Yahoo Autos Autocar product test: What pressure washer is best?
Keeping your car in good shape is as important as ever - a pressure washer may be your answer.
Ths increasingly popular kit is also increasingly affordable, usually easy-to-use and lets you blast salt and muck off your car’s bodywork more effectively than you can do by hand.
The superior clean they offer over the standard sponge-and-hose technique is another plus; they even use less water.
However, there are masses of options to choose from. You'll find no shortage of washers out there that are compact, high pressure and available with a host of accessories, so picking the right one can be tricky. Size, power, relevant attachments, cost and quality are all important factors. Here, we reveal which pressure washers are worth your money.
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Best buy - Bosch Universal Aquatak 135
Price: £140
Buy from: Amazon
Autocar says: 5 stars
Vital stats: Max pressure 135 bar. Max flow 384 litres/hour. Motor power 1900W
There are a couple of excellent reasons why the Bosch tops our pressure washer test. First, it’s well priced despite delivering really excellent, high-pressure performance and a good selection of accessories. Secondly, it’s a neat design that feels really well made and is also compact, with a hinged and foldable rear handle.
The ‘Trio Nozzle’ allows you to click between a pencil-, fan-, or turbo jet, too, which makes life much easier than having to change attachments, as you do with many alternatives. If it had a reel for the conveniently long but inconveniently loose hose, the Aquatek would be virtually flawless.
Recommended - Nilfisk Core 140 PowerControl Premium with Car Cleaning Kit
Price: £166.93
Buy from: Amazon
Autocar says: 4/5
Vital stats: Max pressure 140 bar. Max flow 465 litres/hour. Motor power 1800W
This Nilfisk washer is much more expensive one than the one just below – but it is worth the cash if you want the best pressure washer. It offers phenomenal muck-shifting power, and Nilfisk also provides a guide for which of the three pressure outputs you should be using for any particular chore. The hose reels freely and is set low down so it’s not easy to pull the unit over when you’re trundling around with it. Meanwhile, the fan nozzle, turbo nozzle, angled sill nozzle, foamer and car brush mean that you’ve got every possible car-cleaning accessory that you could want. You even get a microfibre mitt and drying cloth so that you can finish the job properly.
Best budget buy - Nilfisk Core 125 Home Kit
Price: £70.00
Buy from: Amazon
Autocar says: 4 stars
Vital stats: Max pressure 125 bar. Max flow 440 litres/hour. Motor power 1400W
Yes, another Nilfisk, but a cheaper one. It's a small, smart-looking pressure washer that’s lightweight and effective. It’s got strong pressure to blast away all the muck, and it feels solidly built so should last for a long time. It’d be a great price even for the machine on its own, but with a fan nozzle, turbo nozzle, car brush, and even a patio cleaner, it really is extraordinarily good value. The ultra-flexible 5m hose is more manageable than the stiffer hoses on some others here, too.
Titan 140 Bar Pressure Washer
Price: £89.99
Buy from: Screwfix
Autocar says: 4 stars
Vital stats: Max pressure 140 bar. Max flow 330 litres/hour. Motor power 1800W
Don’t worry if you’ve not heard of this make of pressure washer: it’s Screwfix’s own brand, and the unit itself is really good. It seems well put together and is a sensible design, with a hook to keep the 6m hose coiled up when it’s not being used. It delivers decent pressure levels and you get a fan nozzle, turbo nozzle and a patio cleaner. It’s a straightforward, good-value, no-nonsense option.
Karcher K4 Power Control
Price: £186.99
Buy from: Amazon
