot holes and masonry, the driver in the other for fixings - which is also the practical argument for buying both on the same battery platform.
What does body only mean, and what else do I need to buy?+
Body only is the phrase UK shops use, and it means the tool and nothing else: no battery, no charger, usually no case. All seven drivers here are sold that way, and it is the normal way this category sells in the UK because the impact driver is typically the second or third tool someone buys on a platform they already own. If you already have packs, body only is the obvious purchase. If you do not, you need at least one battery and a charger before the tool does anything, and that is a real cost to add before you compare listings. Watch the bundle titles too: some of the best-selling listings on this shelf pair a tool with a 5.0Ah battery and still leave the charger out of the box.
Which battery platform should I buy into in the UK?+
If you are on the tools daily, Makita LXT and DeWalt 18V XR are the two that dominate the UK trade counter and the Amazon UK shelf - Makita publishes over 300 products on LXT and DeWalt over 250 on XR, and both sell 5.0Ah and larger packs everywhere. Milwaukee is excellent but splits into 12V M12 and 18V M18, which do not share packs, and on Amazon UK it only arrives through marketplace sellers. For a household rather than a site, Einhell Power X-Change and Ryobi ONE+ both run past 300 tools and reach into garden kit, and Ryobi is stocked at B&Q, Homebase, Screwfix, Argos and Amazon, so it is easy to add to. Two traps: Bosch's blue Professional and green Home and Garden 18V ranges are not battery compatible with each other, and Screwfix's Titan TXP packs are not backward compatible with older non-TXP Titan tools.
Are Bosch's blue and green 18V batteries interchangeable?+
No, and this is the most expensive mistake in the category. Bosch sells two completely separate 18V systems in the UK. Blue is Bosch Professional - GDR and GDX model codes, ProCORE18V packs, and the cross-brand AMPShare alliance. Green is Bosch Home and Garden - Power for All, with names like UniversalImpactDrive and EasyImpact. The packs will not fit each other's tools in either direction, and Amazon listings routinely blur the two by describing both simply as Bosch 18V. Before you buy a Bosch impact driver, check the model code and the colour of the tool in the photograph: a green tool will not run a blue battery and a blue tool will not run a green one, no matter what the listing title says.
Is a brushless impact driver worth it over a brushed one?+
It depends entirely on how often the tool comes out. A brushless motor has no carbon brushes to wear and no brush friction wasting energy, so it does more work per charge, runs cooler when you are driving screws back to back, and lasts longer before it needs a service. For daily trade use that is worth paying for every time. For occasional use it matters much less, which is why the brushed Makita DTD152Z is still the most-rated impact driver on Amazon UK and the brushed Einhell holds the entry tier here honestly. The middle ground is worth knowing about: Makita's DTD157Z is brushless and costs only a little more than the brushed DTD152Z, so if you are buying into LXT anyway it is a small step to take.
When is the best time to buy an impact driver in the UK?+
Black Friday falls on 27 November 2026 and is the deepest discounting of the year on cordless tools, followed by Boxing Day and the January sales - bare tools and twin packs both move heavily. The next real window is the run-up to Easter on 28 March 2027, when the DIY and garden season opens and decking projects start, then the May bank holidays on 3 and 31 May and the August bank holiday on 30 August. Father's Day on 20 June 2027 shifts a lot of mid-range drivers and combi drill twin packs. If you are buying through a business, the date that matters more is the tax year ending 5 April and what the Annual Investment Allowance lets you write off against it.
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