10 Cordless Drill Accessories Worth Buying (UK)

1. An impact driver - the upgrade your drill is missing

The best thing you can add to a drill is a second tool that does the job the drill is worst at. A combi drill drives screws until the resistance wins, then the clutch clicks and the screw stops halfway. An impact driver hammers the bit as it turns, so long screws into oak or decking boards go in without you leaning your full weight on the tool.

The DeWalt DCF887N 18V XR is the benchmark UK impact driver - three speed settings, brushless motor, and it shares batteries with the rest of the XR range. If you already own DeWalt batteries, this is a no-brainer. Pair it with an impact-rated bit set and it becomes the tool you reach for first, every time. See our full best impact drivers UK roundup for budget alternatives from Ryobi and Einhell.

2. A proper all-round drill bit set

The bits that ship in the box with most budget drills are there to fill space, not to drill. The upgrade that changes your life is a single set that covers wood, metal and masonry without you hunting through a drawer every time.

The Bosch MS4041 41-piece set is the one I recommend most - titanium-coated twist bits for wood and metal, masonry bits for brick, plus driver bits and sockets in a proper case that keeps everything organised. It costs around £22 and lasts years of weekend DIY. If you want more depth, our best drill bit sets UK guide compares seven sets across every budget.

3. Dedicated masonry bits for brick walls

Your drill's hammer action is only as good as the bit you put in it. Cheap masonry bits blunt on the first brick, then burn and smoke on the second. The fix is tungsten-carbide tipped bits, and the YG8 sets sold on Amazon UK are the sweet spot between price and performance.

The YG8 tungsten 10-piece masonry set runs from 3mm to 12mm, which covers every wall plug size used in UK homes, plus a triangle handle that stops the bit spinning in your gloved hand. For curtain rails, shelves and TV brackets, this set plus the hammer action on any 18V combi drill handles brick, block and render without drama. Full technique in our how to drill into brick guide.

4. Wall plugs that actually hold

The best drilling in the world is wasted on a cheap plug. White nylon plugs from the pound shop split, spin in the hole, and pull out the first time you lean on the shelf. This is the cheapest upgrade in the entire list and the one people skip most often.

Fischer DuoPower plugs expand in two directions, which means they grip hollow plasterboard and solid brick alike. One box of 6x30mm covers most UK jobs, and the pack comes with a drilling chart printed on the back so you match the bit size to the plug. Around £6 for a pack of 20 - buy two and never think about plugs again.

5. An automatic centre punch - the £10 trick

Every DIYer has felt a drill bit skate across a tile, a painted wall or a steel bracket, leaving a scratched line where a hole should be. A centre punch fixes that with one tap, and the automatic version makes it a one-handed job.

The Eclipse automatic centre punch is a tenner and it earns its keep on day one. Press it where you want the hole, it strikes itself, and you get a dimple that holds the bit dead centre. Use it on tiles, glass, steel and varnished wood - anywhere a wandering bit is a disaster. This is the difference between a clean hole and a ruined surface.

6. Impact-rated screwdriver bits

Screwdriver bits are consumables, but cheap ones round off in the first screw and then chew the heads off everything else. If you own an impact driver, you need bits rated for the hammering, because standard bits shatter under impact.

The STANLEY 100-piece hex bit set covers every driver type you'll ever meet - Pozidriv, Phillips, Torx, hex, plus a socket adapter and the extensions you'll actually use. It lives in its case, it's impact-rated, and at the price it's the definition of buy-once. This is the set we'd buy again tomorrow.

7. SDS bits if you own a rotary hammer

If you've stepped up to a rotary hammer for serious masonry - fixing a heavy gate, drilling through foot-deep walls - the standard round-shank bits won't fit. Rotary hammers take SDS Plus shanks, and the bits are a different breed entirely: they hammer and rotate in a way that turns brick into dust.

The Bosch 6-piece SDS Plus set is the right starting point, sized 5mm to 10mm with a case. It turns a £8 rotary hammer into a tool that drills a 10mm hole through a Victorian wall in seconds. Skip this if you only use a combi drill - but if the hammer lives in your shed, these bits are essential.

8. A folding workbench that holds your work

Drilling into something that moves is how you drill into your hand, or drill an oval hole. The professional answer is a bench and a clamp, but most UK sheds don't have room for a fixed bench. The folding workbench solves that without eating your floor space.

The WORX Pegasus WX051 folds flat against a wall, opens into a full-height workbench in seconds, and its built-in clamps hold timber, pipes and panels while you drill. It doubles as a sawhorse for cutting, and the clamps rotate so you can work at an angle. Around £99, and it replaces three tools. See more in our best workbenches UK guide.

9. Digital calipers for measuring before you drill

Before you drill a hole, you need to know the size of the thing going in it. Eyeballing a 6mm screw against a bit is how you end up with holes that are too tight, too loose, or in the wrong place entirely.

A pair of 150mm digital calipers costs about a tenner and measures screws, plugs, pipes and timber to a tenth of a millimetre. The digital display removes the guesswork of reading a vernier scale, which is exactly what you want mid-project with sawdust on your hands. Owner feedback consistently reports the same pair lasting years and becoming one of the most-used tools in the box.

10. A proper dust mask for masonry work

Brick dust is silica dust, and silica is the one thing in DIY that genuinely damages your lungs long-term. A flimsy paper mask does nothing against it. If you drill into brick, concrete or mortar more than once a year, this is non-negotiable.

The JSP FFP3 valved mask 10-pack is what I wear - FFP3 is the highest disposable rating available in the UK, the valve keeps it breathable for hours, and the pack of ten means you never skip it because you're out of masks. Around £10 for the pack. Cheaper than the alternative, and the alternative isn't worth thinking about.

Products mentioned in this guide

• DeWalt DCF887N 18V XR Impact Driver - the best upgrade to pair with any cordless drill
• Bosch MS4041 41-Piece Drill Bit Set - best all-round bits for UK DIY
• YG8 Tungsten Masonry Bit Set (10pc) - for clean holes in brick
• Fischer DuoPower Wall Plugs - plugs that hold in brick and plasterboard
• Eclipse Automatic Centre Punch - stops bits wandering
• STANLEY 100-Piece Hex Bit Set - impact-rated screwdriver bits
• Bosch 6-Piece SDS Plus Bit Set - for rotary hammer owners
• WORX Pegasus WX051 Folding Workbench - holds your work while you drill
• 150mm Digital Calipers - measure before you drill
• JSP FFP3 Dust Mask 10-Pack - silica protection for masonry work

Also read: Best Cordless Drills UK 2026 and 18V Cordless Drill Buying Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Verdict

If you only buy three things from this list, make them the Bosch MS4041 bit set, the YG8 masonry bits and the FFP3 dust mask. That's under £50 total, and it turns your drill from a toy into a tool that does the jobs a UK home actually throws at it.

If you can stretch further, the DeWalt impact driver is the single best tool addition for anyone who already owns an 18V drill, and the WORX Pegasus workbench fixes the problem you didn't know you had: holding the work still. Start with the bits and the mask, add the impact driver when the budget allows, and your drill stops being the tool that sits in the drawer and starts being the one that finishes jobs.