Pressure washers
Pressure washers are a quick, convenient and cost-effective way to keep your car looking showroom clean. these are the best ones currently on sale. For more reviews, go to whatcar.com/class/product-reviews
TESTING PROCESS
WE EVALUATED how easy each washer was to use, paying close attention to its size and stability – whether a tug of a badly placed hose reel could send it tumbling over. We also looked at whether each machine’s reallife performance aligns with its official maximum pressure, maximum flow and motor power figures. And finally, we rated our contenders for their standard accessories, from the range of nozzles available to clip-on detergent bottles and foamers.
1 Bosch Universal Aquatak 135
Price £145
Buy from Amazon
Vital stats Max pressure 135bar, max flow 384 litres/hour, power 1900 watts
Our winner is keenly priced, offers top-drawer cleaning performance and comes with a range of useful accessories. It’s also super-easy to use. It comes fully assembled in a small box, features a hinged and foldable rear handle that makes it extremely compact, and you can swap between pencil jet, fan and turbo nozzle with just a twist of the wrist. If Bosch added a reel for its 7m-long hose, it would be perfect. WHAT CAR? SAYS
2 Nilfisk Core 140 Powercontrol Premium
Price £256
Buy from Amazon, FFX
Vital stats Max pressure 140bar, max flow 465 litres/hour, power 1800 watts
Despite its relatively modest motor, the Core 140 generates phenomenal muck-shifting grunt. A handy table details the safest combination of nozzle and output level for common tasks, while the raked-back body, ultra-flexible 6m hose, free-moving reel and low exit point make this a topple-free joy to use. It comes with fan, turbo and angled sill nozzles, a foamer and a car brush, as well as a microfibre mitt and drying cloth.
WHAT CAR? SAYS
3 Titan 140 Bar Pressure Washer
Price £89.99 Buy from Screwfix Vital stats Max pressure 140bar, max flow 330 litres/hour, power 1800 watts
The Titan does almost everything Nilfisk’s Core 125-5 can do yet is 25% cheaper. It’s reasonably compact and well designed to keep the 6m hose and coiledup power lead secure after use. Excellent cleaning performance is complemented by fan and turbo nozzles and a patio cleaner. WHAT CAR? SAYS
4 Nilfisk Core 125-5 Home Kit
Price £120 Buy from Amazon, Argos Vital stats Max pressure 125bar, max flow 440 litres/hour, power 1400 watts
Despite its compact size and low weight, this machine delivers a crisp performance. It’s good value, too, considering that the package comes with a fan nozzle, a turbo nozzle, a car brush and even a small patio cleaner. A final bonus is the ultra-flexible, easy-tomanage 5m hose.
WHAT CAR? SAYS
5 Karcher K4 Power Control
Price £186.99 Buy from Amazon Vital stats Max pressure 130bar, max flow 420 litres/hour, power 1800 watts
The K4 has some innovative features, such as a lancemounted display that tells you what the pressure levels are suitable for. And its pro-level output belies the fact that there’s only a 1.8kw motor powering it. Stability could be improved, though, by mounting the 6m hose on a reel, and it’s a bit short on accessories. WHAT CAR? SAYS
6 Wolf Blaster 4x4
Price £199.99 Buy from Amazon Vital stats Max pressure 165bar, max flow 300 litres/hour, power 2000 watts
You get loads of popular extras with the Wolf and its performance is good, although it’s less efficient than the best rivals, plus it’s bulkier and therefore not as easy to store. The 6m hose reel is mounted low on the rear to aid stability, and a four-castor dolly aids stability. A good bit of kit, then, but not cheap enough to rank higher. WHAT CAR? SAYS