Electric pressure washer for washing cars

purbeast0 · Jan 23, 2025

I currently have a gas powered pressure washer but the thing is my brother and I share it so it's not always here. We got it like a decade ago so we could just wash our patios and stuff annually.

Well I'm thinking of getting an electric pressure washer with the sole purpose of it being to use for washing cars. I recently got a foam cannon and learned that it doesn't quite work well with my hose as there just is not enough pressure.

Right now my brother has the gas powered pressure washer too. And it's kind of big, and breaking that out every time I want to was my car with the foam canon, while doable, just seems kind of like a pain in the ass, when I could get an electric one that is smaller and just less overall work to use.

But I'm wondering if anyone has one and has used them with foam canons. Is there a specific amount of PSI or anything that I need in order to get as much foam as I would with a gas powered one?

When I used it with my hose, it was basically spraying soapy water and after googling, yah they don't work well with standard hoses. I want to get one where it will look like the foam I've seen in videos/pictures where it sticks to the car and slowly slides down but after like 5-10 minutes it's still basically sitting on there and then you wipe it down.

Anyone have any suggestions on an electric one? Like what price point would I be looking at for this as well? Or is an electric pressure washer just not going to give me the results I want with the foam and should I just stick with the gas one?

Thanks.

96Firebird · Jan 23, 2025

I previously used a "foam gun" (older model of this) with my regular hose, and while it was an easy way to soap the car in sections, like you said its not good to cover a whole vehicle at once.

I got a better foam cannon and used it with my small electric pressure washer and it works much better. This pressure washer I bought refurbished and its fairly old and not very powerful, but its enough to throw foam on my truck and have it stick like you want. Make sure you get the right soap too, I either used the Mr. Pink that was bundled with the foam cannon or I also have some Chemical Guys Honeydew Snow Foam.

However, I will say, I'm not sure its worth the effort to get all this out, hooked up, etc... and suds a whole black vehicle while its sunny out. By the time I get around the whole thing, sections will have dried a bit. Its better for me to use on a cloudy day or later in the day when the sun is behind my garage. So on sunny days I usually stick with my foam gun and cover sections of the car in a wash/rinse routine.

Here is what my little electric pressure washer and TORQ foam cannon did on my first try, you can adjust it to get more suds but I try to conserve soap.

manly · Jan 23, 2025

Probably $135 and you'll be happy, based on a quick glance at Amazon. They have a well-rated Westinghouse ePX3500 for $160, for example.

I bought a low-end pressure washer at Walmart years ago on clearance for... $25 IIRC. It seems to work fine, although it's rated at just 1600 PSI/1.2 GPM. Some of the rubber O-rings look rough, but I think those are easily replaceable. It's nice to use, but like 96Firebird said, requires a bit of extra setup time. I haven't broken it out in a while, actually.

It is the equivalent (predecessor) of this unit:

Hyper Tough Electric Pressure Washer 1600 Psi for Household , Great for Cars, Patios, Driveways - Walmart.com

Buy Hyper Tough Electric Pressure Washer 1600 Psi for Household , Great for Cars, Patios, Driveways at Walmart.com

www.walmart.com

I don't know if you need a polisher after ceramic coating, but I finally bit the bullet and bought one for $70. I'll probably get around to using it in 2026. 🤣 Everyone recommends Griot's Garage polisher, but their sale ended quickly.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Chemical...Random-Orbital-Polisher-P4-TORQ15DA/201527340

BoomerD · Jan 23, 2025

If you go with that ceramic coating, the polisher won't be needed. I have a gas-powered pressure washer I bought from Costco...6 years ago. I would NOT attempt to wash my truck with it. 3100PSI...wouldn't take much of a slip to peel off the paint. (sure, I know...stay far enough away and it's not a problem...but if I stay far enough away, I might as well just use a garden hose and nozzle) I've considered getting a lower-pressure electric...but...fuck it...I rarely hand-wash my truck anyway. Our water here is so damned hard, (>500 grains) that if I don't get it dried right away, it leaves hard water spots that look like the craters on the moon. (and the various water softener devices (DI filters) won't handle this level of hardness for long.)

purbeast0 · Jan 23, 2025

BoomerD said:
If you go with that ceramic coating, the polisher won't be needed. I have a gas-powered pressure washer I bought from Costco...6 years ago. I would NOT attempt to wash my truck with it. 3100PSI...wouldn't take much of a slip to peel off the paint. (sure, I know...stay far enough away and it's not a problem...but if I stay far enough away, I might as well just use a garden hose and nozzle) I've considered getting a lower-pressure electric...but...fuck it...I rarely hand-wash my truck anyway. Our water here is so damned hard, (>500 grains) that if I don't get it dried right away, it leaves hard water spots that look like the craters on the moon. (and the various water softener devices (DI filters) won't handle this level of hardness for long.)

Yeah I wouldn't wash it with the nozzles on my gas powered pressure washer, I am going to use the foam gun/canon thing that I got lol. It has an adapter to hook to pressure washer or hose.

If I used like any but the weakest nozzles of my gas one directly on my car, it would strip paint.

purbeast0 · Jan 23, 2025

Was just googling and multiple in this one reddit thread are recommending the Ryobi 1800 1.2gpm electric pressure washer. It's $140 on Amazon but $100 at Home Depot. Here is a pic that someone showed using that same one, although a different canon than I have.

That is the kinda foaming I am looking to get so it can sit for like 5 mins before you wipe it down.

https://www.reddit.com/r/AutoDetailing/comments/15jbhuy/200_budget_for_pressure_washer_foam_cannon

96Firebird · Jan 23, 2025

That Ryobi 1800psi is also $100 from Ryobi's site, looks like an upgraded version of mine. I've had mine for 5 years now, don't use it often but still works well enough.

Greenman · Jan 24, 2025

Seeking a little enlightenment here.
How is all of this any better than a bucket of soapy water and a soft cloth? This seems like it's turning washing your car into a hobby.

pcgeek11 · Jan 24, 2025

That is what I use on my truck and my wife's SUV. A bucket of water with car wash/wax soap and a soft cloth.

Works like a champ and fast / easy.

manly · Jan 24, 2025

That's a little like asking why have a dishwasher appliance when all you need is a sponge?
Even with a foam cannon, you usually will need a bucket and mitt to wash your car. The two bucket method is recommended.

As for it being a hobby, some dudes wash their car weekly.

evident · Jan 25, 2025

I have a cheap sun joe electric pressure washer that i use exclusively to wash my car for a few years. it works fine, but like you mentioned it's a pain in the ass to hook up a pressure washer and put it away in general for me. does the foaming great.

purbeast0 · Jan 25, 2025

evident said:
I have a cheap sun joe electric pressure washer that i use exclusively to wash my car for a few years. it works fine, but like you mentioned it's a pain in the ass to hook up a pressure washer and put it away in general for me. does the foaming great.

Even an electric one is annoying to hook up and put away?

I just figured it wouldn't be nearly as bad as the gas one because it's not nearly as big/bulky or as loud.

I've seen people recommend a 50ft flex hose to use with them as well which means you don't even have to move your pressure washer at all while cleaning the car, but the specific one was like $50 so I wouldn't get one immediately until I knew I wanted to keep washing my car in this manner.

I'll probably snag it from Home Depot and give it a try when it gets warmer out. Home Depot's return policy is super lenient I believe.

bbhaag · Jan 25, 2025

It's not as bad as a gas one IME. I've had both and for most residential applications electric gets the job done just as good and you don't have to worry about the gas going stale and gumming up the carb if you forget to drain it in the fall.

A word of caution about some electric pressure washers. Make sure it uses M22-14mm fittings which is pretty much the industry standard. I've had issues in the past with certain ones using M22-15mm fittings and they don't fit aftermarket tools as well. It will work just leak around the fitting which can be a hassle.

Sun Joe is the main offender on this one but there might be others I'm not aware of.

In2Photos · Jan 26, 2025

My wife and kids bought me this Craftsman for Christmas. https://a.co/d/56gViO0 I also have a 3200 psi gas powered that we were using. We used it yesterday for the first time on 2 cars and I washed one side of our house that had some mildew on it. It worked great but a few caveats. I already had a foam cannon so I didn't use the one that came with the Craftsman. The hose that comes with it is also too short so I'm probably going to use the one from my gas unit instead. And you may find the 40 degree nozzle lacking for some tasks so pick up a pack of nozzles to use with it.

evident · Jan 26, 2025

purbeast0 said:
Even an electric one is annoying to hook up and put away?

I just figured it wouldn't be nearly as bad as the gas one because it's not nearly as big/bulky or as loud.

I've seen people recommend a 50ft flex hose to use with them as well which means you don't even have to move your pressure washer at all while cleaning the car, but the specific one was like $50 so I wouldn't get one immediately until I knew I wanted to keep washing my car in this manner.

I'll probably snag it from Home Depot and give it a try when it gets warmer out. Home Depot's return policy is super lenient I believe.

I dont have a place where the electric pressure washer is hooked up constantly. so i gotta bring it out ofthe cabinet, deal with the electric wire, and all attached, etc. at least it's not noisy as heck like a gas one. I also have a gas pressure washer but don't ever use it for washing cars

sdifox · Jan 28, 2025

evident said:
I dont have a place where the electric pressure washer is hooked up constantly. so i gotta bring it out ofthe cabinet, deal with the electric wire, and all attached, etc. at least it's not noisy as heck like a gas one. I also have a gas pressure washer but don't ever use it for washing cars

Hand over your man card now.

purbeast0 · Jan 28, 2025

If the gas powered one was mine and only mine and always at my house, I wouldn't even look into an electric one. I would just pull it out and get one of those 50ft hoses so I wouldn't even have to move it while washing the car.

But like I even thought I had it in my garage right now and was going to try using it with the foam canon I got, but then I went in my garage and realized I don't have it and my brother has it lol.

Greenman · Jan 29, 2025

My pressure washer is 20' from where I wash my truck, I would never even consider getting it out for that. Bucket and a car washing mop on a stick is fast and easy.
I try to wash it at least once a year. Most of the time a good rain does the job.

purbeast0 · Jan 31, 2025

I ended up grabbing the Ryobi one from Home Depot last night. I plan on using it this weekend and will report back.

I am shocked at how little it is too. It's like 1/8 the size of my gas powered one.

I also ordered a 50 foot flexzilla hose so I won't even have to move it around. That hose will also be used and come in handy when I use my gas one to do my patio and driveway. One of the biggest pain in the asses with my gas one when I do my patio is the logistics of where to keep moving the pressure washer as well as the hose getting all tangled up.

dave_the_nerd · Jan 31, 2025

evident said:
I have a cheap sun joe electric pressure washer that i use exclusively to wash my car for a few years. it works fine, but like you mentioned it's a pain in the ass to hook up a pressure washer and put it away in general for me. does the foaming great.

I have that same one. It also did a pretty good washing my house and concrete / decking, although I had to get pretty close in and go slow for the concrete and deck.

A bigger fancier one might go faster but the sunjoe and similar little ones do work for occasional use.

purbeast0 · Jan 31, 2025

Yah for my patio I could never just use a normal sized tip, it would take FOREVER. I have one of those 12" discs that I use and it makes it manageable and it still takes a while. But I could never use that with the electric one. My gas powered one is 3100psi 2.5gpm and those discs work fine with it.

I also realized tonight that the foam canon I got is ONLY for garden hoses. It had a quick disconnect attachment on the bottom that I could attach, but it is larger than the standard size for pressure washers. And after reading more on the listing, yah it's just for garden hoses. And yeah, after looking at the listing again, at the pics/videos and reading reviews, it's 100% my fault for not realizing this sooner.

So I opened a return for it and ordered an actual cannon for pressure washers. It is arriving tomorrow and I'm HOPING to be able to wash my car on Sunday to see how it is. The snow has finally nearly melted everywhere around here since it's been in the 40's and it rained today to wash away all the salt on the roads hopefully.

Electric pressure washer for washing cars

No Lifer

Diamond Member

Lifer

No Lifer

No Lifer

No Lifer

Diamond Member

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer

No Lifer

Diamond Member

Platinum Member

Lifer

No Lifer

No Lifer

Lifer

No Lifer

Lifer

No Lifer