I tested the budget-friendly Greenworks pressure washer – it quickly transformed my patio, fence and car

I love pressure washing, especially the first clear down of the season, when all that nasty winter grime gets sluiced away in readiness for a summer of BBQs and day drinking on the patio! So satisfying. I also love that I got paid to conduct an independent review of the Greenworks G40 pressure washer, £209 at Currys, a compact cleaning tool designed for domestic home and garden use. Double win!

Packing a 1900W motor, it delivers a maximum pressure of 135 bar and a flow rate of 420 litres per hour, which should be absolutely ideal for cleaning patios, driveways, cars, and all those other outdoor projects that suddenly feel urgent once the sun brightens in the sky. With acres of patio to de-gunk and plenty of vehicles to keep clean, I was also excited to try out the 12” patio cleaner, soap dispenser and brush attachments – who doesn’t love pressure washer accessories? Just me then…

I had lots of fun testing the Greenworks G40 over a warm spring weekend, on the patio, garden fencing, cars and an exceptionally filthy horse lorry – I even got my husband Nick in on the action. I’ve used loads of pressure washers over the years, some I’ve bought, others I’ve had on review and either returned or sold. The model I have yet to beat is the Stihl RE 120 Plus (sadly, mine was stolen when we had a break-in last year, sob!), which has a very similar spec on paper. As the Greenworks G40 retails at half the price, I was especially interested to see how it would compare.

Would it earn a spot in our highly contested best pressure washer line-up, or turn out to be a bit of a damp squib? Stick with me to find out…

Specifications

• Model number: PWA111
• Dimensions: H60cm x W31cm x H38.5cm
• Voltage: 230V
• Wattage: 1900W
• Weight: 11.5kg
• Cable length: 5m
• Hose length: 6m
• Pressure (max): 135 Bar
• Flow rate (max): 420 L/H
• Nozzles: 2
• Accessories: Patio cleaner, foam sprayer, brush

In a nutshell

Given its price just under £200, Greenworks G40 pressure washer’s performance in cleaning everyday outdoor areas – cars, patios, driveways, and garden fencing – is surprisingly good, especially when dealing with winter’s grime. Its compact size, affordable price, and good range of accessories make it a compelling option for budget-minded users or first-time buyers.

However, the setup can be frustrating due to excessive plastic packaging, fiddly assembly (notably a troublesome spray wand connection), and overall build quality that relies heavily on plastic components. While it delivers on cleaning power, its assembly and durability fall short compared to more premium models.

It does come with a three-year warranty, so you might decide it's worth a punt.

Unboxing the Greenworks G40 pressure washer

I’m not going to lie, my first impressions of the Greenworks G40 pressure washer were not great. First up, the packaging was rammed with polyethene plastics – everything that could be wrapped in plastic was wrapped in plastic.

Some of it was widely recyclable 02 plastic, but a lot of it was less easy to recycle 04 plastic, plus it was annoying to have to unbag stuff that really didn’t need to be bagged in the first place.

Once I’d wrestled it all free from the packaging, I then had to put it all together, including screwing in the front pedestal holder, which was easy enough to do but not something I’d been expecting. I’m more used to just connecting the spray wand hose and getting straight on with the cleaning! The operator manual has teeny tiny print and comes with an A4 sheet of diagrams that do make sense, but could be bigger for the sake of my squinting eyes.

Things got worse when I just could not get the spray wand to connect to the hose. The instructions say, “engage the gun holder into the slot until it locks into place”. It did not and would not slot into place. I gave up and waited for Nick to come home and take a look. He managed to jiggle something down inside the connector, and, after using his full body weight to push the hose on, it finally clicked into place.

When connecting all the other parts, it soon became clear how the Greenworks G40 pressure washer can have such a bargain price tag. I’m used to brass fittings on this type of garden tool, not least because a tight seal is important when you’re dealing with high water pressures, but apart from one brass high pressure hose connector at the back of this machine, they are all plastic fittings, and they don’t click together with any kind of reassuring firmness or ease.

Overall, the build quality was disappointing, with a gaping joint gap on one side and a stiff, high-pressure hose that curled together in an annoying manner. Even the pull-up handle used to trolley it around doesn’t stay up and locked in place like I’d have expected. It took me about 20 minutes to get it all unboxed and assembled (not including the wait for Mr Muscle). Not a great start.

Who will the Greenworks G40 pressure washer pressure suit?

You do get what you pay for with this machine and it would suit anyone on a budget looking for their first pressure washer. It’s fairly compact, so won’t take a lot of space in your garden shed, and the pressure it delivers is sufficient for all but the very worst ground-in dirt and stains.

What is it like to use?

After a pretty shaky set-up, I wasn’t expecting a great performance from the Greenworks G40 pressure washer, but this is where it shone (thank goodness).

I connected the electric plug to our outdoor socket via an extension cord because you only get 5m of flex to play with, and then locked the garden hose into position using a standard Hozelock-type connector.

Then it’s just a case of turning the power switch on and squeezing the handle lever in. Oh, and grab some ear defenders, this beast is LOUD – recording an ear-splitting 91dBA on my iPhone decibel monitor App.

Greenworks G40 pressure washer pressure: Performance

Car

I decided to start testing on the car, which had about three weeks’ worth of dirt going on. The Greenworks G40 comes with two nozzle choices: fan jet (which can be adjusted to make it gentler) and rotary. The fan jet is designed for cars and larger surface areas where you want to work quickly, and the rotary is a more intensive nozzle that cyclones the water for removing stubborn dirt.

Connecting the fan jet nozzle, I went in for an initial rinse down to get off the worst of the muck, getting in close around the wheel arches and step plate. Next, I popped on the soap dispenser. I say popped, I found it incredibly hard to remove and connect things to the spray gun – you line up the pins and then push down with all your strength before it will twist into position. There may have been swearing.

The soap dispenser was loaded with car detergent that had been supplied by Karcher for a different product test, there was none included with this Greenworks order.

The dispenser works pretty well; it foams nicely, although it did whack through the detergent, so I’d probably dilute it next time.

Once it was all soaped up, I wrestled on the brush attachment and went over the car to see how well that worked. It could have had softer bristles. I was slightly concerned for the bodywork of our car, and the angle wasn’t great.

I had to stand in a funny sideways gait that soon became uncomfortable on my arms. However, it did remove the last vestiges of mud. Nick then stepped in to give it the final spray off, so I could photograph, and we were both pleased with our efforts.

Lorry

Image 1 of 4

OK, so perhaps this was a bit of a niche test, but it was a good example of washing larger areas that are significantly muddy. The girls have been out and about all winter with their ponies, so it was good and dirty. I didn’t bother with the brush this time, but did switch to the rotary nozzle (again with difficulty) to nail some particularly stuck bird poop stains and it worked a bit too well, taking some of the paintwork off. Luckily, the lorry is old, so nobody noticed! I quickly reverted to the fan nozzle and finished the job, again, pleased with the results.

It's worth noting that the spray wand, while not excessively long (80cm), gave me just enough reach to get to the top of the lorry sides (although I am 5’10”, so that would have helped). I did find the tight curl on the high-pressure hose a bit unwieldy, and a few times had to give it a good yank to gain enough hose to move around the vehicle. I would also have appreciated a longer power cord.

Patio & stonework

Next, I had a go at our patio, which is natural limestone and badly in need of resealing. First, I tried the patio attachment, which is a 12-inch wide hoverboard type affair with a spinning sprayer that’s designed to cover a large area quickly and without the back-spray/mess you’d get without it.

I think if our slabs had been properly sealed, it would have been fine; there were a couple that came up nicely, but on the whole, the black stains and stubborn mildew/lichen/who-the-heck-knows refused to budge, and I had to admit defeat.

I then put on the most powerful rotary nozzle, and it did a better job on the slate-topped stone walls and steps down to the lawn, but there were still some deeply ground-in damage that hung on, and so the results were not terribly satisfying.

In fairness, I think our patio might require specialist help, perhaps sanding back and starting again.

Fencing

Now this task was a lot more satisfying, not least because the green algae coating our black driveway fencing had been winding me up on the regs all winter. Mindful that I didn’t want to take the paintwork off with the algae, I plumped for the fan jet nozzle and twisted anticlockwise to get the softest setting. This was also quite a wide setting, meaning I could whizz up and down the fence planks in seconds. Pure joy.

The algae came away easily, and I nailed most of it in less than half an hour. It’s quite an expansive area, and before my brain was getting fried by the noise levels. I definitely should have worn ear defenders, but I was really happy with the results.

What's it like to clean and store?

Cleaning and putting away any garden machinery or tools is not my favourite thing (I’m the same when doing any kind of decorating and DIY tbf). But I know how important it is for keeping your gear in good condition, especially those that use electricity and water.

So, I consulted the operation manual and read the usual advice about making sure all the water is drained out of pipes and nozzles, cleaning the latter with a soft brush and dislodging blockages with a paperclip. Nothing particularly gruelling is required. The main unit can be wiped down with a damp cloth if you feel the need, just don’t use any strong chemicals to clean it.

This isn’t a big machine, and the power cable wraps onto one side (manually), while the high-pressure hose can be tucked around the pull-up handle to create a neater silhouette. It won’t take up a lot of space in your shed, but it must be stored upright and in a clean, dry location away from direct sunlight and extreme temperatures. The extra nozzle and wand extension for the patio cleaner can be stored on the machine itself, but the patio cleaner head, brush and soap dispenser will take up extra space.

How does it rate online?

I went down a bit of an online rabbit hole to find out what other users thought of the Greenworks G40, and I wasn’t surprised by what I discovered. It tends to average around 3 out of 5 stars in customer reviews, with ease of use and portability being the main advantages and some concerns about build quality as the drawbacks.

Some anecdotal evidence (especially on forums like Reddit and a few review threads) highlights issues with assembly, less-than-robust hose/gun connections, and occasional durability problems when tackling heavier tasks, such as cleaning stonework. Most people seemed fairly happy with its capability when it came to everyday cleaning around the garden, but there were a few warnings not to expect too much!

Should you buy the Greenworks G40 pressure washer pressure?

I did enjoy pressure washing with the Greenworks G40 and can report that it is indeed well suited for cleaning patios, driveways, cars, and similar outdoor projects. While my first impressions weren’t all great, and I will never rate the build quality (it’s the main reason I gave it a 3.5 score overall), if you’re on a budget and need a powerful enough pressure washer for everyday cleaning tasks, the Greenworks G40 could be a good fit.

However, if you need a machine that’s more hardcore – one that can handle heavy-duty jobs without fuss – you might be better off investing in something more robust. For me, while the cleaning performance was solid, the setup hassles and build quality issues mean it’s only worth it if your needs aren’t too demanding.

How does it compare to similar pressure washers?

The most obvious comparison model for me is the Stihl RE 120 Plus, because I have tested it and absolutely loved it, but also because it offers the same 135 bar pressure and 2200W motor and similar accessories. If I were buying, I’d go for the Stihl again, hands down, and regularly curse the thieves who hot-footed it away with mine. Even though it costs about £200 more, the build quality is so much better, everything is easier to use, nozzles click together nicely, and it just feels robust and well-made.

If you are resolutely on a Greenworks budget, or just don’t have a lot of pressure washer needs, the Karcher K4 Universal Pressure washer (which I’ve also tested), offers much better build quality for a very similar price but you’ll lose a tiny bit of pressure (130 bar) and (depending where you shop) it doesn’t come with patio cleaning accessories.

About the review, and our reviewer

Linda Clayton

Linda Clayton tested the Greenworks G40 pressure washer at her family home in Devon over a sunny spring weekend, cleaning the patio, garden fencing, steps, stonework and car. She also used it to deep clean the old horse lorry she uses for her pony-mad daughters, which hadn’t seen a hose in about four months!