11 best pressure washers for cleaning cars, gutters and patios with ease

Score: 91/100

This portable power washer has a lightweight, cordless design that makes moving around effortless. It comes with a syphoning hose and bottle adaptor so you can draw water from any source – great for taking in the boot of your car to clean down muddy bikes or hiking boots.

It's easy to set up and intuitive to use, and despite having much lower pressure than mains-powered models (just 41 bars), its cleaning power is excellent. It's better for medium-duty jobs and performed best when tackling our dirty windows – it made light work of dirt on the glass and residue in the corners of the frame, even when we used it without detergent.

Cleaning the car and patio was straightforward too, but we needed to go over tougher stains a few times to see similar results. For tackling troublesome areas, it’s easy to switch between the rinse and turbo settings on the spray nozzle.

Score: 88/100

The Worx HydroShot’s 5-in-1 nozzle and unique cordless design achieved an impressive perfect score in our ease-of-use tests. It runs on batteries, and you can drop its hose into any water source – from buckets to pools – and you’re ready to start cleaning straight away.

It blitzed most of the dirt from our patio, leaving it streak-free. We were pleased with how much grime it removed from the car and windows, too, although they did require a little more elbow grease – we either had to use a different setting or pay a bit more attention to troublesome dirt traps.

We would have liked our car to be left a little drier too. However, these are relatively minor niggles. Overall, it’s a lightweight, effective and compact pressure washer. A worthwhile buy for speeding through smaller jobs around the garden.

Score: 84/100

Dirty patios were no match for this powerful cleaner on test. It shifted dirt quickly, even without detergent, making it a great pick for blitzing grime. It was also reliable when cleaning windows and cars, and reached tricky areas effectively. Surfaces weren’t too damp afterwards either.

Instead of an integrated detergent bottle, this comes with a suction hose, which is a bit more of a faff than some blasters. But all the other attachments are easy to fit, and it’s generally easy to use. Plus, it is a lighter, more affordable and more portable option than Karcher’s K7 Premium Smart Control washer below, making it a powerful yet practical pick.

Score: 84/100

Cleaning dirty windows is a cinch with the K7 Premium Smart Control pressure washer from Karcher. It removed any dirt on the glass with ease, leaving only minor oil stains after we’d washed with both water and detergent.

What makes this model different from other Karcher washers is you can control it from your phone using the brand’s Home & Garden app. Depending on the task at hand, you can get advice on the best setting to use, easily switching between them so you can tackle a whole range of surfaces. Plus, with up to 180 bars of pressure, the washer’s powerful blast can handle any hard-to-reach areas such as the wheels of a car.

Just bear in mind that it’s fairly large, so it can be quite tricky to move around – look to one of our other picks if you’re after something more portable. Plus, it's only sold with a detergent for stone and facade surfaces, so if you want to get started on your windows first, you’ll need to purchase the all-purpose detergent first. Despite that, it’s an effective and powerful cleaner that certainly lives up to the Karcher name.

Score: 83/100

Standing out for its quick, easy set-up, this is an ideal buy if you’re new to pressure washers or want a model that’s faff-free. It also comes with three different nozzles and a clear instruction manual. The nozzles aren’t all suitable for use on cars, but otherwise, the range offers good flexibility.

It made light work of our cleaning tests – sprucing up patios and windows in a jiffy. At times, testers found it pushed the dirt around rather than banishing it entirely. But using detergent (not supplied) helped with this. The hose had great reach, meaning it offers excellent access to awkward spots such as car wheels and grooves, and our experts were impressed with how little leakage they spotted.

Score: 83/100

This Bosch model is a triple threat: powerful, portable and lightweight. It comes with a handy array of accessories, including a detergent bottle and a multi-use nozzle that offers three spray patterns, so you can adapt your pressure washing for each job. The on-board tool storage reduces clutter, too.

Despite being much lighter than many other models we’ve tried, it can be wheeled instead of carried, so it's very easy to move around. The powerful spray removed stubborn grime from patios, cars and windows in our tests – just note that it left some streaks on glass, so you may need to do a buff with a cloth afterwards. However, this one is ideal if you want a reliable and effective pressure washer that's reasonably priced and easy to transport.

Score: 80/100

This pressure washer’s 10-metre hose allows you to cover large areas without having to manoeuvre the (somewhat heavy) unit around cars, large outdoor areas and high windows. Using the Dirt Blaster nozzle, we were able to quickly spray away all but the most stubborn grime and algae from our patio in testing, and the adjustable Vario Power Lance left our car sparkling – even under the wheel arches – without any detergent needed.

Our windows were mostly clean when we had finished with the pressure washer, with just a quick wipe with a cloth needed afterwards to dry and shine. The trigger can become uncomfortable when you’re using it for a while, so you may want to factor a break into long sessions. Overall, a strong buy for larger gardens and homes.

Score: 79/100

No tap, no problem – with a 45-minute battery life and unencumbered by a cable, this cordless pressure washer can draw water from a bucket, bowl or even a river. It has a six-in-one multi nozzle, which means you can customise the pressure (although not the jet pattern) according to the cleaning tasks you’re tackling.

Considering the pressure and water output are much lower than heavy-duty models, this affordable washer performed remarkably well, cleaning up light dirt, algae and moss with ease. Heavier grime needed additional scrubbing to shift it, and it takes some time for the water to flow – but we appreciated that it doesn’t excessively drench an area. A great value tool for light jobs or for cleaning bikes and wellies on the move.

Score: 78/100

With up to 150 bars of pressure, this Black & Decker tool put in an impressive performance when tackling dirt in our patio test, getting rid of moss and algae without much trouble.

Across the board, it dealt with hard-to-reach areas well, helped by its compact design and ergonomic carry handle, which made moving it around and directing the nozzle hassle-free. Testers also praised the easy-to-use trigger, which meant they weren’t left with cramp after operating for long periods.

Be careful when changing the jet intensity – our testers found it quite easy to unscrew the blaster when trying to switch settings. The washer also left surfaces a little damper than other models we tested. All in all, though, it’s a lightweight yet powerful cleaner that does a reliable job.

Score: 77/100

The VonHaus pressure washer was particularly adept at getting dirt off patio surfaces. It effectively blasted dirt away and left zero streaks, thanks to its 130 bars of pressure and variable settings.

Our testers said it struggled a little to clean oil from windows but impressed overall when it came to dirt removal – even from those awkward spaces. There was no damage to the paintwork when we used it to clean the car, either.

Overall, it did take a little more effort to get each surface spotless than some of the highest-scoring pressure washers in our test; however, its lightweight design and easy to use features balanced out this minor flaw.

Plus, at the price, it's a great option if you don’t mind spending more time on particularly grimy spots.