For keeping a car clean properly, nothing comes close to the pressure washer. You’ll immediately spot a huge difference in your car cleaning game by investing in a powerful jet wash. At Parkers we’ve made it our mission to find and test the best pressure washers for car care, looking at all aspects of .
Even a budget pressure washer will be a huge upgrade to your cleaning game. Partner one with a foam lance, and you’ll be able to douse a car in a thick blanket of snow foam or apply a quick layer of sealant. The possibilities for better cleaning are endless. Blast away dirt and muck with a single pass of the jet, all while using less water than a traditional garden hose.
Beyond car care, pressure washers are becoming essential for anyone with a driveway or garden to maintain. Capable of anything from rinsing off car shampoo to blasting away ingrained grime and totally restoring surfaces to new. They’re versatile and capable devices, as long as you pick the right model.
The best pressure washers tested 2025 at a glance
Pressure washers start at around £50 and can go up to £800 for all-singing-all-dancing models. Within this spectrum, you’ll find compact options perfect for beginners, cordless examples you can take anywhere, and examples with enough attachments to fill a garage. We’ve tried and tested several and have the best listed below.
How we test
Each pressure washer we tested were used to clean both cars and some outdoor surfaces. We tested all of the features and modes included on as many different vehicles – from classics to brand new press cars and even some grimy wheels on a second-hand Volvo estate.
When we test a pressure washer, car cleaning ability is first and foremost on our radar. This means we’re looking for how effortlessly it removes dirt from a selection of cars without causing damage. Whether it’s rinsing the bodywork or getting rid of residue from alloy wheel cleaner, car cleaning is mightily important to us at Parkers, so it’s our primary area of criteria.
Garden cleaning ability looks beyond cars and instead focuses on patios, driveways, and other suitable outdoor surfaces. This tests the top-end performance of the pressure washers.
Ease of use is another integral part of testing. Here, we look at how easy assembly is and what it’s like to use. The best examples would have seamless power adjustability, ergonomic features to make use easier, and long cables and hoses. This is also where we assess portability, storage, and weight.
Value for money centres around what you get against the competition. A good value-for-money pressure washer would have a durable motor, enough power to clean a car, and a solid selection of useful attachments. All the above will determine our overall score.
Who tested the pressure washers?
Aaron Hussain
A products writer for Parkers since the Summer of 2023, Aaron has gained many depths of experience during his career and has been at the forefront of many of Parkers’ major product group tests, standalone reviews, and more. His BA degree in Journalism and MA in Automotive Journalism, as well as being a thorough classic car enthusiast, mean he will be able to decipher what motoring products are worth it, and which ones are best kept on the store’s shelf.
Ryan Gilmore
Racking up a Masters Degree in Automotive Journalism and writing for Parkers since 2020, Ryan cut his teeth into product testing as a Deputy Commercial Content Editor before becoming our Car Buying Editor in 2024. Throughout his time as a Deputy, Ryan coordinated any product test that came his way, and has probably reviewed more pressure washers than all of the team combined. Naturally, his take is invaluable when it comes to such machines.
Alex Boyd
Our resident Karcher tester and thorough analyser of things, Alex has been blessed with a long career spanning in the journalism and automotive sectors, and throughout that experience, can easily tell a good product from a bad one. He’s been a products writer for Parkers since early 2023 and loves gardening as much as classic cars from the 1960’s, 70’s, and 80’s. This makes him a prime candidate for any pressure washer testing.
Verdict
It may be pricier than most, but the sheer quality and performance of the AVA of Norway Evolution P70 outshines any other pressure washer we’ve tested. It’s powerful, versatile, easy to use, and can be had with a 20-year warranty, so it fills us with immense confidence in its reliability where other manufacturers only offer a fraction of that warranty period.
As a more sensible, the Bosch UniversalAquatak 135 would adorn our driveway with its effortless power and enough flow rate for a more attractive price point. For innovation however, the Worx Nitro Hydroshot really is clever and manages to be a cordless pressure washer that doesn’t feel half-baked.
The best car pressure washers for cars tested 2025
The best pressure washer
However, it strives to be a little different - both in a user case and ownership experience. You get five-year recommended service intervals for the P70 as well as all the parts being readily available to replace - including a small hose piece for a mere £3. The P70, therefore, isn't a machine that you can run for a few years before replacing it. It aims to be something that in theory, you keep hold onto for a generation. A little bit like a Toyota Land Cruiser that someone has held onto since the 1990s.
The rhetoric from the brand fills me with great confidence, but how does the Evolution P70 model get on as a machine alone? The answer is really very well.
For starters, you get a very handy range of tools and attachments with the P70. The extendable zoom lance is great for reaching areas such as the roof of higher vehicles, and the little platform at the top of the machine is perfect for not only storing hose attachments, but other detailing equipment, too - such as little brushes.
The gun itself is a stroke of genius, too. There's a little internal clip which holds the trigger open when you squeeze it - meaning your hands won't ever get tired while rinsing your car. It's comfortable and easy to use, and needless to say, extremely well-engineered as well. Cleaning performance is superb - I washed our Volvo V60 which included some super-grimy alloy wheels, and the pressure alone lifted a huge amount of dirt off them - without yet even applying the alloy wheel cleaner. On the paint, it was also reassuringly gentle, and provided a great amount of coverage, meaning the job got finished very quickly.
Under operation, the P70 feels very smooth. You don't get the impression that it'll wear out and the spray pattern is both consistent and effective against standing dirt, foam or shampoo on the paintwork. It feels like a well-engineered motorcycle engine has been placed on the internals of the machine. It's actually a V4 metal pump, but it feels like something more substantial than that.
I found the whole machine pretty easy to use; there isn't really that much to it despite its size - and that's brilliant for those looking for absolute simplicity. The wind-up hose is a fabulous touch which makes cleaning life so much easier than others, and although the cord storage reel was very fiddly for me, it takes getting used to.
One big compromise is the sheer weight of the thing. It's a hefty 22kg, so pulling it out of the garage and onto the driveway isn't the easiest task in the world - and I wouldn't recommend one of these if you're looking for a pressure washer that's easy to transport.
Overall though, the P70 is a clear step above it's competitors and represents a pressure washer that's not only useful for the short term this summer, but for many years and potentially decades to come.
Review by Aaron Hussain
Pros
- Extensively well-engineered machine that's smooth under operation
- Very easy to use, thanks to well-thought out attachments
- Immense spraying operation that covers lots of ground - especially on alloy wheels
Cons
- Very, very heavy and quite tricky to move around on the driveway
- I found the cord reel very fiddly to use
| Maximum pressure | 150 Bar |
| Flow rate | 540l/h |
| Dimensions | 59.7 x 59.4 x 39.7cm |
| Weight | 22.3kg |
| Hose length | 8m |
| Cable length | 5m |
Editor's pick
Naturally, alongside the top-tier AVA and Nilfisk machines in my mini group test, I expected the Bosch to feel a bit half-baked and rough when used back-to-back. But no.
Instead, it impressed me just as well as the pricier competitors and arguably did the task of cleaning my Mercedes just as well. It's staggering how close it felt to being a genuine competitor to the more premium machines, while undercutting them by up to half as much on cost.
It isn't noisy or rough, like I somewhat expected. It's quite smooth and refined, and the spray was wonderfully consistent and impactful for getting dirt off the bodywork. Flow rate is strong with 450l/h on tap at a perfectly adequate 135 Bar of pressure. It comes out the box already set-up, so there's very little to fiddle around with before getting started - and it's light at a mere 6.5kg, so moving it around isn't difficult, either.
What I don't like is the loose hose. I wish it was built within the machine and designed to be rolled out - that would've made setup even easier. The other thing I'm not keen on is the size of the snow foam cannon. It's tiny for thorough car detailing tasks and is the exact same item as Bosch's more affordable models. Surely for £200, the brand could've offered a larger bottle and a wind-up hose?
Criticisms aside though, I'm fairly convinced that the 135 is all the pressure washer you could ever need. It's well thought-out, powerful and will tackle any car cleaning task. It even did a decent job getting dirt off the driveway.
Review by Aaron Hussain
Pros
- Very powerful for its size and pricepoint at 450l/h at under £200
- Easy to use, set up, and lightweight at 6.5kg
- Feels very smooth and consistent under operation - as good as pricier options
Cons
- The hose is quite short at only seven metres and doesn't wind-up
- The included snow foam cannon is tiny and the same as less expensive Bosch machines
| Maximum pressure | 135 Bar |
| Flow rate | 450l/h |
| Dimensions | 17.4 x 14.7 x 14.2cm |
| Weight | 6.5kg |
| Hose length | 7m |
| Cable length | 5m |
The most versatile pressure washer
In terms of build quality, design, and pretty much anything else, they're more-or-less the same thing. And my overall review is to not bother going for the 170, because this does it all for about £45 less.
Under operation, it's a refined pressure washer with a great sense of smoothness and quality. It's relatively quiet, too - it's claimed to generate just under 90dB, so it won't shake your eardrums. You get an effortlessly easy spray lance with the choice between gentle and rough sprays from a simple twist with the hand, and it's a doddle to move around and stow away thanks to it's manoeuvrability and wind-up hose.
I primarily used the gentle setting on the paintwork of my car, and suffice to say, it's reassuringly sympathetic on my classic car's single-stage paintwork. It even helped clear away bits of dirt on the underside on the gentle setting, though you will be better off using rough for those sorts of tasks.
There is a drawback though: you do have to build bits of the 160 once you unbox it. The spray lance holder comes with a couple of screws, and believe me, you need a long, thin tool to install it properly - and some amicable patience. I hope Nilfisk can learn from other brands and have everything more-or-less set up. However, it's nowhere near as much of a building task as the Core 130.
Overall though, the Excellent 160 is easily the pick of the brand's Excellent series, unless you're adamant on the extra power of the 170. It boasts all the qualities of its more powerful brother, but undercuts it on price.
Review by Aaron Hussain
Pros
- Smooth operation and sympathetic towards paint on gentle setting - while still being mightily effective on dirt clearance
- All the qualities of the Excellent 170 for less money
- Premium-feeling build quality and materials
Cons
- Screwing together the spray lance holder was quite fiddly in my experience
| Maximum pressure | 160 Bar |
| Flow rate | 450l/h |
| Dimensions | 35 x 36.5 x 73cm |
| Weight | 20.9kg |
| Hose length | 12m |
| Cable length | 5m |
The best all-round pressure washer for cars and home
It's pretty straightforward to set up, as all the water connectors simply click together. So, there's very little in the way of faffing around. The main hose is long enough at 10-metres, so manoeuvrability isn't much of an issue, either.
The Vario Power Control Lance provides an almost trickle-like jet stream, but if you prefer, you can use the non-adjustable Power Control Lance when tackling tough stains or perhaps the underside of your vehicle. What's more, the spray gun itself is fairly light, so it's an easy machine to work with when tackling all the car and home cleaning tasks.
The machine I tested included the T5 Patio Cleaner, which I found to be incredibly useful for cleaning the stone slabs on my driveway - and it did a sterling job at that as the usual spray lances did to the car.
The biggest drawback is the telescopic handle. It feels quite loose and wobbly when you go to extend it, which comes as a surprise when you consider how tightly-built the rest of the machine is.
Review by Alex Boyd
Pros
- Ideal for both car and home cleaning and provides plenty of power
- Both spray lances proved very useful in cleaning tasks
- A straightforward machine to set up, and it's reassuringly easy to use
Cons
- The telescopic handle feels quite loose compared to the rest of the machine
| Maximum pressure | 145 Bar |
| Flow rate | 500l/h |
| Dimensions | 40.5 x 30.6 x 58.4cm |
| Weight | 13kg |
| Hose length | 10m |
| Cable length | 5m |
The best heavy duty pressure washer
It seems a little contradictory that to switch between the gentle and rough spray settings, you have to change between two different attachments, whereas with the Excellent 160, you can simply twist the lance. However saying that, those little nozzles and everything else about the 200 feels incredibly durable and heavy-duty. The hose for instance is a clear step above most other pressure washers and makes the Bosch 135's look like a toy.
In terms of operation, I can't really fault it. It has a mighty 2,900W of power as well as up to 610l/h of flow rate, so coverage is not an issue in the slightest. I say up to because you can actually dial it back to 540l/h, should you wish. There's a switch on the side which allows you to change the amount of Bar, so it's a versatile machine for various tasks.
With the gentle spray nozzle, it's fabulous on my car. With the rough spray nozzle, it's a trusty steed for cleaning the driveway and garden patio. All the garden dirt on the the stone slabs was obliterated after a battering from the 200, and believe me, it's a deeply satisfying feeling.
Do I recommend the Premium 200 over the Excellent 160 or 170? To be honest, probably not if you're a casual car cleaner. But if you need something to deal with lots of tasks, including outdoor home cleaning, then it's a fabulous option.
Review by Aaron Hussain
Pros
- Variable power settings, depending on your preference
- Dependable and durable build quality of all components
- Smooth operation and very consistent spray, making car detailing a breeze
Cons
- Undoubtedly quite overkill for car detailing, though not for garden tasks
- Heavy machine to move around, given it's nearly 30kg
| Maximum pressure | 200 Bar |
| Flow rate | 540-610l/h |
| Dimensions | 39 x 38 x 97.5cm |
| Weight | 29.7kg |
| Hose length | 15m |
| Cable length | 5m |
Best mid-range pressure washer
With an aluminium motor capable of 140 bar of pressure and 478 litres of water per hour, it’s perfect for cleaning a car thoroughly without worrying about wreaking the paintwork. Even better, the pressure can be easily adjusted with a knob on the front of the unit. I used one solidly for a charity car wash, and it never skipped a beat. Car after car, it seamlessly performed snow foaming, washing and rinsing duties.
The Meccano-like state it comes out of the box is annoying, as is the clunky hose connector that did lead to soaked jeans. But it proved excellent for cleaning cars, patios, and all things garden. With excellent manoeuvrability, ample power, and a dependable build, the Nilfisk Core 140 is one of very our top picks.
Ryan Gilmore
Pros
- Expertly balances performance and portability
- Ideal for domestic cleaning duties
- Durable aluminium motor
Cons
- Requires assembly
- The hose connector could be improved
| Maximum pressure | 140 bar |
| Flow rate | 474 litres per hour |
| Dimensions | 88.2 x 37.1 x 30 cm |
| Weight | 8.7 kg |
| Hose length | Six metres |
| Cable length | Five metres |
- Included attachments: Foam lance, adjustable nozzle, nozzle cleaning needle
The best cordless pressure washer
What impresses me most about the Worx is that it doesn’t feel compromised because of its cordless design. There are still adjustable nozzles to choose from, an optional snow foam lance, and different pressure modes; it can do 90% of what a regular pressure washer can do. Then you add in the go-anywhere versatility, and the Worx really starts to look even more attractive.
Battery anxiety was minuscule, too. Even set to work on a car that hadn’t been cleaned in years, it did pretty much everything on a single charge. It won’t do heavy-duty cleaning, but the Worx really takes some beating.
Ryan Gilmore
Pros
- Take it anywhere portability
- Excellent pressure for a battery-powered unit
- Lightweight and a joy to use
Cons
- Won’t have the same cleaning abilities as a corded unit
- Battery anxiety lurks in your mind
| Maximum pressure | 56 bar |
| Flow rate | 220 litres per hour |
| Dimensions | 6 x 10 x 20 cm |
| Weight | 1.5 kg |
| Hose length | Six metres |
| Cable length | N/A |
- Included attachments: Adjustable nozzle
The best budget pressure washer
But that doesn't matter because it retails at only just above the £100 mark, which undercuts nearly everything else on this list. It sprays at an amicable 350l/h at 120 Bar of pressure, so coverage is never an issue when it comes to detailing a car.
Compared to one of the best-sellers, the Karcher K2, it doesn't feel as vigorous under operation. It does make a racket, as you'd expect at this price point, but it's a perfectly durable machine with respectable performance for its price point.
Quite frankly, it's also the best pressure washer out there if you don't want it taking up too much room in the shed or garage. You can easily stow it away on the shelf or a corner while leaving plenty of room for lawnmowers and other garden equipment. I love the compactness about the EasyAquatak series, and the fact it's so simple to set up and use scores points as well.
What's more, you can even opt for an patio cleaner for an extra £30 or so. Which means your stone slabs will be just as clean as the car you've just detailed.
Review by Aaron Hussain
Pros
- Excellent value for money and respectable performance for it
- Wonderfully compact, which makes storage in the shed easy and stress-free
- Does come with some useful equipment, albeit some optional like the patio cleaner
Cons
- Does make a racket, as expected by a more budget-orientated machine
- Snow foam cannon is tiny compared to what other brands offer
| Maximum pressure | 120 |
| Flow rate | 350l/h |
| Dimensions | 37.5 x 20 x 40cm |
| Weight | 4.7kg |
| Hose length | 5m |
| Cable length | 5m |
Best value pressure washer for car and home
The Vario Lance differentiates this model from the regular K2 and is worth the extra couple of quid. It’s simple to use and lets you toggle different pressure strengths for different duties, including cars, brickwork and wood.
My favourite thing about the K2 Power Control is that it’s small and lightweight, making it infinitely portable. For the lightest of cleaning duties, it’s going to be easy to use and never burdensome. It may be outclassed when it comes to heavy cleaning, but for the price, it’s a solid choice.
Ryan Gilmore
Pros
- Usual Karcher quality, yet representing much better value for money
- Small and lightweight design which is easy to move around
- Ideal for light cleaning as well as heavy duty tasks as well
Cons
- Lacks the attachments for the best car care
- Refinement isn't the best in the world
| Maximum pressure | 110 bar |
| Flow rate | 360 litres per hour |
| Dimensions | 11 x 9.7 x 23 cm |
| Weight | 4 kg |
| Hose length | Five metres |
| Cable length | Five metres |
- Included attachments: Vario Power spray, nozzle
Best pressure washer for car care
So, it’s powerful enough to deep clean pretty much anything you can think of. I found it a joy to use, the included foam lance with easy adjustability was a particular stand out. Then there’s the integrated hose reel and power cord, which kept everything neat and slick. Quite rightfully too, with its two-spoke wheels and multiple design awards, it looks great. All of these ergonomic features and internal reinforcement do come at a cost however, it weighs 23.1kg. That’s over five times the weight of the above Karcher.
Ryan Gilmore
Pros
- Exceptional motor for durable performance
- Packed with attachments for car cleaning
- Easily adjustable power
Cons
- Heavy to move about
- Telescopic handle rattles from time to time
| Maximum pressure | 170 bar |
| Flow rate | 498 litres per hour |
| Dimensions | 35 x 36.5 x 73 cm |
| Weight | 21.5 kg |
| Hose length | 10 metres |
| Cable length | Five metres |
- Included attachments: Foam lance, 3-in-1 multipurpose gun, nozzle cleaning needle
The best pressure washer for durability
It boasts 500-litres per hour at 145 Bar of pressure. So, it's pretty comparable to the top end Nilfisks and Karcher machines on the grounds of performance. But this has something they don't - and that's a noticeably smoother operation. You not only get told of its engineering prowess - you can feel it, too.
When rinsing water or applying snow foam, it doesn't break sweat at doing so. You don't feel that the motors could ever wear out. It's like the tick-over of an old Bentley or Brough Superior motorcycle - I was really blown away by how much of a step above the P60 is over other pressure washers. It is quite heavy to move around at 21kg, but you get used to it thanks to the machine sitting on wheels.
Where it's let down though, is not necessarily the cost of the machine, but the clever AVA attachments that you can pair up to it. There's not an amazing amount of kit included as standard, but anything such as underside hoses, flexible lances and so on can easily stretch above £100 for those individual items.
It's a hard one to swallow in that sense if you really want to get kitted out. But if you're looking for a machine without wanting to replace it in ten-years, this is one of your best bets.
Aaron Hussain
Pros
- Can be had with a 20-year warranty upon registration
- Seamlessly great quality and engineering, and parts can be individually replaced
- Very smooth under operation and a great tool with snow foam
Cons
- The high quality comes at a slight premium over other machines
- Extra attachments - many of which are useful - aren't cheap
| Max pressure | 145 Bar |
| Flow rate | 500 litres per hour |
| Dimensions | 40 x 38 x 75cm |
| Weight | 21kg |
| Hose length | 8 metres |
| Cable length | 5 metres |
Best Karcher pressure washer for heavy-duty cleaning
The 180 bar of pressure and 550 litres per hour flow rate are unmatched; it really is the supercar of the pressure washer world. That being said, I found it to be better suited to heavier cleaning jobs and wasted cleaning a car unless it was totally plastered with mud.
It’s immensely capable and can be effortlessly tailored to what you’re cleaning, but it only feels value for money when used right at the upper end of its capabilites. It’s also exceptionally heavy and big, and the automatic cut-out from the motor is jarring.
Pros
- Really powerful motor
- Solid build quality
- Boost mode was excellent on tough dirt
Cons
- It’s incredibly heavy
- Overkill for small cleaning
| Maximum pressure | 180 bar |
| Flow rate | 600 litres per hour |
| Dimensions | 45.6 x 33 x 66.6 cm |
| Weight | 19.9 kg |
| Hose length | 10 metres |
| Cable length | Five metres |
- Included attachments: 3-in-1 Multi Jet spray lance
FAQs
Are pressure washer hoses universal?
It really depends on what machine you’ve got. The way we used our pressure washers was by filling up a bucket of water and placing the end of a hose at the bottom of it. The hose in question was the one that came with the Worx Nitro Hydroshot, and to each of the machines we tested, it clicked perfectly in place to the water connectors of each machine, no matter the brand and model.
Are pressure washers waterproof?
They run via electricity, so no pressure washer is going to be completely waterproof. They are designed to withstand a spray, should you do so accidently when cleaning a car, but any water in the plug socket powering it, and you needn’t imagine what happens next.
It all comes down to due diligence and care when you’re using a pressure washer, so just be careful of the cord when you’re operating your machine.
Which pressure washer is best for home use?
All things considered, we love the Karcher K5 the most for home cleaning. It represents more than ample cleaning performance without stretching too far into the expensive side of the pressure washer market. The T5 patio cleaner from the brand is a great addition when you fancy a bit of stone slab and driveway cleaning.
Which pressure washer is best for a car?
It depends on your preferences. Our overall winner goes to the AVA Evolution P70 in our testing experience, so that automatically dictates it as the best pressure washer for that purpose. The quality and engineering, and warranty support of of the Norwegian brand’s machine was overwhelmingly impressive to us.
With that said, not everyone wants to spend hundreds of pounds on a pressure washer. And truth be told, the Karcher K2 and Bosch EasyAquatak 120 are perfectly capable of any car cleaning task – they only lack refinement of their pricier siblings.
If however, you’re going to be away from a plug socket. The brilliant Worx Nitro Hydroshot (WG633.E model) is the answer to all things. The cordless stick of wonder is powerful enough to tackle grimy cleaning tasks while boasting great quality and battery life. It even won an award with Parkers in 2024, being the best product for over £50.
Are pressure washers worth it?
In many ways, a standard hose is more than enough for rinsing dirt and shampoo off your vehicle. They’ve served home detailers for decades and that won’t ever change. Pressure washers take that up a notch and provide rinsing power that lifts even greater levels of dirt off, depending on how mucky the car is.
If you’re a fan of snow foam, a pressure washer is pretty much your only solution for it. Loaded with the snow foam cannons, you can have a lot of satisfaction when cleaning your vehicle, and pressure washers are immensely useful things for clearing off any dirt, grit, and salt from the underside, thus stopping potential corrosion in its tracks.
Are pressure washers safe for cars?
Yes, most pressure washers are safe for cleaning cars. You should always err on the side of caution, in case the paintwork of your car is quite delicate. There are sometimes cases where pressure washers have been switched to the most powerful setting and have peeled off bits of lacquer on an old car’s deteriorated paintwork.
In our group test, we mainly exercised the machines with the gentle settings/nozzles enabled in order to protect the single-stage paintwork of the classic car we cleaned with them. The benefit to two of the test vehicles we used was they were coated in car wax, so the paint already had a degree of protection applied. But when using a pressure washer for the first time, you should always be careful.
Are pressure washer nozzles universal?
Generally speaking, no. Different machines will mostly have nozzles designed for that brand/model, so it’s not like you can apply a premium Nilfisk nozzle to an entry-level Bosch item. When buying your pressure washer, any attachments that come with it are most likely going to be designed for that machine.
Are pressure washer attachments universal?
A lot of the time, attachments of pressure washers are only specific to that brand and possibly model. However, we’re reliably informed – and have found out for ourselves at times – that AVA of Norway does manufacture attachments that do fit a number of other branded pressure washers, such as Karcher.
We’ve used AVA’s snow foam cannons on a number of different machines, so it’s fair to say that sometimes, attachments are compatible with many pressure washers. But that never applies 100% of the time between different makes and models.
Are pressure washer surface cleaners worth it?
For garden use, surface cleaners are immensely useful for when you want to give your patio and stone slabs a deep cleanse. Driveway cleaning can only really be done with a pressure washer, too, so for lots of car and home cleaning, they’re absolutely worth it.
What pressure is ideal for washing a car?
You want enough pressure to remove grime but not so much that your paintwork is at risk. We say anything between 100 bar and 145 bar (about 1100 to 2000 psi).
What pressure washer is best for car cleaning? The top brands:
Karcher is probably the first name that comes to mind when considering pressure washers. That happens for a reason: Karcher is as synonymous with pressure washers, much like Apple is with smartphones, because it’s very good at what it does. Bosch has many options available, as does Worx and our personal favourite Nilfisk. They come in a range of sizes, prices, styles, and abilities.
What is the best car cleaner to use in a pressure washer?
There are many different types of cleaner available, but snow foam is perfect for use with a pressure washer as it helps loosen and soften any muck present, clumps of mud, road film and even ex-insects before you get down to business with a good car shampoo.
All of these pressure washers have been hand-selected by our team of experts who have spent hours investigating and researching pressure washers to make it easier for you to find the very best, and we’d never recommend a product we don’t believe in.
Where possible, we also test and share the latest and best products you should know about.
The main things to look for in a pressure washer for cars
Price – It may be tempting to splash out on the most expensive model and have all the bells and whistles. But there’s no need to only focus on the upper end of the market, cheaper models will be more than acceptable. Kärcher pressure washers range in price and suit many needs so that brand will be a great place to start looking.
Attachments – A pressure washer that offers a snow foam lance should be a priority for car cleaning. Not quite as important, but still worth considering, are other pressure washer accessories like wheel brush attachments and chassis nozzles.
Power – For simple car cleaning, you won’t need more than 140 bar to be effective. Any higher and you run the risk of damaging your car’s paintwork. We’ve found the sweet spot for car cleaning is between 100-140 bar, powerful enough to dislodge dirt but not a threat to your paintwork.
Ergonomics – Even the world’s best pressure washer wouldn’t see much use if it lacked wheels, weighed a ton, and you needed the arms of a bodybuilder to put it together. Prioritise one that’s easy to use because you’ll spend a fair amount of time using it. Also, think about storage, not everyone has the luxury of a huge garage, so a smaller model may be required. And measure out how far away the nearest plug socket might be if you’re going for a corded option. If it’s far, you might want to think about waterproof extension leads.
Your garden – Pressure washers are excellent for cleaning outside spaces too. Driveways, patios, fence panels and even garden furniture can all be easily cleaned of years of gunk and grime using a pressure washer. You may even want to invest in some specialist attachments to make cleaning these surfaces easier.
Sign up to the Parkers Newsletter to keep up to date with more of the latest reviews, news, and recommendations from the Parkers team.
Just so you know, we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this website - read why you should trust us.
