Best buys · The garage

The best cordless drill worth buying

Our pick is the DeWalt 20V MAX drill/driver kit. Below: why, what actually matters when buying one, what to get for less, the step up, and whether today's price is a good one.

DeWalt 20V MAX drill/driver kit
The first drill

DeWalt 20V MAX drill/driver kit

Not the most powerful and not the lightest. It does everything a house asks of a drill, and it sits on a battery platform with more tools behind it than almost any other, so the second tool is cheaper than the first.

Buy it for
A first cordless drill, or replacing a corded one.
Skip it if
You drive long screws into hardwood all day. Buy an impact driver alongside it.

The price we have recorded

Lowest price per day across the stores and feeds we track, 2026-09-29 to 2026-10-19 (13 days). Not a store's "was" price: what it actually cost.

Low $23High $119.99

Full price history →

What actually matters when buying a cordless drill

  1. The battery platform matters more than the drill. Every later tool you buy will run on it, so pick a range with the tools you will want next.
  2. Two batteries, not one. A kit with a single battery stops the job while it charges.
  3. Brushless motors run cooler and get more work out of each charge. Worth paying for if you use it weekly.
  4. A drill/driver makes holes and drives screws. An impact driver drives long screws far more easily. Most people eventually want both.

Either side of the pick

Spend less

Ryobi ONE+ 18V drill/driver

Less refined, but one of the widest and cheapest battery ranges there is. Good for the occasional user.

Check the price at Amazon ↗
The step up

Milwaukee M18 FUEL drill/driver

Trade-grade power and build. Overkill for shelves, right for someone who builds things for a living.

Check the price at Amazon ↗

Discounted today, if you would rather

Not our pick. These are the cordless drill offers live right now at stores we track, ranked on the evidence behind the price.