Best impact drivers 2026
Need a tool to make light work of loosening tight bolts? Here, we reveal which you should turn to
When working on a car, you will inevitably find yourself in a tight spot. Parts such as wheel nuts, suspension arms and pulley bolts are designed to be fastened securely and that means they will be tricky to loosen, especially if they have also been allowed to corrode.
While a spanner or socket might eventually be able to do the job, an impact driver can make the job much easier and speed up the process enormously – just ask any F1 pit crew. These devices look like drills but send a series of shocks through the nut or bolt, like hitting a spanner with a hammer, so it gradually breaks its grip. The driver will then speedily spin the fastening off the final threads.
Battery-powered drivers have more than enough grunt to tackle DIY jobs and are becoming increasingly affordable. Here we have put seven through our tests to see which will make the biggest impact in your garage.
How we tested
We are looking for a driver which is all torque, so tested them in various tough twisting scenarios. The first was to time them cutting 6.7x125mm hex socket wood screws into undrilled timber and then removing them. Next, we tightened bolts to 175Nm – the maximum you are likely to need on a car’s wheel nuts – and checked that the drivers were able to loosen them easily.
Used - available now
2023 Hyundai
Kona Electric
76,890 milesAutomaticElectric
Cash £12,201
2024 Volkswagen
Tiguan
37,580 milesAutomaticPetrol1.5L
Cash £16,571
2023 Hyundai
i20
27,350 milesManualPetrol1.0L
Cash £12,358
2024 Kia
Ceed Sportswagon
30,037 milesManualPetrol1.5L
Cash £14,728We then judged the tools’ weight and ease of handling, battery life, and any extra features such as a case or ‘hog ring’ to help hold sockets in place. Finally, we took the value into account.
Draper DXPULSE 18V Brushless Impact Wrench Set
- Price: around £149.99
- Battery: 18V, 4Ah
- Max torque: 400Nm
- Contact: drapertools.com
- Rating: 5.0 stars
The DXPULSE has only just been launched and it goes straight into pole position. With a 4Ah battery fitted, it weighs just 1,645g, making it much easier to hold over a long period than bigger rivals, especially if you are working underneath a car. The body is compact too, meaning it will fit into spaces that would be too tight for the bigger drivers in this test.
The 400Nm maximum is more than enough for DIY tasks on a car and it effortlessly tackled our tight nut and other tests. The price just sneaks under £150, including a case and three impact sockets in common sizes for wheel nuts.
Worx WX273
- Price: around £186.99
- Battery: 20V, 4Ah
- Max torque: 800Nm
- Contact: uk.worx.com
- Rating: 4.5 stars
The WX273 is compact and lightweight at just 144mm wide and 1,992g, but its power shames drivers twice the size. Worx claims a maximum of 600Nm for tightening and 800Nm when loosening bolts, and it certainly blitzed our tests.
It has other useful features too, including three bright LEDs to illuminate the work area and a five- light battery gauge, so you aren’t left guessing how much power you have left. The tough case is well organised and compact too, holding five deep sockets and an adapter for screwdriver bits. This all brought the Worx very close to taking the win here, but the features couldn’t quite outweigh the Draper’s lower price.
Clarke CIR184LIP 18v 1/2in Drive Impact Wrench
- Price: around £173.99
- Battery: 18V, 2 x 4Ah
- Max torque: 400Nm
- Contact: machinemart.co.uk
- Rating: 4.0 stars
Clarke’s CIR184LIP looks a little old fashioned with its longer body and chunky 2,620g weight. But it makes up for this with a decent specification, especially for the price. This includes a pair of 4Ah batteries to ensure you won’t need to stop for a charge, even on the longest of jobs.
With a respectable 400Nm of torque, it ticked all of our test boxes and it feels perfectly balanced in use. We also like the compact case, which won’t take up much space on a shelf.
Kielder KWT-085 TYPE18
- Price: around £227.99
- Battery: 18V, 5Ah
- Max torque: 1,790Nm
- Contact: kielder.co
- Rating: 4.0 stars
The torque figure isn’t a mistake – the Kielder really does have more than 10 times the twisting power of some in this test. It certainly wasn’t bothered by any of our trials.
It has a huge 5.0Ah battery too – but there is a downside to this. The KWT-085 is the heaviest here at 3,732g, which means using it is a real workout. Together with the steep price, that limits its appeal to those who need power for the toughest jobs.
Einhell Professional PXC 18V
- Price: around £94.99 + £20
- Battery: 18V, 4Ah
- Max torque: 230Nm
- Contact: toolstation.com
- Rating: 3.5 stars
If you’re on a tight budget, the Einhell should be your top choice. A combined package for the PXC and a battery/charger costs £114.99, making it the cheapest here. Despite this, it was able to tackle all of our tasks, although it didn’t have the ultimate punch of the winners, so needed longer to remove the tightest bolt.
It feels nicely balanced to hold and weighs just 1,846g, despite having a big 4Ah battery. We also liked the extra adapter for hex bits so it can be used for impact driving screws, although there is no case, so it could be lost rather easily.
Stanley FATMAX V20 18V 3-Speed Brushless High Torque Impact Wrench
- Price: around £169.95
- Battery: 18V, 2Ah
- Max torque: 370Nm
- Contact: stanleytools.co.uk
- Rating: 3.0 stars
This FATMAX certainly lives up to its name. It weighs a hefty 3,071g, which makes it a bit of a pain to handle for long periods and it’s top-heavy too. It breezed our tests, though, and there is also a handy slider to swap between the three power settings. However, at this price we would have expected a case.
DeWalt DCF902D2-GB XR Brushless Cordless Impact Wrench
- Price: around £184.98
- Battery: 12V, 2 x 2.0Ah
- Max torque: 168Nm
- Contact: screwfix.com
- Rating: 2.5 stars
The DeWalt is tiny, and by far the lightest here with a weight of 1,200g. This has its advantages if you are holding it up constantly.
It also has two batteries in this package, which means you can keep working without needing to stop for a charge. But it doesn’t have the power of its rivals and was the only driver that failed to loosen our nut.
Verdict
Draper’s DX goes straight to the top of the class. It is easy to handle and has more than enough grunt for DIY use. The Worx WX273 packs even more power into a similarly compact body, and has other useful features. It comes a very close second. Third spot goes to the Clarke CIR184LIP, which works well and offers good value for a two-battery package.
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