2025 Driver Test: 3 Surprises And 3 Things We Totally Saw Coming

After 420 hours of testing 37 drivers, hitting 18,620 shots and accumulating 409,000 data points, we learned a lot about the best golf drivers of 2025. This year’s testing pool included every major new release plus last year’s winner, the PING G430 MAX 10K. While we all have our thoughts and ideas as to who will dominate testing, here are three surprises and three things we totally saw coming.

Three big surprises

1. Titleist GT2 kills it for distance

The Titleist GT2 was the longest driver of 2025 but that’s not the whole story. The GT4 was the second-longest and the GT3 was the fifth-longest. While Titleist driver performance has traditionally been at the top, the way they dominated distance in the 2025 test was not expected, especially considering the competition.

If you are looking for pure distance, the GT2’s ball speed and carry numbers are strong but keep in mind that there are some tradeoffs when you are purely distance-seeking.

2. A budget-friendly driver was the most accurate

“Budget-friendly” and “golf driver” don’t usually go hand in hand but in 2025 testing, the Tour Edge Exotics E725 ($399) proved to be the most accurate driver in the field.

That said, while the E725 stands out as a rare value pick, most top-performing drivers in 2025 still sit at $550 and up.

3.TaylorMade Qi35 drivers all missed the top 10

We are still putting together results for fast, medium and low swing speed driver testing so there is still time for a TaylorMade driver to earn a top-10 spot in one of our tests.

However, none of the Qi35 models cracked the top 10 in the big driver test. In 2024, the TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus and the TaylorMade Qi10LS made it into the top 10.  

Three things we saw coming

1. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond took the top spot

While we couldn’t predict the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond would take the top spot, the Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond nearly winning in 2024 gave us a strong hint.

The Triple Diamond continues to prove that it can work for both amateurs and pros. The Elyte Triple Diamond offers a balanced mix of accuracy, distance and forgiveness across varying swing speeds. If you’re looking for a low-spin driver that remains playable on off-center hits, the Elyte Triple Diamond is one to consider.

2. Adjustability is now standard—non-adjustable drivers are extinct

Every driver we tested in 2025 offered some form of loft, lie or weighting adjustability. A few years ago, some brands still experimented with “bonded” or “non-adjustable” options.

If you are still playing with a non-adjustable driver, you may miss out on some of the customizations to score lower and play better. Even if you plan to buy off the rack, having adjustable features means you can tweak loft or weight settings as your swing evolves.

3. Stock shafts still vary … but it’s mostly about selection

Some brands offer more and better-matched shaft options than others. Titleist, PING, COBRA and Mizuno provide a wide variety, making finding a good fit off the rack easier. Cleveland limits choices which can make fine-tuning performance harder.

For new players, Callaway, PING and Titleist make it easiest to get a driver that suits your needs and will last as your game improves. Fitting is still the best option but starting with a brand that offers more choices gives you a better chance of finding the right setup.

Final thoughts

To see the complete results of our 2025 Best Golf Driver test, check out the full results here:

Best Golf Drivers of 2025

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