We all love how powerful and convenient pressure washers are, but there are times when a cordless pressure washer will become very useful. The spring and summer seasons of the year are perfect for getting such things out, and they’ll give you the advantage on the potential of a hosepipe ban.
They’ve happened across the UK in previous summers and fines can go up to £1,000. However, the neat trick of a cordless pressure washer is you can feed the hose into a bucket of water and clean your car as normal. No continuous running water is needed and due to the lack of taps at the Parkers office, and we’ve employed that method to great effect when testing cleaning products on cars.
Are cordless pressure washers worth it?
Our answer is a simple yes. There are plenty of great cordless pressure washers out there. They range from budget units to more powerful ones, and we use one ourselves, a Worx Nitro Hydroshot WG633E, as a go-to during product testing. When you don’t have access to running water, they can really be a time and life-saver, depending on your home and/or work situation. The only real drawback is the charge anxiety when using it, which you don’t get with a corded unit.
Best cordless pressure washers tested 2024 at a glance:
• The best cordless pressure washer: Worx Nitro Hydroshot WG633E – Buy now from Amazon UK
• Editor’s pick: Worx Hydroshot WG620E- Buy now from Amazon UK
• The best cordless pressure washer for light cleaning: Bosch Fontus II – Buy now from Amazon UK
These battery-powered gems give you the freedom to work anywhere and not be reliant on a plug. These compact pressure washers use water much more efficiently and do not need a hose to feed in water, many cordless pressure washers can pull water from any source. Inevitably, you won’t get the same performance as you would from an electric machine, but you may be surprised at how powerful they can be.
How we test the best cordless pressure washers
Cordless pressure washers are some of our favourite things to test here at Parkers. Each example we test, we test to its limits. Using a selection of dirty cars available, we park them as far away from taps and power as possible to see just how portable they are. Each car will be daily-driven and the perfect testbed for the different types of dirt you’ll need to wash off a car.
Battery-operated units will often struggle at cleaning compared to a traditional pressure washer, but cleaning ability is crucial for a good pressure washer. We still want it capable of cleaning a car thoroughly.
Ease of use is the trade-off you get for less pressure and is crucial for making a cordless pressure washer worthwhile. For this versatility and portability are what we’re looking for. Battery life, durability, and ergonomics are also assessed here.
Value for money is another top consideration for cordless pressure washers. They’re often more expensive than a comparative traditional unit thanks to the cost of batteries and so they really have to work hard to represent the absolute best value for money.
Verdict
The Worx Hydroshot Nitro WG633E is the winner by a country mile here. No other cordless pressure washer can match it for cleaning performance or versatility. If the price is simply too much, the non-Nitro Worx Hydroshot is a top choice, just less powerful.
Best cordless pressure washers tested 2024
With a silky-smooth motor operation that feels more comfortable than any similarly-priced Karcher, the 4.0Ah battery can last well-over an hour in a standard cleaning procedure (tested) and you get an array of useful nozzle settings for different cleaning tasks, from general to precision tasks. The six metre hose should be enough for most situations.
Take this head-to-head with a budget corded pressure washer and the results won’t be too different. It outclasses every other portable pressure washer we’ve tried, and we still regularly rely on it for cleaning the press cars on test. If Worx weren’t so stingy with the included attachments, this would almost be without fault.
Reviewed by Ryan Gilmore
Read out full review of the Worx Nitro Hydroshot here.
Pros
- Class-leading car cleaning performance with a well-engineered feel and operation
- Long battery life which lasted up to five cars on our test days
- Great to use along with a high-quality finish with sturdy materials
Cons
- Attachments do cost extra, which is a pity
- Battery indicator could be more obvious
| Max pressure | 56 bar/ 810psi |
| Max flow | 220l/h |
| Weight | 1.5 kg |
Editor's pick
There’s more to like with this budget-orientated Worx too. It retains all the good ergonomic touches of the Nitro, making it easy to use and lightweight. The hose length is the same, the excellent 5-in-1 nozzle is kept and every bit feels like it’s a quality item. It’ll even accept the same batteries as the Nitro. Worx’s battery-sharing technology is some of the best we’ve ever tested for runtime, which does present this kit as a bit of a bargain.
If you only ever need something for light cleaning or want to save some cash without compromising on quality, this Worx really cannot be faulted.
Reviewed by Ryan Gilmore
Pros
- Great Worx build quality with sturdy materials included
- Smooth running operation, as per Worx products
- Six-metre hose included, which is nicer than the average five-metre hose
Cons
- 2.0Ah battery won't last as long as the 4.0Ah unit included with the WG633E
- Half the pressure of the WG633E
| Max pressure | 24 Bar |
| Max flow | 120 litres per-hour |
| Weight | 3kg |
The best budget cordless pressure washer
It also has a five-metre hose, which is the standard for most units, so it's very nice to see a cheap option have that feature. And from what I could tell, it's the only cheap-feeling component of the machine itself. Everything from the battery locking mechanism to the nozzle feels quite chunky.
It's not as powerful to use; the pressure tops out at 15 Bar. But on our test, it turned out to be a wonderfully easy-to-use and easy-to-assemble tool that proves to be a very decent upgrade over your standard hose. It's more capable than I expected to get the remaining soap and dirt off a car. There isn't anywhere near as much flow rate as the others, but it doesn't matter as it's a lightweight, portable, and long-lasting machine that can stand its own ground against the establishments.
Review by Aaron Hussain
Pros
- Better build quality and feel than we expected, bar the cheap-feeling hose
- Very quick and easy to assemble and use, unlike others that require construction
- Great value for money at under £70
Cons
- The power and flow rate is compromised compared to others
- The battery life is much shorter than the Worx machines, which is to be expected
| Max pressure | 15 Bar |
| Max flow | N/A |
| Weight | 2.6kg |
The best soft cordless pressure washer
In practice, however, it was hopelessly outclassed for cleaning a car. Even in the strongest setting, it failed to chop through mud and grime like the competition. It was more suited to bikes and wellies than to car care. There are three pressure modes, with 20 bar the maximum, and all of them were simply too weak to properly clean muck off a car.
I’ve concluded that its best use is as a massive powered watering can. With the 15-litre tank brimmed and an outstanding 60-minute runtime from the battery, you’ll be able to water the plants easily. The pressure can be made so weak that even the most delicate of petals won’t be harmed, so you’ll be able to trundle around, happy at not having to drag a big hose up and down the garden.
Reviewed by Ryan Gilmore
Pros
- Water tank included
- Snow foam attachment included
- Long run time
Cons
- Too weak for properly mucky cars
- It's heavy when brimmed
| Max pressure | 20 bar/290psi |
| Max flow | 186 litres per-hour |
| Weight | 7.5kg |
The best cordless pressure washer for lightness
Rrp: $72.99
Rrp: $72.99
When we tested it it impressed us mostly too. It was lightweight and easy to hold for long periods. And despite the cheap-and-cheerful pricing, it never felt or performed like it was a budget piece of kit. The stand-out feature had to be the Turbo mode which helped it chop through mud during our testing at the expense of the battery life.
The design wasn’t quite as refined as the Worx. It would constantly topple over during testing, but that was a small fry issue compared to the motor, which burnt out a year into my testing. The smouldering motor was a huge disappointment in what ought to have been the best budget cordless pressure washer. The batteries have lasted well, however, and I still regularly use them with the rest of my Ryobi tools.
Reviewed by Ryan Gilmore
Pros
- Lightweight design, weighing in at 3.3kg
- The Turbo mode helped with tough dirt
- Part of the excellent Ryobi battery sharing range
Cons
- A couple of design quirks make cleaning less fun
- The motor burnt out after a year
| Max pressure | 22 Bar |
| Max flow | 181 litres per-hour |
| Weight | 3.3kg |
FAQs and what to consider with cordless pressure washers:
What should you look for in a cordless pressure washer?
Pressure and Flow Rate: Look for a washer that provides sufficient pressure and flow rate. Higher pressure and flow rate generally result in more effective cleaning but will use more water and battery power. The battery life should be capable of providing enough runtime to complete your cleaning without frequent recharging. However, if this is an issue and you’re worried about cord length on a traditional pressure washer, outdoor waterproof extension cables are a solution.
Portability and Weight: Cordless pressure washers should be lightweight and easy to carry around. Look for ergonomic designs and features like wheels or handles for the best portability.
Water Storage: Do you need an onboard water storage tank, or will you have access to a water source?
Nozzle Options: Different nozzle attachments provide various spray patterns and pressure levels for different jobs. A wide-angle nozzle is ideal for general cleaning, and a narrow nozzle works best on more focused areas or stubborn marks. Aftermarket pressure washer attachments may not be much use with these specialised tools.
What’s more important: power or water capacity?
Arguably, we’d say power. The point of a pressure washer is to provide a lot more of it than your standard hose in order to enhance your car cleaning experience. The Worx WG633E is the perfect example; it provides up to 56 Bar of pressure which is roughly ten or 11 times as much as a standard garden hose/tap.
This will make an obvious difference to the consumer that has to clean their car. Suddenly having the wrath of power will lift off dirt and grime like never before. Water capacity – assuming there’s some kind of hosepipe ban in place – will depend on the size of your bucket that you’re running the water from.
Which is the most powerful cordless pressure washer?
Excluding petrol-powered units, that honour would go to the Greenworks GDC40 as found on this list. It has a flow rate of 300 litres per hour at 70 Bar of pressure. Many entry-level corded units have at least 120-130 Bar of pressure, so it isn’t that far behind.
What PSI pressure washer is best for home use?
You will have noticed we’ve been using the Bar measurement when it comes to pressure. This is the unit that manufacturers like to boast about, and put simply, one Bar of pressure equates to 14.5 PSI (Pounds per square inch). Based off our impressions of the Worx Nitro Hydroshot which generates 56 Bar of pressure (812 PSI), we’d say that would be more than enough – and will provide enough pressure when a snow foam lance is attached. A lot of soft pressure units will have around 72 PSI which is more useful for lighter home jobs.
Recent updates:
Aaron Hussain added in the Jet Hawk Cordless pressure washer following testing.
Alex Boyd is a Commercial Content Writer for Parkers, specialising in power tools and pressure washers. In his spare time, he enjoys DIY, travel, gardening and music.
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