Muc-Off’s newest pressure washer is purpose-built for bikes, although I’m sure the brand wouldn’t begrudge you using it to hose down the patio once a year. Really though, it’s built to travel – heft it into the back of your car or van, and its built-in reservoir and power source mean you’re free to clean your bike while the mud is still fresh: in the car park, straight after a ride.

The best mobile pressure washers can broadly be split into two camps, those with a water receptacle built in – like the Bosch Fontus – and the new breed of handheld, gun designs that put the pump and power pack in your hands, sucking up water via a hose that can either be connected to a tap, or dropped in a bucket or a stream depending on what’s available. Muc-Off’s Mobile Pressure Washer looks like the best of both worlds, with water on tap and a sturdy gun and lance to properly direct the jet.

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Muc-Off Mobile Pressure Washer need to know

• Self-contained pressure washer, power source and water reservoir in one
• Best-in-class max 45bar pressure, and four litres a minute flow rate
• 20 litre self contained tank, and optional extra 20l jerry can for £40
• Four lances come with the bundle, including a foam nozzle

Muc-Off’s Pressure washer is going nowhere with its squat base… unless you want it to, that is, thanks to easy rolling wheels

The Mobile Pressure Washer is easy on the eye. It’s really compact, and the squat shape means it’s pretty much guaranteed never to tip over. It has sturdy wheels and a basic handle, to make it easy to tow around when full. Muc-Off has thoughtfully included four lances with this most basic starter bundle too – a bike lance with lower pressure, an adjustable option, a full power motorbike lance, and a snow foam nozzle. You also get a bottle of Muc-Off cleaner in this Starter Bundle.

The stats on the Mobile Pressure Washer are really compelling, ranging from 35 bar of pressure, up to 45 bar, depending on the mode. On paper, that makes it much more powerful than my favourite go-anywhere washer, the Ryobi 18v One+. The flow rate is equally impressive, as it’ll fire out four litres a minute on full power, meaning it’s possible to empty the 20 litre tank in five minutes of solid gunning. The battery will outlast even that though, running for a claimed 15 minutes before needing a charge – Muc Off also has an optional 20 litre tank available, so you can more equally match the run time. Although, at £40, it’s four times the price of a basic jerry can.

Muc-Off’s gun is easy to use, and switching between the lances takes just seconds

The stats don’t lie either. I used the full-power nozzle on the my bike’s tyres, and part of the frame, and it works well for everything other than baked-on clay. Which won’t happen if you wash the bike straight after a ride anyway. The idea is you then turn the power down for the drivetrain, hubs, and especially your e-bike motor. This is fine, but obviously it’s less effective at shifting dirt at lower pressures, and unfortunately the muckiest parts of a bike are often sensitive parts like the motor housing and crank area.

The snow foam gun works a treat too, so there’s no need to fill a bucket with soapy water, or even spray cleaner from the bottle like the olden days. I’m also really impressed by how easy it is to change the lance over, how light and wieldy the gun is, and how well I could wheel the whole thing around a bumpy dirt car park. In fact, every aspect of the Muc-Off Mobile Pressure Washer up to now deserves a stellar score.

I love how easy it is to remove the battery, which means I can charge it in the warmth and leave the wet and muddy washer in the car.

Here’s the thing though, fill the reservoir with water and you’ll be lucky if half of it’s still there by the end of your drive to the trailhead. The lid is next to useless – water slopped up the sides and opened up the lid, sloshing gallons of the stuff around the inside of my car. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen 10 litres of water in your boot, but it’s not a pleasant sight. Even if the lid held firm, there’s no sealing involved, so water trickles out almost constantly.

This is what you get with the Starter Bundle.

Muc-Off does recommend you don’t actually travel with water in the reservoir, but that totally defeats the point of an all-in-one design for me. If this is the case what’s the point of the Muc-Off unit? Ryobi’s 18v One+ Power Washer or the Worx Hydroshot 20v are much better options, as I’d only need to take one reservoir with me, which are cheap as chips, and those rival pressure washers are half the price.