Torque Wrenches Tested

A torque wrench is a car DIY essential... but which one should you go for?

Auto Express Car Reviews

July 2011

Today’s cars use lightweight metals to help keep fuel consumption down, but they mean that even the most basic of DIY maintenance needs care in order to avoid stripped threads and sheared bolts.

Winding up a fastener until it feels tight, then adding a touch more, can land you with a big repair bill – undoing any savings made by servicing your car yourself. The easiest way to avoid damage is to use a torque wrench, which will allow you to apply just the right amount of force with no risk of the fastener coming undone.

A torque wrench is essential for major work such as replacing an engine’s head gasket, but even changing brake pads can require one – and it’s a useful piece of kit for when you’re tightening bolts or nuts on alloy wheels.

You can pay anything from less than £20 to more than £100 for a half-inch-drive torque wrench that should cover most car jobs, but which is the most suitable one for you? To find out, we took a dozen from leading tool specialists to the max.

How we did it

With the help of AA engineer Rory Stockbridge, we measured accuracy using British Standard ISO 6789 as the basis. All units were within the tolerance. We then assessed the tools themselves, looking for ease of use, the common car scales of Nm (Newton metre) and lb ft (foot pounds), the ability to torque in both directions and fine ratchets to allow work in tight places.

Verdict

The Halfords wrenches were the standout tools here. They were a breeze to set, highly accurate and well specified. The more usable range of the 200139 earns it victory from the larger and more expensive 200295. Sealey’s well made Premier Line STW201 is next up. Finally, the closely matched Silverline and Clarke just miss podium spots, but are our budget choices.