The best pressure washers
Green paving, a grubby car, a mossy drive: pressure washers that make short work of the jobs a hose and a stiff brush never quite finish.
Pressure, measured in bar, is what lifts the dirt; flow, in litres an hour, is what rinses it away, so more of both gets a patio done faster. For a car, bikes and garden furniture a compact machine is plenty; for a long drive or a big patio, the extra power and a longer hose save a lot of time.
Cordless washers are a different kind of tool. They're light and draw water from a bucket or water butt, so they work where there's no outdoor tap or socket, but they're gentler: think cars, bikes and windows rather than a mossy drive. Whichever you choose, try a small hidden patch first on wood, render and soft stone.
What matters
- Pressure (bar) for stubborn dirt, flow (litres an hour) for speed.
- Hose length: a longer hose means less dragging the machine about.
- Mains for big jobs; cordless for cars and places with no outdoor tap.
- Nozzles: a gentle spray for cars and wood, a hard jet for stone.
#1 of 5
Best overall
Nilfisk Core 125 High Pressure Washer (1,400W)
£115.99 RRP
Compact enough to tuck in a cupboard, yet with 125 bar of pressure to lift moss off a driveway. The foam sprayer and two nozzles, one gentle and one rough, cover everything from the car to garden paving. It comes from Nilfisk, which started out in Copenhagen in 1906 as Fisker & Nielsen.
What owners say: Owners say it's powerful for its size, easy to set up and use, and brings mossy drives and grubby patios up like new.
A closer look: Use the gentle nozzle on the car and wooden decking, and save the rough one for stone and concrete. Register it with Nilfisk after buying, as some models qualify for longer cover than the standard two years.
- 125 bar, 1,400W
- Cleans up to 35m² an hour
- 5m hose
- Foam sprayer included
- Gentle and rough nozzles
Best for: Small gardens, patios and cars
- Power
- Mains, 1,400W
- Max pressure
- 125 bar
- Flow rate
- 440 l/h
- Hose
- 5m
- Weight
- 6.4kg
#2 of 5
Best budget
Kärcher K 2 Classic Pressure Washer (110 bar)
£50–£75 Price range
Light enough to carry in one hand at 3.4kg, with two lances: Kärcher's Dirt Blaster for stubborn dirt on stone and brick, and a single jet for gentler jobs like car paintwork.
What owners say: Owners say it's surprisingly powerful for its size, easy to set up and move around, and good at shifting algae and marks from paving and tiles.
Heads up: The hose is 3m long, so stand the machine close to the job and move it along as you go.
A closer look: The lances and cable store on the machine, so it tucks onto a shelf in the shed between jobs. It's at its best on cars, bikes, garden furniture and a small patio.
- 110 bar, 1,400W
- Dirt Blaster and jet lances
- Cleans up to 20m² an hour
- 3.4kg, easy to carry
- On-board storage for lances and cable
Best for: Cars, bikes and small patios
- Power
- Mains, 1,400W
- Max pressure
- 110 bar
- Flow rate
- 360 l/h
- Hose
- 3m
- Weight
- 3.4kg
#3 of 5
Best for big patios
Bosch UniversalAquatak 135 High Pressure Washer
£184.00 RRP
The strongest here, at 135 bar and 450 litres an hour, with a 7m hose that reaches across a patio or right round the car without dragging the machine. One 3-in-1 nozzle switches between fan, rotary and point jets, so there's no swapping lances.
What owners say: Owners say it's powerful and easy to use, does a great job on decking and patios, and like changing the spray with a twist of the nozzle.
A closer look: A detergent nozzle comes in the box for washing the car, and the water filter keeps grit from the hose out of the pump. The pull-out handle and second carrying handle make it easy to move and put away.
- 135 bar, 1,900W
- 450 litres an hour
- 7m hose
- 3-in-1 nozzle
- Detergent nozzle included
Best for: Big patios and driveways
- Power
- Mains, 1,900W
- Max pressure
- 135 bar
- Flow rate
- 450 l/h
- Hose
- 7m
- Weight
- 7.9kg
#4 of 5
Best cordless
WORX Nitro 20V Hydroshot Cordless Pressure Washer (WG633E)
£199.99 RRP
No tap or socket needed: it draws water from a bucket, tank or water bottle through its 6m hose, so it goes wherever the job is, from the car on the drive to the greenhouse glass. It runs on the same 20V PowerShare battery as other WORX tools.
What owners say: Owners say it's well made, handy for the car and smaller jobs like greenhouse glass, and much easier to use than a full-size pressure washer.
Heads up: The battery runs down fastest on full power, so rinse on the low setting and keep high for stubborn dirt, or have a second battery charged.
A closer look: Use the widest fan for paintwork and windows and the narrower jets for muddy wheels and paving. The battery case is sealed to IPX7, so splashes won't hurt it.
- 42 bar, 220 litres an hour
- 4.0Ah battery and charger
- Draws from a bucket or tank
- 5 spray patterns
- 2.2kg with battery
Best for: Cars, bikes and no outdoor tap
- Power
- 20V battery, 4.0Ah included
- Max pressure
- 42 bar
- Flow rate
- 220 l/h
- Hose
- 6m
- Weight
- 2.2kg with battery
#5 of 5
Best budget cordless
Blucky Cordless Pressure Washer with 2 Batteries
£50–£75 Price range
Two batteries in the box, a foam bottle and a 6-in-1 nozzle make it a ready-made car-wash kit, and it runs from a garden tap or a bucket. The trigger works like a throttle: squeeze harder for a stronger jet.
What owners say: Owners call it a brilliant bit of kit for washing the car and jobs round the garden, and find it easier to use than a bulky mains machine.
A closer look: It's at its best on cars, bikes, windows and garden furniture; for a big, mossy patio a mains machine gets through it faster. Swap in the spare battery when the first runs low and carry on.
- Two 4.0Ah batteries
- Squeeze-to-control pressure
- Runs from a tap or bucket
- 6-in-1 nozzle and foam bottle
- 2kg
Best for: Washing the car, anywhere
- Power
- Battery, 2 × 4.0Ah included
- Max pressure
- 80 bar peak (1,160 PSI)
- Flow rate
- Up to 500 l/h (intake)
- Hose
- 5m
- Weight
- 2kg
How they compare
| Feature | #1Nilfisk Core 125 | #2Kärcher K 2 Classic | #3Bosch UniversalAquatak 135 | #4WORX Hydroshot | #5Blucky cordless |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best budget | Best for big patios | Best cordless | Best budget cordless | |
| Picked Rating | 9.2 | 9.0 | 8.8 | 8.7 | 8.6 |
| Price | £115.99 RRP | £50–£75 Price range | £184.00 RRP | £199.99 RRP | £50–£75 Price range |
| Power | Mains, 1,400W | Mains, 1,400W | Mains, 1,900W | 20V battery, 4.0Ah included | Battery, 2 × 4.0Ah included |
| Max pressure | 125 bar | 110 bar | 135 bar | 42 bar | 80 bar peak (1,160 PSI) |
| Flow rate | 440 l/h | 360 l/h | 450 l/h | 220 l/h | Up to 500 l/h (intake) |
| Hose | 5m | 3m | 7m | 6m | 5m |
| Weight | 6.4kg | 3.4kg | 7.9kg | 2.2kg with battery | 2kg |
| Best for | Small gardens, patios and cars | Cars, bikes and small patios | Big patios and driveways | Cars, bikes and no outdoor tap | Washing the car, anywhere |
| Check price | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon |
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