Best High-Pressure Washers For Car Detailing Under $200 (2023)

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To get the best cleaning results, you should always wash your car with a high-pressure washer. It’s easy to recommend pressure washers that cost $400 or more, but I always try to get something good for an affordable price. I researched the market, and here’s my list of 9 best auto detailing electric pressure washers under $200.

To get a quality car detailing product, sometimes you have to spend a good amount of money (polishers, car carpet extractors, etc.). However, when it comes to high-pressure washers, you can find amazing ones for a great price that won’t cost a fortune.

When choosing pressure washers for this list, I looked at all the specs and features required for car detailing to get the best cleaning results without spending hundreds of dollars on expensive products.

Best Electric Pressure Washers For Car Cleaning That Cost Under $200

Finally, here’s the list! At the end of the list, I’ll put some more powerful pressure washers. So, if you plan to do tougher things than washing the cars, check those too. I wanted to make a 10 product list to give you even more options to choose from. However, I think that only these 8 are good enough to be listed here.

1. Karcher K1700 Electric Power Pressure Washer – BEST OVERALL

Karcher K1700 Electric Power Pressure Washer (Check the price on Amazon now) is my number one recommendation for pressure washers for car detailing. 

Karcher is my go-to company when it comes to car detailing. They have excellent products, and more important – their products are high-quality products that will last for years.

This pressure washer has a 1700 PSI of TruePressure, ideal for car washing, and has a water flow of 1.2 GPM. Hose length is 20 feet, and it will be enough to wash even bigger cars.

In the package, you get three nozzles: a turbo nozzle for the highest cleaning power, an all-purpose nozzle, and a detergent nozzle.

This pressure washer has some great features such as an ON/OFF Footswitch, extra storage bin, removable detergent tank, tall handle, and much more.

All hose connections are made from metal, which grants excellent quality and extreme durability. With this pressure washer, you get three years limited warranty on the engine and 90 days for nozzles and guns.

The most important thing why this is my number 1. recommendation in this list is because of the Karcher company. This German company is making high-quality products since 1935 and will continue doing so. If in 5 years your pressure washer breaks, you’ll quickly find new pieces to fix it – which isn’t the situation with some Chinese pressure washers.

2. Sun Joe SPX3000 2030 PSI Pressure Washer – BEST SELLER

Sun Joe SPX3000 (Check the price on Amazon now) is also one of the best pressure washers you can get for your car cleaning tasks.

It has the power of 2030 PSI with a water flow of 1.76 GPM, which is more than enough for washing vehicles and some smaller jobs at home. Also, it has two detergent reservoirs, and you can adjust the amount coming from each.

This pressure washer comes with five nozzles: 0-degree nozzle, 15-degree and 25-degree nozzles, 40-degree nozzle, and a soap nozzle.

The hose is 20-foot long, with a 35-foot electrical cord which is great. However, their organization is a bit tough – there’s no enough place to store them without them hanging out.

It’s also tranquil so that you won’t have problems with your neighbors yelling at you because of the noise. 

Some people complain about standard M22 compatibility – they use 15mm instead of 14mm, so you’ll maybe need additional connections in order to stop water leaking.

3. Rrtizan 2030 PSI Pressure Washer – BEST BUDGET

Rrtizan 2030 PSI Pressure Washer (Check the price on Amazon now) is the best budget option when it comes to a high-pressure washer for cleaning your car. It has all great features like some more expensive products.

It has the pressure of 2030 PSI and a water flow of 1.76 GPM. That’s going to be more than enough to wash the dirt off of your car. The manufacturer also claims that they don’t show false data like some others.

You’ll get a pressure washer in the package, a spray gun, adjustable spray nozzle, a detergent tank, 36ft power cable, 16ft high-pressure hose, and a wrench.

The high-pressure hose isn’t the longest out there, so you’ll have to move it more frequently. However, it’s an easy task since this pressure washer has built-in wheels for easy carrying.

4. STANLEY SHP1600 Electric Pressure Washer

Stanley SHP1600 (Check the price on Amazon now) is a great affordable electric pressure washer that will be more than enough for any auto detailing task.

This device has a pressure of 1600 PSI and a water flow of 1.3 GPM. It’s an ideal pressure for washing your car. However, if you plan to use it for some tougher tasks, you might want a stronger pressure washer.

It’s very light (only 16 pounds) and portable. However, it doesn’t have wheels, so you’ll have to carry it around.

The pressure hose is 20ft, and the power cord is 35ft long, which is more than enough for car detailing jobs. You might have to move it once or twice, but that’s still great.

With the pressure washer, you also get: hose, spray gun, variable spray nozzle lance, extension lance, o-ring replacement, and a detergent bottle.

5. WORX WG604 1600 Pressure Washer with Rolling Cart

WORX WG604 1600 Pressure Washer with Rolling Cart (Check the price on Amazon now) is the best product in this list if you’re looking for something that’s extremely easy to drag anywhere. 

It also has one of the longest hoses (25ft). Usually, this device sprays water at 1600 PSI and 1.3 GPM. However, the maximum pressure is 2240 PSI and 1.93 GPM.

Even better, this device has a roller, so it’s easy to wind and unwind the high-pressure hose. Also, there’s a 42oz soap tank that you can use (you should always use it with a soap nozzle). You get 4 different nozzles: a turbo nozzle for tougher jobs, a 40° and 25° nozzle, and a soap nozzle. So, you won’t need too much additional equipment with this pressure washer.

6. Sun Joe SPX4000-PRO 2030PSI

Sun Joe SPX4000-PRO 2030PSI (check the price on Amazon now) is another great high-pressure washer from Sun Joe company. It’s also for those looking for an easy-to-drag pressure washer.

The pressure on this device is 2030PSI, and the water flow is 1.76GPM. However, you can choose from two options: 1450 or 2030 PSI which is great.

It has a detergent tank of 54.1 fl oz, and you get 5 different nozzles for various cleaning tasks. This PRO version contains a turbo nozzle that cleans 40% quicker than the standard nozzles.

The length of the hose is 20ft, and the length of the power cord is 34ft.

The biggest problem with this device is that you can’t use standard M22 connectors. You can only use parts from this company or with an adapter.

7. Homdox Pressure Washer 2850PSI

Homdox Pressure Washer 2850PSI (Check the price on Amazon now) is a great choice if you plan to use it on tougher jobs than washing cars. With that amount of pressure, you’ll be able to do almost any cleaning task. 

It has a 20ft high-pressure hose with a metal connector and a 35ft power cord with a GFCI built-in for added safety.

The great thing about this pressure washer is the additional equipment you get: 5 different nozzles, a detergent tank, and a cleaning brush. A detergent tank isn’t equipped on the device. You can attach it to the spray gun.

Since it has more than recommended PSI for washing the cars (up to 2000 is recommended), make sure to keep the spray gun far away enough. I don’t want you to ruin the car paint. Even though everything is fine with the car, you shouldn’t do any damages, but be more careful with older cars.

8. TEANDE 3800PSI Electric Pressure Washer

TEANDE 3800PSI Electric Pressure Washer (Check the price on Amazon now) is another very powerful pressure washer (3800PSI and 2.8 GPM) for all of you that need a pressure washer both for car cleaning and for some tougher jobs.

However, make sure to keep enough distance when washing cars, especially the older ones. This is a very powerful device and could damage the paint.

The high-pressure hose is 20ft long, while the power cord is 35ft long. That’s the same as most other similar products on the market.

This device has a built-in soap tank with a capacity of 0.26 gal, and you also get 5 nozzles for various tasks.

There are 3 colors to choose from, and you can also choose the style with or without a hose reel.

When writing this post, it has an average star rating of 4.4 with more than 1,700 sales which is amazing.

Pressure Washer Buyer’s Guide

Here are a few things to look for when buying a high pressure cleaner for washing your car.

PSI and GPM

PSI means pounds per square inch, while GPM means gallons per minute.

The ideal PSI for washing your car is anywhere between 1200-2000. If you buy a high-pressure washer lower than 1200, it won’t do the job. However, if you buy a too high high-pressure washer, it could damage the paint.

When looking to GPM, the best numbers are from 1.4 – 1.6 GPM.

However, if you plan to do other tasks than just detailing your vehicle, you can choose a more powerful pressure washer, but make sure to keep it in enough distance when washing your car, so the pressure is lower.

Hose and Power Cord Length

Most of the products have a 20ft hose and a 35ft power cord, which is enough for most jobs. I mean, it’s not a problem if it’s shorter, but you’ll have to move a pressure washer around more often.

If you think that 20ft hose and 35ft power cord aren’t enough, make sure to choose some product that has longer cables.

Weight and Portability

If you can’t lift things, you should pay attention to the weight and the portability of a pressure washer.

There are many lightweight pressure washers, so you choose them, or you can choose some with built-in wheels so you can drag it wherever you need it. My suggestion is to always choose some pressure washers with built-in wheels.

Also, when it comes to portability, you should check the cable and equipment management of the device. That’s why I recommend Karcher K1700 – everything’s easy to organize (hose, cord, nozzles, spray gun, etc.)

Equipment and Industry Standards

If you don’t want to spend more money on extra equipment, you should choose some pressure washer that comes with plenty of additional equipment such as detergent tanks, etc.

Some products don’t have industry-standard connectors (M22), so if you don’t want to use adapters, make sure to buy pressure washers that use those standard connectors. 

Furthermore, on some products you can only use manufacturers equipment, so make sure to take that into account.

Warranty

Even though there are always high-quality and low-quality brands, I always love to buy products with the longest warranty.

If something happens, you’re covered. At least with expensive things such as electric motors or similar.

The longer the warranty, the better.

Water Leakage Problem

Water leakage problems will occur on 99% of the pressure washers. I don’t want you to be afraid of it. It’s just a completely normal thing to happen over time.

Luckily, there’s a very simple solution to that problem, and you can fix it with a little bit of Teflon tape. 

To see how to do it, check out this video.

Conclusion

I hope that by now you already know which high-pressure washer you’d like to buy. Again, my recommendation is Karcher K1700 because it’s a reputable company, and it’s easy to find spare parts if something breaks.

The goal of this article is to show you some affordable high-pressure washers for under $200. I think that I really made a good list. By choosing any pressure washer above, I believe that you’ll be delighted.

Washing a car without a pressure washer is very hard and very dangerous for the car paint. So, if you can, buy a pressure washer and make your car washes easier, quicker, and better.

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