The Best Cordless Drills of 2026 (Researched & Ranked)

The short version: after weighing six of the most-reviewed cordless drills on the US market against owner ratings, review volume, published specs and the complaints that recur year after year, the DEWALT DCD771C2 is the pick we would hand almost anyone. It holds a 4.8 average across more than thousands of owner ratings, ships with two batteries and a charger for around $99, and does every job a house asks of a drill. Below is the full ranked field, the consensus score behind each placement, and what owners genuinely gripe about.

Buying a drill also means picking a battery platform you will live with for a decade — that decision is broken down in cordless battery platforms compared. If you are not sure a drill is even the right tool for the job in front of you, start with drill vs impact driver.

Top Picks at a Glance

Our #1 Pick: DEWALT DCD771C2 20V MAX

There is a reason this kit has outsold nearly every competitor for a decade: it is the least interesting drill here, and that is the compliment. Two speed ranges cover slow high-torque driving and fast drilling. The 1/2-inch ratcheting chuck grips spade bits and hole saws that a 3/8-inch chuck cannot. At 3.6 pounds bare it is light enough to use overhead for a while and heavy enough to feel planted. It comes with two batteries, a charger and a bag, so nothing else is required on day one.

The aggregated picture is unusually consistent. Across more than 49,617 owner ratings the average sits at 4.8, and the pattern in the written reviews is people describing years of ownership rather than first impressions — the strongest signal available when nobody is testing the tool for you. Owners who upgrade from it almost always move to a brushless model in the same 20V MAX family, which tells you the batteries were never the problem.

Consensus Score ██████████░░ 9.1 — from 49,617 owner ratings

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The Ranked Field

Quick Comparison

How We Rank

We never buy, test or physically handle the products we rank. Instead we aggregate what the owner base already knows: star ratings weighted by review volume, the distribution of one- and two-star reviews, published manufacturer specifications, and the consensus of trade and DIY publications that do run tools through their paces. For drills specifically we weight four things — torque and chuck capacity against real household jobs, weight and head length because a drill you can hold overhead gets used, battery and charger value in the box, and durability signals from long-tenure reviews, especially chuck slippage, clutch drift and battery fade after two or three years. Prices move constantly and were accurate at the time of writing. The complete method is on our how we rank page.

The Drills, Reviewed

1. DEWALT DCD771C2 20V MAX — Best Overall

Covered above. Consensus Score ██████████░░ 9.1 — from 49,617 owner ratings. What owners like: the two-battery kit price, the 1/2-inch chuck, and how ordinary it is to live with. What owners complain about: the included 1.3Ah batteries are the smallest DEWALT sells, so runtime is modest until you buy a 2.0Ah or 4.0Ah pack; the charger is slow; and the motor is brushed, so it heats up under sustained load. None of that shows up as a rating problem, but all three are worth knowing before you buy. Check price.

2. Makita XFD131 18V LXT Brushless — Best Premium

If the DEWALT is the sensible pick, this is the one owners are most delighted with. The brushless motor delivers 440 in-lbs and noticeably more work per charge, the 3.0Ah battery charges in around half an hour, and Makita’s grip and balance draw more unprompted praise in reviews than any other brand here. At 3.9 pounds with the battery it is heavier than the compact options but shorter than most full-size drills. Consensus Score █████████░░░ 9.0 — from 2,266 owner ratings. Complaints: the price is roughly double the DEWALT kit; it ships with one battery rather than two; and LXT bare tools are not discounted as aggressively as DEWALT or Ryobi, so the platform stays expensive as you expand. Check price.

3. Milwaukee 2801-22CT M18 Compact Brushless — Best for Pros

The shortest full-size drill in this ranking at 6-1/2 inches, which is why it shows up in so many electricians’ and cabinet installers’ bags. Brushless, 500 in-lbs of torque, and 3.4 pounds with the compact 2.0Ah pack attached. The two-battery kit and hard case make it the best-equipped brushless kit here. Consensus Score █████████░░░ 8.9 — from 189 owner ratings. Complaints: it is sold in non-retail packaging, which confuses a steady trickle of buyers; the CP2.0 batteries are small, so heavy users buy XC packs quickly; and M18 is the priciest platform to expand into. If you are not already on M18 and do not plan to be, the Makita is the better spend. Check price.

4. CRAFTSMAN CMCD700C1 V20 — Best Value

A full 1/2-inch chuck, two speeds and 280 unit watts out for around $79 with a battery and charger. That combination is what pushes it above the cheaper 3/8-inch drills: you can run a hole saw or a spade bit without the bit walking in the chuck. More than 5,989 owner ratings at a 4.7 average is a large, stable sample. Whatever you buy, it is worth running the model past the CPSC recall database first. Consensus Score ████████░░░░ 8.6 — from 5,989 owner ratings. Complaints: the single 1.5Ah battery is small and the charger is slow — the most common upgrade owners describe is a second battery within the first month. The brushed motor gets warm on sustained driving, and the V20 line, while growing, is thinner than DEWALT or Ryobi. Check price.

5. BLACK+DECKER LDX120C 20V MAX — Best Budget

More households own this drill than any other on the list — over 32,170 owner ratings at a 4.7 average is an enormous consensus. At 3.0 pounds it is the lightest full-size option here, the 11-position clutch stops you stripping screws in flat-pack furniture, and it costs less than a tank of gas. For blinds, shelves, drawer pulls, curtain rods and IKEA, it is genuinely all the drill you need. Consensus Score ████████░░░░ 8.4 — from 32,170 owner ratings. Complaints: single speed at 0–650 RPM makes it slow for drilling anything larger than a quarter inch; the 3/8-inch chuck limits bit choice; and the 1.5Ah battery pairs with a very slow charger. Owners who take on decking or framing outgrow it — and say so. Check price.

6. Bosch PS31-2A 12V Max — Best Compact

Two pounds, seven inches long, 265 in-lbs of torque and 20+1 clutch settings. This is the drill that gets used one-handed above your head, inside a sink cabinet, or on a ladder — the situations where a full-size 20V drill becomes a chore. Two 2.0Ah batteries in the kit means one is always charged. Consensus Score ████████░░░░ 8.7 — from 2,797 owner ratings. Complaints: a 3/8-inch chuck and 12V power mean it will bog down on large hole saws and lag bolts; the price is high for a 12V kit; and it is a second drill for most people rather than a first. Owners who buy it expecting a primary drill are the ones who leave the low ratings. Check price.

What Owners Actually Complain About

Read enough negative reviews across all six and the same four themes surface, regardless of brand.

Small batteries in the box. Nearly every entry-level kit ships with the manufacturer’s smallest pack — 1.3Ah or 1.5Ah — and buyers describe the runtime as the first disappointment. Budget an extra $40 for a larger battery if you plan a full weekend project. Slow chargers. The chargers bundled with budget kits often take 60 to 90 minutes, which is fine with two batteries and infuriating with one. Chuck slippage. The most common durability complaint on drills two or three years old is a keyless chuck that stops holding round-shank bits under load; it appears across every brand and correlates with using a drill for impact-driver work. Clutch drift. On cheaper drills, owners report the clutch collar losing its detents so settings stop meaning anything. None of these is a reason to avoid a particular model — they are the predictable cost of the category, and knowing them in advance is most of the value.

How to Choose Between Them

Work backwards from the hardest job you actually do. If it is furniture, shelves and hardware, the BLACK+DECKER LDX120C or the CRAFTSMAN is plenty and the money is better spent on good bits. If it is a deck, a fence or a shed, buy the DEWALT DCD771C2 and add an impact driver on the same battery. If you use tools every week, go brushless — the Makita XFD131 for ergonomics and runtime, the Milwaukee 2801-22CT if you are already on M18. If you already own a full-size drill and find yourself annoyed in tight spaces, the Bosch 12V is the second tool that gets used most. And whatever you pick, buy a decent set of bits: owners blame drills for problems that a sharp brad-point or a fresh masonry bit would have solved. If the masonry bit is what gets used, extract the dust: NIOSH notes that drilling into concrete and brick releases respirable crystalline silica, as covered in how to drill into anything.

The Verdict

The DEWALT DCD771C2 wins because it is the drill that fits the most households at the lowest risk: two batteries in the box, a 1/2-inch chuck, two speeds, and a 4.8 rating across a sample size no competitor matches. Spend more only if you use tools weekly, in which case the Makita XFD131 is the upgrade owners are consistently happiest with. Spend less only if your jobs are genuinely light, in which case the BLACK+DECKER LDX120C has 90,000 owners telling you it is fine. Whichever you choose, choose the platform on purpose — the battery platform guide is the piece most people wish they had read first, and the rest of the hub is at power tools and workshop. Check price on Amazon →