Best Cordless Drills of 2023 – Consumer Reports

Whether you’re hanging a shelf, installing a ceiling fan, or building a deck, a cordless drill is a must. In fact, we would argue that it’s the single most important item in your toolbox.

In the past decade, cordless drills have become more powerful, lighter, and energy-efficient, making corded drills practically obsolete. These improvements in cordless drills come thanks to advancements in lithium-ion battery technology and the introduction of brushless motors, which are more powerful despite requiring less energy. And the changes aren’t unique to cordless drills; they’ve occurred across many of the power tools we test.

“A more recent trend we’re seeing is interchangeable batteries that work among a brand’s entire suite of power tools,” says Courtney Pennicooke, CR’s market analyst for cordless drills. “So you can use the same batteries for your drill, chainsaw, and string trimmer. You can adjust the voltage to match the project you’re working on, and save money by buying bare tools to complete your set.”

The Right Drill for Your Task
The voltage of your drill dictates the size of the job it can tackle. Higher-voltage drills, which we call heavy-duty in our ratings, have 18 to 20 volts of power or more. They’re typically heavier but also more capable of tackling difficult tasks like boring a large hole through studs or joists, or driving hundreds of screws on a single battery charge, which is what you’d want if you were building a deck.

Lower-voltage drills, which we call general-use drills in our ratings, typically use about 12 volts. They offer plenty of power for most household tasks, like hanging a shelf or tightening screws, and they weigh less, too. But despite the capabilities of these smaller drills, most people prefer larger, heavy-duty options. In fact, according to a recent CR member survey, two-thirds of those who own cordless drills have a model that’s 18 volts or more.

How Consumer Reports Tests Cordless Drills
For our cordless drill tests, we narrow down the field to the most widely available models and run them through a series of tests in our lab, where we use a device called a dynamometer that measures torque under different loads. We translate those readings into scores for power, speed, and run time. We also incorporate ratings for predicted reliability and owner satisfaction based on data from CR’s member surveys.

If you’re unsure about what kind of cordless drill to buy, start with our cordless drills buying guide. CR members can also explore our comprehensive cordless drill ratings. There, you can filter more than 50 drills according to your needs, including category, price, weight, and noise level. Below, in alphabetical order, we highlight 10 of the best cordless drills we’ve tested, in both sizes.