Blast away grime with our pick of the best powerful pressure washer cleaners on sale
After a bucket and sponge, a decent pressure washer is next on the list of car-wash essentials. Instead of shifting muck by hand or with a hose, a high-powered blast makes the job quick and easy.
But it’s not all about power, because excessively strong jets could actually damage your car. A good pressure washer will give you the chance to adjust the flow to suit the job, ranging from a focused jet to work on an oil-stained driveway, to a gentle flow for applying snow foam or detergent.
Professional washers can cost thousands, so here we’re concentrating on the models aimed at the keen DIY motorist. So which of the candidates would blast away its rivals and take our Best Buy?
How we tested them
To help us judge the best washers, we drafted in the help of Richard Tipper of Perfection Detailing. He has been using pressure washers professionally for more than 30 years and has cleaned thousands of cars in that time, including some of the world’s most valuable models.
Together we scored the washers on ease of use and storage, accessories, cleaning ability and value for money.
Reviews
Titan TTB669PRW
- Price: £89.99
- Rating: 5 stars
- Flow: 7.3 litres/min
- Accessories: Two nozzles, detergent bottle, patio cleaner, 6m hose
Despite its low price, the Titan can hold its head high here. In fact, it beats its rivals in some key areas. For example, there’s a transparent filter for the water supply, and the lance has solid metal connections that rotate to avoid kinks. The hose is softer and more supple than the Kärcher’s too, so it’s easier to store.
The Titan’s nozzle is adjustable, while a separate fitting gives a rotating blast for cleaning tough surfaces. It’s also the only machine here to include a patio-cleaning attachment.
In some areas it feels lower in quality than the others here – and even its predecessor – but it’s still a winner.
Buy now from Screwfix
Nilfisk 200-15
- Price: £524
- Rating: 4 stars
- Flow: 10.2 litres/min
- Accessories: Snow foam attachment, two spray nozzles, 15m hose
Before we saw the price, the Nilfisk was a clear winner. At full power it effortlessly blasts away grime from driveways or strips flaky paint. Dial it down and it’s perfect for car cleaning, especially with the included snow foam attachment.
The weighty 200-15 can be moved easily thanks to large wheels and a telescopic handle. Once in place, it’s unlikely you’ll need to move it again, because the hose is a huge 15 metres long. The lance fittings are easy to slot together and generally feel of high quality, but the trigger is heavily sprung and soon becomes tiring to hold.
That price is a bigger issue, though. You’ll have to really want the ultimate in power to justify it.
Buy now from Amazon
Nilfisk Core 130
- Price: £130
- Rating: 4 stars
- Flow: 7.6 litres/min
- Accessories: Adjustable nozzle, foam bottle, 6m hose
Nilfisk’s new Core range promises a great deal, with decent power from a more compact machine and good storage for the accessories, hose and cable. The 130 also matches the Titan with its neat metal connections on the lance and a soft, pliable hose. But, while you can modify the pressure of the output, we were disappointed by the lack of adjustability in the nozzle.
Buy now from Amazon
Kärcher K5 Full Control Plus
- Price: £339
- Rating: 4 stars
- Flow: 8.3 litres/min
- Accessories: Adjustable nozzle, detergent bottle, 8m hose, variable flow
The K5 feels a level up in terms of quality from most of the other washers on test here, including Kärcher’s own K2. The K5 also has a few gadgets to help justify its price, including an electronic ‘3-in-1 Multi Jet’ lance with an LCD display that can be adjusted to suit different tasks, such as blasting patios or applying detergent. It works really well and the 8m hose means you can get around an average car without needing to move the washer unit.
It’s not perfect though. You’ll need to buy a separate snow-foam attachment and use or refill Kärcher’s own detergent bottles. More of an issue is the hose and cable storage, because there is just a simple hook for both, which makes packing up a chore.
Buy now from Amazon
GMC GPW165
- Price: £133.99
- Rating: 4 stars
- Flow: 7.1 litres/min
- Accessories: 2 x brushes, 3 x nozzles, 8m hose, detergent tank
The GMC is a big, heavy washer with an impressive specification. The flow rate, power and hose length are among the highest here. It also has a 10m power cable, which might save you the trouble of using an extension lead.
Rather than having an adjustable nozzle, the GMC uses interchangeable heads, which vary from a powerful pin jet, to a soft detergent applicator. In practice this took more time than its rivals to use, and we worried that the heads would be easy to leave lying around and lose.
The GPW165 kit also comes packaged with two brush attachments, either rotating or static, which would make it easier to scrub away dirt, although we wouldn’t recommend using these on paintwork. They could be perfect for scrubbing a caravan or other less scratchable surface, though.
Buy now from Amazon
Nilfisk Core 150-10
- Price: £233.33
- Rating: 4 stars
- Flow: 7.8 litres/min
- Accessories: Snow foam nozzle, adjustable fan, 10m hose length
While we really liked using this machine, it’s when it came to tidying away that we really appreciated the thoughtful design. The transport handle can be folded down, so it will fit on a shelf or under a workbench. The only strange oversight is the power cable, which has to be awkwardly
When you’re using it, the Core 150 has plenty of power and the fittings are easier to use than the awkward Kärcher connections. The hose is more pliable too, and the lighter lance is a relief if you are cleaning a driveway or larger vehicle.
Buy now from Amazon
Kärcher K5 Power Control
- Price: £364
- Rating: 3.5 stars
- Flow: 8.3 litres/min
- Accessories: Surface cleaner, driveway cleaner, rotating wash brush, snow foam nozzle, 10 metre hose length
The K5 has a set of useful accessories, including a driveway cleaner, a rotating brush, two bottles of detergent and a snow foam attachment.
But most impressive is an electronic display on the lance that lets you adjust the pressure. It means you don’t have to return to the main unit to change from a wheel-cleaning blast to a softer flow for paint.
But the Karcher is let down by a stubbornly inflexible hose, which is difficult in use and when packing up. The lance attachments need to be wrestled into place too, which will soon irritate regular users.
Buy now from Amazon
Kärcher K3 Power Control
- Price: £128.99
- Rating: 3.5 stars
- Flow: 6.3 litres/min
- Accessories: Two nozzles, app, detergent tank, 7m hose length
Kärcher looks as though it has embraced the digital world with an LCD display on the trigger and an app, but we can’t help feeling these are just gimmicks. On the plus side, the nozzle is adjustable with simple settings, but the hose is stiff and the K3 is also simply too expensive in this company.
Buy now from Amazon
Halfords PW20
- Price: £74.99
- Rating: 3.5 stars
- Flow: 5.0 litres/min
- Accessories: Adjustable nozzles, detergent bottle, 5m hose
Everything about this Halfords-branded washer is tiny and almost toy-like, including the price. Despite this, it has the essential two features for car cleaning: an adjustable nozzle and a snow-foam bottle. However, the bottle is so small it needed refilling several times to clean an entire car and would only just cover a scooter. The hose is only 5m long, too, but the PW20 is so light that carrying it around is hardly a chore.
The water delivery pressure was more than adequate and the nozzle had a good level of adjustability, ranging from a pin jet to an accurate and dribble-free fan. You’d soon outgrow this washer if you had a larger car or want to tackle big patio-cleaning jobs, but for the occasional user it’s gimmick-free and good value.
Buy now from Halfords
Kärcher K2 Full Control
- Price: £127.55
- Rating: 3 stars
- Flow: 6.0 litres/min
- Accessories: Adjustable nozzle, detergent bottle, brush, 4m hose
The K2 is a best seller and it’s easy to see why – it has the brand name of Kärcher behind it and costs less than £100, even in this package with a brush and detergent bottle included. On the plus side it is low in weight, which is just as well because the hose is just 4m long, so you’ll need to carry it a lot to get around a car. The detergent is picked up through a tube at the rear of the unit, and this means you’ll also need to move the bottle as you work, which soon becomes tiresome.
The washer produces a decent blast with the nozzle set to the highest setting, but the softer and medium settings caused drips and dribbles, which mean you lose a lot of water and precious detergent.
Buy now from Amazon
Silverline 2100
- Price: £157
- Rating: 2.5 stars
- Flow: 7.2 litres/min
- Accessories: Adjustable nozzle, detergent dispenser, 5m hose
The Silverline is right in the middle of our price ranges for this test, but has the largest flow rate and one of the more powerful motors. It has substantial-feeling metal connectors on the hose, a built-in detergent tank and an integral reel. But that’s where the good news stops. The hose is only 5m long, so you need to constantly move the heavy 20kg unit around to reach all parts of your car. The nozzle is more of an issue, though, because it fits poorly and won’t stay on a single setting, so you constantly need to twist the end back to get the setting you want amid a shower of dribbles. It’s enormously frustrating.
Buy now from Amazon
Next, check out our list of Best hose reels 2022.
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