Buy electric for a UK house. A tap and a 13A socket still beat a petrol frame for cars, furniture and a normal patio. Petrol is the other answer only if there is no outdoor socket, or the plot is huge enough that 400 to 500 L/h will take all afternoon.
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This is the type decision, not a second shortlist. Model depth lives on the electric guide and the petrol guide. A long plot that still has a socket is usually a K5 on the driveway page, not a 213 bar Hyundai.
Quick picks
Electric default
Kärcher K4 Power Control Flex
£169
130 bar, 420 L/h, 8 m Flex hose. The UK house buy if you have a tap and a socket.
Petrol, if you must
Hyundai HYW3100P2
£599.99
213 bar, 10 L/min, AR triplex pump. Buy it only when the lead will not reach, or the plot is huge.
The fork is the lead
| Model | Power source | Noise | Hose | Typical UK price (Aug 2026) | When to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kärcher K4 Power Control Flex | 13A mains and a tap | Quieter than petrol. Water-cooled 1.8 kW | 8 m PremiumFlex | £169 | Default UK house |
| Bosch UniversalAquatak 135 | 13A mains and a tap | Quieter pump than a K2. Still mains | 7 m PVC | £114.98 | Value electric if you will carry it |
| Kärcher K5 Power Control Flex | 13A mains and a tap | Same class as the K4 | 10 m PremiumFlex | £339.99 | Long drive. Still electric |
| Hyundai HYW3100P2 | Petrol 212cc 4-stroke, plus a tap | 108 dB at 7 m | 7.5 m | £599.99 | No outdoor socket, or a plot too big for 500 L/h |
| Hyundai HYW3400P | Petrol 209cc 4-stroke, plus a tap | Louder than any electric | 10 m | £252 Hyundai UK; about £280 elsewhere | First petrol if you will not spend £600 |
Prices checked August 2026. Petrol does not invent a tap. A 213 bar Hyundai on a Fiesta is how paint gets marked. A K4 on a 40 m yard is how a Saturday disappears. Those are type problems.
Electric: the default house buy
- Buy: Check latest price £169 · Check latest price £169 · Check latest price · Check latest price
- Pressure / flow: 20 to 130 bar, 420 L/h
- Hose / weight: 8 m PremiumFlex, 11.5 to 12.1 kg
You plug it in, you attach a garden hose, you put it away. There is no unleaded to go stale, no 38 kg frame to wheel over a kerb, and no 108 dB conversation with the neighbours. That is why electric is the default, not a compromise while you save for petrol. Drop the Vario for paint. Leave the dirt blaster for stone. Eight metres walks a family hatchback if you park at a corner.
Buy the K5 Flex if the drive is 30 to 40 m² or the K4 hose will come up short. Check latest price £339.99. It is £339.99. That is still a 13A trolley. The value electric is the Bosch UniversalAquatak 135 if you will not spend £169 and you will carry it up steps. Check latest price is £114.98. 135 bar, 7 m PVC, 7.9 kg. You give up the Flex hose and the pressure-step gun. Notes sit on the budget page.
Skip electric if there is no outdoor socket you can reach safely. A longer Flex hose will not invent a 13A point. Skip a K4 if you only rinse one small car. That is a cheaper K2 conversation on the budget page, not a reason to buy petrol. If the missing thing is a tap, not a socket, a battery gun is the small answer on the cordless guide.
Petrol: only if the socket will not reach
- Buy: Check latest price £599.99
- Pressure / flow: 213 bar, 10 L/min (600 L/h)
- Pump: Annovi Reverberi RSV 3G31 triplex
- Hose / weight / noise: 7.5 m, 38 kg, 108 dB at 7 m
Petrol is not a faster K5. You get more water and no plug. You also get fumes, oil, fresh unleaded, and a jet that will mark paint if you treat it like a Vario. Use it on stone and plant. Keep a 40° tip on if a car has to share the Saturday. The 7.5 m hose is shorter than a K5 Flex. You move a heavier frame more often. That is still the right trade if 500 L/h will take all afternoon. Prime on a mains tap first. Gravity feed from a barrel is listed at 2 m. Brand path is the Hyundai hub.
The cheapest petrol ticket is a POLLOR 7HP at £209.99 if you accept a no-name frame. The named-brand budget is the HYW3400P if you will not spend £600 and you accept a weaker pump. Check latest price is £252 (was £279.99). Other shops around £280. 234 bar peak, 9 L/min, axial pump, 10 m hose, 27.5 kg. Treat the headline bar as a peak. Rated pressure, where published, sits nearer 193 bar. Fine as a first petrol for a long garden. Not the weekly machine.
The yellow petrol
Kärcher’s home range in the UK is electric. The petrol model you can actually buy here is the HD 7/15 G in the Professional catalogue. Honda GX160, 150 bar working / 210 bar max, 650 L/h, 10 m hose, about £1,767 to £2,299. Check latest price is the live path. Out of stock (Amazon) on this check. It is three times the Hyundai P2 because it is built for a van that leaves at 7am. It is not three times better for a Saturday patio. If that is not your week, the Hyundai is the petrol buy, and a K4 is still the house buy.
FAQ
Should I buy petrol or electric?
Electric, unless there is no outdoor socket or the plot is huge. A K4 £169 is the default. A Bosch at £114.98 is the value electric. Petrol starts at £209.99 for a no-name POLLOR, £252 for the 3400P and £599.99 for the P2. You pay that for distance and volume, not for a nicer car wash.
Is a K5 enough instead of petrol?
Yes, if a 13A lead will reach. 145 bar and 500 L/h on a 10 m Flex hose is the useful UK driveway class. Petrol is not the next number after a K5.
Can I wash a car with a petrol pressure washer?
Yes, carefully, on a 40° or soap nozzle, from a sensible distance. A K4 or a Bosch is the better car washer. Paint settings sit on the cars page.
What if I have no outdoor socket?
A mains washer will not invent one. If the work is a car and some furniture, a battery gun is the honest small answer. If the work is a lane, that is the HYW3100P2. Do not buy a bigger K-class and hope the hose will stretch to a kitchen socket.
How loud is a petrol pressure washer?
Hyundai quotes 108 dB at 7 m on the P2. Wear ear protection. Do not run it at 8am on a terrace. A mains K4 is quieter, which is one reason it is the default house machine. Setup sits on how to use a pressure washer.