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Holding your thumb over the end of a garden hose only goes so far when you’re cleaning anything. Sometimes you just need more pressure to get mud off your dirtbike or to blow the cobwebs off your garden furniture. But while battery-powered pressure washers don’t always have the power of gas-powered units, they don’t make the noise of gas-powered units, require the fuel and maintenance of gas-powered units, and are far easier to store and transport.
If you’re looking for a pressure washer to up your car washing game or get the summer’s build-up off your BBQ drill, these are for you. The units below are all powered by battery packs which can be used in other tools or garden equipment. It makes sense to buy a tool brand you’re already invested in or would like to be. So don’t just look at this one tool, think about what else those batteries will clip into. These will round out your equipment arsenal, and once you have a pressure washer, you’ll probably be surprised how often you’re using it. So let’s dive in.
Summary List
- Best Overall: Ryobi 40V Brushless Whisper Series Pressure Washer
- Best Value: WORX Power Share 320 PSI Pressure Washer
- Best Compact: DeWalt 20V Max Cordless Power Cleaner
- Honorable Mention: Ryobi ONE+ EZClean Power Cleaner
Our Methodology
Battery-powered pressure washers are a relatively new cordless tool in the industry. Several of the big-name tool brands haven’t even released a model yet, though they’re likely coming. This guide will be updated as we test more of them in the coming months. With that said, I was surprised at the utility of the units you see here. I received a few of these for testing from the manufacturers, and they were tested using brand-new batteries, and in actual household situations.
When choosing which pressure washers made the cut for this guide, I considered value, quality of materials and construction, ease of use, how it fits into a normal tool flow, and if I thought I would enjoy using it on a regular basis. Since value is a bit of a moving target for different jobs and different people, let me explain. These need to be able to do what a garden hose can’t. I want versatility, I want something that won’t require looking for instructions if I haven’t touched it in months, and I want a tool that seems like it will put up with some hard use. I made myself constantly aware that these are not intended to replace big angry gas-powered washers.
Best Battery-Powered Pressure Washer: Reviews & Recommendations
Best Overall: Ryobi 40V Brushless Whisper Series Pressure Washer
Pros
- The most powerful unit here and the closest to a true pressure washer
- Everything has a high-quality durable feel
- Versatile while still be totally intuitive to use
Cons
- Batteries are mostly used in garden tools so may not multitask
- It is a bit of an investment
This is the most powerful pressure washer that showed up, but that’s not the reason that it’s best overall. On the low power setting, there are three choices, the Ryobi is gentle enough to wash my mountain bike without having to worry it will blast the grease out of my bearings if I spend too long washing the cassette or around the bottom bracket. I also wasn’t worried about my son blasting my kneecaps off when he was helping. Thankfully it isn’t complicated, a single button adjusts water pressure.
I had devised a few tests, which I felt were real-world trials, but the universe delivered a real opportunity. My in-laws’ dog was visiting one day and had a biological emergency in our driveway. She’s a large German Shepard mix who apparently had had some bad chicken wings or something. If there is a more ideal use that justifies owning a pressure washer, I can’t think of one. It made quick work of a crappy situation—pun intentional and self high-five. The dog is still terribly embarrassed about the whole thing. Don’t mention it to her if you see her.
This Ryobi unit is substantially larger than anything else you see here. And unlike the other units, this doesn’t use batteries that will also work in things like drills and sanders. The 40V batteries in this are big blocks of plastic power and are normally used in other garden equipment. Presumably, if you have the need for a pressure washer, you probably have garden equipment, so you can multitask with those big batteries. Also, it is a decent size, but it seems like a smaller footprint than most of the gas-powered units I’ve used before. It won’t go in a cabinet like others here, but it only needs the space of a car wash bucket.
Confirming my past experience with other Ryobi tools, the quality is great. Plastics feel rugged and the switches and fittings feel like they’re built to last. Overall, I would own one of these.
Best Value: WORX Power Share 320 PSI Pressure Washer
Pros
- A value proposition to the DeWalt also seen on the list
- Uses 5-in-1 nozzle so no individual pieces to lose
- Weighs less than 4 pounds
Cons
- Battery and charger not included
- Not the best investment if you don’t have other Worx tools
Not everyone needs a real power washer and can get away with a power cleaner. This is a great deal if you want something that will make cleaning vehicles a little easier. The Worx Power Share is really aimed at people who need to clean things when they may not have access to a garden hose. You’re out with the dirtbikes and you want to give them a good rinse before loading them up in the trailer for instance. The promotional photos I’ve seen for this all show someone in the middle of nowhere, with the feed hose in a bucket, hosing off their equipment after adventuring into the wilderness for Instagram influencer content.
Worx uses a 20-volt battery that isn’t included with this power washer. This is a fraction of the price of the big Ryobi, but it also provides a fraction of the functionality. It includes a single nozzle, which offers five different patterns. There is a high and low-pressure setting and a charge indicator in front of the trigger.
Overall, this is a good value for a pressure cleaner and works as designed. If you don’t own any other Worx tools and don’t intend to in the future, it isn’t quite as much of a value.
Best Compact Pressure Washer: DeWalt 20V Max Cordless Power Cleaner
Pros
- A gallon per minute at 550 psi is enough for most cleaning jobs
- The size and ease of disassembly makes it easy to store
- Uses the same batteries as my DeWalt power tools not garden tools
Cons
- A little bit heavy for things like rain gutters
- Keep your expectations at cleaning
It’s big, it’s heavy, and it feels like you’re about to hunt some aliens with this pressure washer. We all know DeWalt quality, so I’m not sure I need to go into that. But, it does feel like a big substantial block of ruggedness when you pick it up—whether that’s a good or bad thing depends on what you’re doing with it.
The first thing I did with this DeWalt Pressure Cleaner was set it up and make PEW-PEW noises when I charged a battery. After 10 minutes of saving the world, I used it to clean the grill from my Traeger smoker. I hadn’t cleaned it after my last batch of pork ribs and it was genuinely crusty. The low setting wasn’t quite enough to get everything off, but on high, the mix of pork fat and dry rub didn’t stand a chance.
DeWalt is good enough to include several accessories in the kit. A hook up for a garden hose, a hose to drop into a bucket, a soap cannon with reservoir, a “turbo nozzle” and three different patterned nozzles for the pressure wand. The single gripe I have with this is that the stickers simply don’t stick. They’ve peeled off in a few places. It is also pretty heavy for doing any job that you would need to hold above shoulder level or stand on a ladder, like rain gutters, or something similar. This is a great unit if you want something to grab and go.
Obviously, if you’re a DeWalt faithful this will automatically be your choice as it uses 20V MAX batteries and matches the rest of your collection.
Honorable Mention: Ryobi ONE+ EZClean Power Cleaner
Pros
- Small, lightweight, take it anywhere, even works with a 2-liter bottle
- Ryobi quality with a 3 year warranty
- Reasonably priced, especially if you already own ONE+ batteries
Cons
- This works well for washing patio furniture and dirtbikes, but won’t blast concrete clean
- A big battery is nearly the price of the tool
Ryobi bookends with the most and least powerful units in the guide. They also happen to be the most and least expensive units, although there’s a caveat in there. The unit you see here is half the price of the Worx cleaner, but that’s assuming you already have Ryobi ONE+ batteries to run it. It gets 50% more expensive if you want the kit with a battery and charger.
This is another unit ideal for taking camping or adventuring. Like the other smaller units, it will pull from a bucket, but it also comes with an attachment to screw on a 2-liter soda bottle, so you can have that full of soap solution and then use a bucket of fresh water to rinse. The 320 psi is the lowest here but should get all but the muddiest vehicles clean.
Our Verdict
If you’re looking for a battery-powered power washer that will mostly be used around the house and needs some real cleaning power, the Ryobi 40V Brushless Whisper Series Pressure Washer is a great choice. It’ll keep everything from your vehicles to your patio clean. If you want something that travels more easily and takes up less space in your garage, take a look at the DeWalt 20V Max Cordless Power Cleaner.
FAQs
You’ve got questions. The Drive has answers.
It depends on the battery capacity, but you expect to get about 20 minutes for 2AH.
The most powerful units powered by 40 volt batteries can generate up to 1500 psi.
It depends. If you are looking for a few thousand psi of cleaning power, battery powered isn’t for you. If you want to wash vehicles, lawn furniture, etc. a battery powered unit will owrk jsut fine.
Yes. But, you will want to be careful how much pressure you use. A high pressure unit turned all the way up may blast the stucco or paint into your neighbor’s lawn.
