Kärcher K5 Pressure Washer Review: Tough and powerful

Written by Alex Boyd Updated: 5 August 2024

The black and yellow finish makes Kärcher pressure washers instantly recognisable—like bumblebees who moonlight as janitors in a honey school on a secret mission but who fool no one except maybe other bumblebees. From the introductory K2 models up to the muscle-bound K7, there’s a washer to suit just about anyone’s situation. The K5 is nearer the top of the range and comes in a few flavours—from the basic original K5 Classic to the most recent versions, which include the K5 Smart Control and the K5 Power Control. On the catwalk today is the K5 Power Control Car & Home ready to strut its stuff.

I will confess, I do have a certain fondness for Kärcher machines. Having had a K4 that has performed well for me over the past few years, keeping my car, patio and windows clean, I was looking forward to finding out how its bigger brother would fare. My trusty K4 was a basic machine with no fancy attachments to play with or distract me. Not so with my new K5 – lots-a-toys, a bit like the Swiss Army Knife of pressure washers. Here’s the list: a power control spray gun, two lances, a detergent gun foam jet, a rotating wash brush, a T5 patio cleaner and a handy chamois leather to dry off the car. It’s perhaps it’s worth mentioning here that our car valeting experts may be ripping what’s left of their hair out just now (it’s the stress, you know) as they recommend using microfibre cloths rather than chamois leathers to dry your car paintwork.

The package included Kärcher’s latest innovative attachment, the Eco Booster 145, which Kärcher claim will deliver a 50% increase in cleaning performance over the standard flat jet, meaning you use less water and save time. It’s kind of difficult to ascertain just how efficient these attachments are without the aid of blokes in white coats stooped over large machines sporting buttons and dials while they frown quizzically. I certainly didn’t see any reduction in the jet performance, and it did cover a larger area as I was cleaning, meaning I spent less time working, so in a very unscientific way, I would have to agree that it does save water, so it must save energy and as you cover a larger area, it saves time – sorted.

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Before you can get to work with the K5, some assembly is required. I will say it is worth reading through the instruction booklet first, as although there is a pictorial description of the assembly, helpful written instructions are included a few pages later. The pictorial instructions are quite small and open to a little misinterpretation. Having said that, I had the machine all assembled and ready to go in about half an hour.

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So, the K5 is assembled and ready to rock, so let’s see how it goes.

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Verdict: The Kärcher K5 is a good, solid car and garden workhorse that is more than capable of tackling even the toughest domestic chores with ease. Hang around and find out more, below.

Score: 4.5/5

What’s good about the Kärcher K5

The Kärcher K5 performs its duties pretty well as a domestic power washer for use around the home and garden and for car washing purposes. Testing took place during our ‘summer’ weather, so there wasn’t the same grit and grime you might get covering your car in the less clement seasons. The car hadn’t been washed for a few weeks (He is so lazy – Ed), so it had a nice covering of dust and a smattering of insects covering the bonnet, number plate and windscreen.

Setting up the K5 is pretty straightforward, with all the water connectors being the quick click-to-fit type, so there is very little faffing around. The main pressure hose is also a faff reducer as at 10m long, it means you can move around quite freely without having to pull the pressure washer after you like a reluctant toddler. And sometimes, the simplest of design features can make life so much easier. In the case of the K5, it’s a hole. Yup, a simple hole through the body of the washer allows the pressure hose to be fed through from the rear, where the pressure outlet is, to the front where the controls are. It also helps separate the water hoses from the electrical mains connection.

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Connecting the high-pressure spray gun to the hose initially was a bit difficult. I had to apply a fair bit of pressure while pressing the gun lock button to get the hose to interlock with the gun, but once it was in, it was a good, secure fit and reasonably easy to remove when the time came to put everything away.

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The first accessory I used was the Vario Power Control Lance, which is adjustable from a soft, almost trickle-like stream to the powerful jet that is so useful for cleaning. As you adjust the lance, the appropriate pressure setting is shown on the spray gun’s display when you operate it. The K5 Home and Car also comes with a non-adjustable Power Control Lance for tackling really tough stains (You need to exercise a little caution when using this attachment as its power could damage more delicate surfaces). A medium pressure was ideal for giving the car a good soaking to loosen up the dust. With the detergent bottle filled, I made my attempts to fit the foam nozzle assisted by split detergent making my hands slippy and the process ever more comical. But, hey, it’s just one of those beginner faux pas. The K5 does a mighty fine job of delivering a good, even coating of foam in absolutely no time at all. The time spent changing back to the vario lance allowed the detergent foam to get to work. This is the bit of the task I enjoy the most, seeing the dirt being erased before your very eyes. There is no doubt that this machine packs a fair old punch. You can feel the kickback when you pull the trigger, but that power is what helps to shift the dirt effectively and efficiently. Most domestic pressure washers will operate at around 120 Bar – the K5 will deliver an impressive 145 Bar.

The Spray gun is fairly light, so it is easy to work with, and that 10-metre hose means you can concentrate on the jet and the car without having to pause to reposition the machine. In comparison to my trusty old K4, I would say that the increase in power meant that the time spent cleaning was reduced, by how much I couldn’t honestly say, but it did feel like less of an effort. The flexibility of the Vario Power Control Lance showed its value at the end of the process, as it was possible to adjust it to the perfect pressure for the final rinse.

The Home and Car pack comes with a T5 T-Racer Surface Cleaner. If you have decking, a patio, or even a simple slabbed driveway, the T5 is a great solution for getting a quick and even clean. Previously, you would have to slowly and patiently cover each centimetre with a single jet. The T5 applies that same focus but over a much larger area, allowing you to make much quicker and, I have to say, in my case, much more even progress over the monoblock driveway and patio paving.

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The pack also comes with a rotating brush which is handy for cleaning car wheels or helping shift more stubborn domestic stains.

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What’s okay

Attaching the vario lance and detergent holder to the spray gun can be a bit of a faff, especially with the foam nozzle and detergent container. The attaching action requires you to twist the nozzle into place. Unfortunately, the part that feels the most natural to grip is the adjustable part of the nozzle, which itself rotates. This allowed me to pour half the contents of the detergent bottle down my front. At least it meant less detergent needed to be used in the washing machine.

The K5 weighs in at just under 15kg, so it’s not the lightest of machines but it does have wheels and a telescopic handle for transportation.

What’s not so good

My one reservation, which appeared almost immediately, concerns that very telescopic transportation handle. As I pulled the handle up from its resting position, it seemed the extending action was very loose and almost wobbly. Compared to how the rest of the machine is tightly put together, I found this quite surprising. Sure, it does the job but it just isn’t very impressive.

At the end of the day

Once everything has been disconnected and wiped down, it’s my least favourite part—putting everything away. It’s a bit like being forced to tidy your room as a kid. The long pressure hose rolls up and can be stored on the hooks at the rear, and the gun and lances can sit neatly in the front compartment. There’s an elasticated web section at the bottom rear for storing any other nick-nacks you might wish to keep close to hand.

So, it’s a yes from me. The Kärcher K5 pounds out a mighty jet, which should be more than enough for just about any domestic situation. It has the flexibility to ease the pressure on more delicate surfaces, and with the inclusion of the Eco Booster 145 attachment, you don’t need to worry so much about the water meter readings. The Kärcher K5 Power Control Car & Home – a machine so powerful it could probably clean your conscience.

Other options to consider

Who tested it?

Alex Boyd is a Commercial Content Writer for CAR and Parkers, specialising in power tools and pressure washers. He’s still a big fan of cars from the 1970s and 80s. He’s a lapsed member of the IAM and enjoys driving all types of vehicles, from his first Mark 2 Ford Escort to Tri-Axle Double Decker buses. In his spare time, he enjoys DIY, travel, and music.

How this product was tested

The Kärcher K5 Power Control was extensively tested. First, it was used to give my car a couple of weekly cleans and an initial clean where it hadn’t been washed for a few weeks. Here, we tested the car cleaning power, durability, and manoeuvrability. It’s since been used to test the T5 surface cleaner on monoblock paving and for general garden and home power washing.

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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