A UK driveway wants water volume and hose, not another 15 bar on a car. The machine you can buy in the UK right now for most plots is a mains Kärcher K5 Power Control Flex: 500 L/h, 10 m PremiumFlex hose, 145 bar. Clip a T 5 on for the block paving. Keep the dirt blaster off the joints.
This is not a rewrite of K4 vs K5. That page is the class comparison. This one is the drive: how long the hose is, whether a patio head belongs in the box, and when petrol is the only honest answer. Specs come from Kärcher. Street prices come from Screwfix, ITS, GO Outdoors, Wickes, Kärcher centres and comparison sites on 17 August 2026. B&Q and Very were down or blocked this check, so those older figures are named as last captured, not as a live buy-box.
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Start with the plot. A short parking bay and a path is a K4 Power Control Flex and an 8 m hose. A 30 to 40 m² drive, or anything you cannot reach without dragging the trolley, is the K5. No outdoor socket, or a farm lane, is petrol. See the petrol guide only after you have ruled out a 13A lead.
Paint-safe settings sit on the cars page. First-use setup is on how to use a pressure washer. The rest of the yellow range is on the Kärcher hub.
Quick picks
Best for most drives
Kärcher K5 Power Control Flex
£340 at ITS
145 bar, 500 L/h, 10 m Flex hose. The long-hose electric you park once and walk the length of the drive.
Best shorter drive
Kärcher K4 Power Control Flex
£199.99 at Screwfix
130 bar, 420 L/h, 8 m Flex hose. Enough if the bay is short and you will move the trolley once.
Best head for block paving
Kärcher T 5
From about £55
280 mm hood, height-adjustable jets. Washes the face of the block. Leave the joints alone.
Best if there is no socket
Hyundai HYW3100P2
£599.99
213 bar, 10 L/min, AR triplex pump. Petrol only when the plot is huge or the lead will not reach.
Comparison table
| Model | What it is | Max pressure | Flow | Hose | Typical UK price (17 Aug 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K5 Power Control Flex | Long-hose home electric | 20 to 145 bar | 500 L/h | 10 m Flex | ITS £340 inc VAT, in stock. GO Outdoors retail £340, member £299, out of stock |
| K4 Power Control Flex | Default home electric | 20 to 130 bar | 420 L/h | 8 m Flex | Screwfix £199.99. Official around £220. B&Q last listed £209 |
| T 5 (2.644-084.0) | Clip-on patio head | Uses the washer | 280 mm hood | n/a | Trafalgar £55. Screwfix £58.99. Wickes £79 list |
| Hyundai HYW3100P2 | Homeowner petrol | 213 bar | 10 L/min | 7.5 m | Hyundai UK £599.99 |
Prices checked 17 August 2026. Home kits add a T 5 and cost more. Confirm what is in the box. Amazon K5 Flex still has no featured offer this check. Third-party listings from about £346.
Kärcher K5 Power Control Flex
The best pressure washer for a UK driveway, if you have a tap and a socket
- Buy: ITS £340 including VAT (£283.33 excluding VAT), in stock this check · GO Outdoors member £299, retail £340, out of stock this check · Amazon listing no featured offer, third-party from about £346 · Kärcher UK
- Pressure / flow: 20 to 145 bar, 500 L/h
- Hose: 10 m PremiumFlex
- Motor: 2.1 kW, water-cooled
- Weight: 12.4 kg without accessories
- In the box (bare Flex): G 160 Q Power Control gun, Vario Power lance, dirt blaster
- Who it is for: a 30 to 40 m² drive, a long hose run, or anyone tired of walking a shorter machine halfway down the path
The upgrade from a K4 is litres and reach, not a different way of washing stone. 500 L/h moves algae and stone cleaner off block paving faster than 420 L/h. Ten metres means you park the trolley by the tap and walk. That is the daily comfort on a UK semi with a front drive and a side return.
145 bar is still a domestic figure. Used under a T 5 hood, or on a wide Vario a metre back, it is the right class for neglected block. Used as a pencil jet in the joint, it will empty the sand. The extra bar is for the face of the paving, not for standing closer.
ITS at £340 including VAT is the cleanest named in-stock price on 17 August 2026. The £283.33 on that page is excluding VAT. GO Outdoors still prints £299 for members and £340 retail. The yellow Flex was out of stock this check. Amazon’s old street around £240 is gone. B&Q’s product pages were down. Search snippets have shown £279 on the Flex, out of stock. Do not treat a snippet as a locked price.
Home kits add a T 5 and 1 L of stone cleaner. If the bare Flex is £340 and a T 5 is £55, buying them separately is about £395. A Home box under that is a saving. A Car & Home box at £480 (ITS Flex Car & Home, listed this check) is a luxury. Shop the live total. The class argument sits on K4 vs K5. Do not buy a K7 only because the drive looks long. That is a lot of washer for a Saturday.
Skip it if the only hard surface is a short bay and a path. Keep the K4. Skip it if there is no outdoor socket. A longer hose will not invent a 13A point.
The K5 in full is on the K5 review.
Kärcher K4 Power Control Flex
The machine if the drive is short
- Buy: Screwfix £199.99 · Amazon listing (page 503’d on earlier checks; PriceSpy has shown about £200) · B&Q last listed at £209, diy.com was down this check · Kärcher UK official around £220
- Pressure / flow: 20 to 130 bar, 420 L/h
- Hose: 8 m PremiumFlex
- Motor: 1.8 kW, water-cooled
- In the box (bare Flex): G 160 Q Power Control gun, Vario, dirt blaster
- Who it is for: a short drive, one or two cars, and a path you can cover if you park the trolley at a corner
Eight metres walks a family hatchback on a short plot. It will not let you stand still on a long van or a deep frontage. 130 bar with a twist-to-adjust Vario is enough for the face of the block if you add a T 5. It is slower than a K5 on a green 40 m² drive. That is the whole difference. Full side-by-side sits on K4 vs K5. If the only job is one small car and you will never touch the slabs, that is a K2 vs K4 conversation, not this page.
Skip it if you already know the hose will come up short. Spend the extra on the K5 once.
Kärcher T 5 T-Racer
The head for block paving, if you already own a K-series washer
- Buy: Screwfix £58.99 · Kärcher Centre Trafalgar £55 · Wickes £79 list this check, has been on offer at £54 · Kärcher UK
- Part number: 2.644-084.0
- Compatible with: K2 to K7 Home & Garden, bayonet on the gun
- Working width: 280 mm
- Who it is for: anyone who will wash the face of a drive or path and wants the splash under a hood
A T 5 is not a washer. Without a K-series machine, a tap and a socket, it does nothing. Two flat jets spin under a skirt. The skirt is the point. A dirt-blaster lance on block paving throws grit up the wall and empties the joints. This keeps most of the water on the face.
Set the jets closer for concrete and hard block. Set them higher for any timber that shares the same Saturday. Keep the brim flat. If you tilt it to “get more punch”, you have invented a dirt blaster again.
A K2 will spin it and feel thin on a green drive. If the washer is a K2 and the drive is the job, buy a K4 or K5, not a £55 head on a weak pump. Do not add a second T 5 if a Home box already has one. Full head prices, T 7 Plus and kit mistakes sit on the Kärcher patio cleaner page. A patio machine is a different buy if the terrace is the main surface.
Skip it if you do not own a Kärcher. It will not clip onto a Bosch or Nilfisk. Skip it if the only dirt is moss in the joints. This head washes the face. It does not pick weeds.
Hyundai HYW3100P2
Petrol, only if the drive is huge or there is no socket
- Buy: Hyundai UK £599.99
- Pressure / flow: 213 bar, 10 L/min
- Engine: Hyundai 212cc 4-stroke
- Pump: Annovi Reverberi RSV 3G31 triplex
- Hose: 7.5 m
- Weight: 38 kg
- Who it is for: a long lane, a yard, or a plot the 13A lead will not reach
Petrol is not a faster K5. It is a different tool. You get more water and no plug. You also get 108 dB, fumes, 38 kg and a jet that will mark paint if you treat it like a Vario. Use it on stone and plant. Keep it off a family car.
The 7.5 m hose is shorter than the K5 Flex. You move a heavier frame more often. That is still the right trade if there is no socket, or if 500 L/h will take all afternoon. Cheaper axial-pump Hyundais and the trade Kärcher HD 7/15 G sit on the petrol page. Do not buy the Honda-engined Kärcher unless you want Professional parts and a dealer network. It is three times this money.
If the only missing thing is a tap, not a socket, start with the cordless guide instead. A battery gun will rinse a car. It will not strip a mossy drive.
Skip it if a mains K5 will reach the job. Noise, weight and fuel are not a weekend upgrade.
Block paving, joints and runoff
Sweep first. Leaves and grit become shot. Wash the faces on a wide Vario or under the T 5. Work in overlapping passes, walking backwards so you are not standing in the bit you just cleaned.
The jointing sand is part of the surface. A rotary jet held in the joint will empty it. Brush sand back in when the plot is dry. Weeds in the joints want a brush or a dedicated joint tool, not more bar. Oil wants degreaser and dwell time. More pressure on cold oil just pushes it into the next block.
Keep the jet off air bricks, weepholes, the damp-proof course and the bottom of rendered walls. Forcing water into the cavity is a much dearer job than a green drive. Aim rinse water at a foul or combined drain, or into soil on your own plot. Road gullies often run straight to a watercourse. If you cannot control the flow, skip the soap.
Distance, nozzles and frost drain-down are on the how to use a pressure washer page.
How to choose
- Short bay, tap, socket. K4 Power Control Flex. Add a T 5 if the block is part of the job and a Home box is not already in the basket.
- Long or green drive, tap, socket. K5 Power Control Flex. Buy it for the 10 m hose and 500 L/h. Add Home if you do not already own the head.
- Already own a K4 or K5. Buy the T 5, not another washer.
- No socket, or a farm-scale plot. Petrol. Start with the HYW3100P2, then read the petrol guide.
- No tap. Cordless. Not a bigger K-class. See the cordless guide.
Flex means the PremiumFlex hose. Power Control means the gun shows the step. Home means the T 5. Shop the part number on the carton, not the word K5 on a tile. Other machines sit on the reviews index.
FAQ
What is the best pressure washer for a driveway in the UK right now?
A Kärcher K5 Power Control Flex, if you have a tap and a 13A socket. 500 L/h and a 10 m hose are the useful extras. Add a T 5 for the block paving. A K4 is enough on a short bay.
Do I need petrol for a driveway?
Only if the lead will not reach, or the area is large enough that 500 L/h will take all afternoon. A mains K5 is quieter, lighter and cheaper to own for a normal UK frontage.
Will a T 5 damage block paving?
Not if you keep the brim flat and stay off the joints. The head washes the face. A dirt blaster in the pointing will blow the sand out.
Can I wash the car with the same machine?
Yes, on a wide Vario, at a distance. Do not use the dirt blaster on lacquer. See the cars guide.
Is the K5 worth £140 more than the K4?
Only if you will use the extra flow and the 10 m hose. That argument is on K4 vs K5. This page assumes the drive is the job.