The Best Pressure Washer Hose for Car Washing

For car washing, your pressure washing setup should also include a quality pressure washer hose. Your definition of quality and my definition of quality may differ, but ultimately if your hose isn’t pliable, correct in diameter, housed in a smooth jacket, or just overall well constructed, it’s probably no good. I’m going to forewarn you that nothing positive will be mentioned about the flexilla pressure washer hose. It’s junk, and no one should even consider buying it. I digress.

I can’t remember exactly when I started my relationship with MTM/Veloci (hose manufacturer), but I do recall purchasing every hose they had. Yes, people, every hose. I’m not an opinion guy; I’m an experience guy. I believe the only way you can honestly know if something is good or not is by having different variations of it to compare and contrast. So, with that being said, I bought every pressure washer hose in their catalog and tested them. 

What Makes For A Great Pressure Washer Hose?

The two main factors that make a hose great for me are pliability (flexibility) and a smooth jacket. You’ll see me mention those two things a few times throughout this article. I don’t want my hose kinking up on me during the foaming and rinsing process. Another thing you want to avoid is marking up your floor; this is where having a smooth jacket is beneficial. I don’t worry about that because I have tile flooring in my garage, where floor marking isn’t an issue. 

The two above characteristics make for a solid hose, but you also want to consider some other things when purchasing a quality hose.

1. Diameter. The pressure washer hoses we carry are all ⅜” in diameter. This size allows for water pressure up to 4,000 psi (pounds per square inch) and greater water volume. Hoses with this diameter give us more gallons per minute, which is essential for car washing. 
2. Length. At the very least, you want a 35’ hose. Generally, most manufacturers will send you a 25’ hose with your power washer, but that is just not enough. You'll want a longer hose to get around your car effortlessly when washing it. I lean towards getting a 50’ hose if you want a portable pressure washer. If you own a larger vehicle, or want to have a wall mount setup, you want to get a 75’ or 100’ hose. A 35’ hose can work fine if you have a portable pressure washer; just be prepared to roll the unit around while cleaning your car. 
3. Material. I made mention of this above, but I want to talk about it again. The hose material will determine the hose’s flexibility. What I have in the store is 1) a hose with a rubber texture (the Obsessed Garage hose) and 2) a hose with a combination of plastic and rubber - that’s the KobraJet hose. Ultimately, you want a flexible and durable hose when using it for car washing. You’ll be pulling and dragging this thing around, so either option we have is viable. You’ll appreciate the smooth jacket because it won’t mess up your floor with markings. 
4. Single Wire. Our hoses are single-wire compared to the two-wire hoses out there that are much stiffer. A two-wire hose can handle higher pressure, but we don’t need that for washing cars. You’ll find it’s much easier to work with the single. Less kink-prone and easier to wind up on a hose reel. 
5. Rubber Bend Restrictors. These help prevent hose gashes and ruptures while covering up the termination. They also prevent fittings and quick disconnects (QDs) from wearing when dragging your hose across the ground. 

A few key components make for a solid pressure washer hose. Don’t just go on Amazon and buy what your neighbor Joe who’s clueless about this stuff told you to get; take what I’m telling you as gospel. Spend the money on a premium hose that will serve you well for a long time. 

The Obsessed Garage Pressure Hose   

The Obsessed Garage pressure washer hose was birthed out of a need for inventory. From late 2020 to early 2021, I noticed the number of people who weren’t purchasing our wall mount solutions because we didn’t have a sufficient supply of hoses. I knew I had to do something to fill this critical missing piece. So, in typical Matty fashion, I got on my computer and spent countless hours looking for a proper hose that would work well for your car washing needs. 

After what seemed like an eternity, I came across a company called Gates and ordered a few hoses from their catalog. I had some of my guys here aid me in vetting which one would be the one. Lo and behold, I found the one I knew would work just as good as the KobraJet we sell and told my Product Design guy (Tommy) to get this thing up in the store. 

The best feature of this pressure washer hose is its pliability. There goes that word again, but I told you it would come up often. It’s capable of handling hot and cold water with a specially compounded cover for longevity. A few other specs you may want to know:

• It’s a ⅜”  hose. 
• It has NPT (National Pipe Tapered thread) fittings.
• One end swivels - the end that swivels is what you’d connect to either your pressure washer or hose reel.

When it comes to texture, our hose has a rubberized jacket. There are pros and cons to having this kind of housing. I’ll share them below. I decided to list these pros and cons by comparing our hose (the OG hose) to the KobraJet. Just know, both are very similar with very few differences. 

OG Hose Pros

• After dragging it around on the ground, it cleans better than the KobraJet hose. I’d use McKee’s N-914 rinseless wash in a spray bottle with a multi-purpose microfiber towel to wipe the dirt off. 
• The jacket doesn’t scratch easily. With some of these other hoses on the market, you'll find that they tend to get marked up with very little friction.   
• Less wear. You won’t see as many blemishes on our hose as you would on the KobraJet. Over time, pressure washer hoses tend to wear quite a bit. The OG hose maintains its look better than most. 
• More pliable.
• More lightweight.
• The blue on the jacket is a true (OG) blue compared to the KobraJet. 

OG Hose Cons

• You can see the wire mesh vs. on the KobraJet hose, it’s much harder to see.

As you can see, there aren’t many cons to this hose - it looks good and functions exceptionally well, which is all I want it to do. It may seem like I’m trying to sell you on my hose over the KobraJet, and maybe I am, but honestly, either one will work better than what’s out there. What it will come down to for you is:

1. Color. Do you want a more true blue hose? 
2. Material. Do you like it ultra-smooth, or do you mind seeing the ribs? 

These are questions you will have to answer yourself at the time of purchase. I’m getting you 90% of the way there by providing information you won’t find anywhere else. 

Fittings

The fittings we provide are very coarse and very stout and necessary for you to hook up your hose to your pressure washer and spray gun. If you’ve never experienced using quick disconnects (QDs) on pressure washing tools, you’re missing out. Not only the convenience of being able to quickly disconnect your hose and sprayer but also the sound you hear when you do so. I sell the MTM (Chinese-made) fittings in my store, but if you’re looking to level up and get that high-grade, swiss-made feeling, you’ll want to have the Mosmatic components, which do come with some of our hose upgrade kits. 

I will forewarn you that when you buy hoses from me (including fittings), we tape and torque the crap out of them. The reason for this is we want that fitting to bite down on the NPT. So, if you’re planning on removing these QDs down the line, you will need to come with your A-game strength or have a vise to assist you. We don’t want you to experience any leaks while under pressure. However, there will come a time when you will experience leaks; it happens. We’re dealing with pressurized water, so don’t freak out if you get a leak. If you do, you more than likely need to replace an o-ring and then need to retighten your fittings; I mean, really tighten it. Ask your girlfriend or wife to help you. 

Don’t Cheap Out

I’ll say this until I’m blue in the face; don’t cheap out on your pressure washer hose. I know you have several options to choose from and many manufacturers make it very appealing to buy their cheap, crappy hoses, but I’m telling you to save the money to buy what will serve you well for a long time. 

I did a thorough review of the hoses we carry and provided insight into what makes the best hose for car washing. Be sure to check that out.