Verdict

THERE is nothing fundamentally wrong with the JETSTAR It does a perfectly reasonable job of cleaning with enough power to blast away dirt, and a neat adjustable nozzle that slides to vary between a foaming low pressure and a driveway-blasting pin jet The integral detergent tank is easy to use too, with a filler at the top of the machine. It was happier with chemicals like traffic film remover than snow foam, though

But while there is little to complain about, there are other machines that offer more of everything at a lower price

IF money were no object, we’d have the clever Ava Go P55 It is thoughtfully designed, with a long warranty and high quality, which make the price seem an investment.

But all of us are watching the pennies these days and it’s difficult not to look at the excellent value offered by the own-brand models from Toolstation and Screwfix Their performance is closely matched, but the Hawksmoor’s lower cost and better features give it the win here.

1 Hawksmoor High Pressure Washer 140 bar

2. Titan TTB1800PRW

3. AVA Go P55

IT’S impressive that one of the cheapest cars in our 2022 Driver Power survey managed to sneak into the top 15 Better still, the Kia Picanto saw an improvement of five positions in the chart compared with the previous year’s Driver Power results.

Given the nature of a city car, it’s no surprise that the best scores awarded by the survey respondents were for the tiny running costs, with seventh place for the price of servicing and ninth for overall value.

But there were some interesting high scores for the quality of the sat-nav and touchscreen, and an eighth for reliability Predictably for such a small car, it is the interior space and acceleration that drag down the Picanto’s overall score

WE SAID “All of the key ingredients for a winning small car are present and correct here, making the Picanto an enticing, likeable and easy-to-drive model that should be on any city car-buyer’s shortlist ”

IN four years’ time Volvo will celebrate its centenary, but for much of its existence this Swedish brand (now owned by Chinese company Geely) had something of an identity crisis Was it mainstream or was it premium? For a long time it wanted to be the latter, but stiff depreciation suggested that buyers saw things differently

But over the past decade or so, Volvo has enjoyed a resurgence that has been the envy of some rivals, and one that’s been well deserved The improvements all round are typified by the S60, which despite being the firm’s smallest seller, still looks special, drives superbly, is comfortable and very well equipped And just like all Volvos, it’s an ideal family car because it’s one of the safest vehicles on the market.

History

THE Mk3 S60 reached UK showrooms in April 2019, and recognising that consumer tastes were changing rapidly, Volvo didn’t offer a diesel engine Instead there was only a 246bhp 2 0-litre four-cylinder T5 petrol unit offered at launch, but within weeks this was joined by a T8 plug-in hybrid powertrain that came in either 384bhp or 399bhp (Polestar Engineered) forms

In May 2020 the T5 was superseded by the B5, which was a T5 with mild-hybrid tech for better economy At the same time, the T8 Twin Engine was renamed the S60 Recharge Plug-in Hybrid, but there were no mechanical adjustments to go with the name change All S60s came only with an eight-speed automatic transmission and while the T5 and B5 were front-wheel drive, the hybrid came with all-wheel drive.

CO2/tax 40-168g/km £155-£165