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Best plate compactor UK

Updated: 21 October 2026

You want one plate from the eight listings we kept. A best plate compactor UK search often lands on a hire petrol plate, or on an Evolution quoted at about 60 kg and about 10 kN. That pair does not match amazon.co.uk B0CT8WQ63P, which states 26 kg and 5 kN at about £235.81. Peter F. scored the listings on 20 October 2026, not a lab. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices are in the [plate compactor comparison](/hub/flooring-tools-and-accessories/plate-compactor). Width and force are in the [plate compactor buying guide](/hub/flooring-tools-and-accessories/plate-compactor/sub/plate-compactor-buying-guide).

You want one plate from the eight listings we kept. A best plate compactor UK search often lands on a hire petrol plate, or on an Evolution quoted at about 60 kg and about 10 kN.

Our top picks

Evolution Power Tools Evolution H320-E electric plate

Best overall

Evolution Power Tools Evolution H320-E electric plate
9.2/10about £235.81
View offer
Neilsen Neilsen CT2146 petrol plate

Best value

Neilsen Neilsen CT2146 petrol plate
1.0/10about £434.95
View offer
Neilsen Neilsen CT1708 petrol plate

Alternative

Neilsen Neilsen CT1708 petrol plate
1.0/10about £935
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.The electric plate, and who should leave it
  2. 2.Petrol rows that state a spec
  3. 3.The C60 rows to leave
  4. 4.The expensive row with US reviews

The electric plate, and who should leave it

The Evolution H320-E is the top pick when you want the only large UK review file and you will keep each layer thin. It states 230 V, 130 W, 5 kN, 26 kg and travel of 5 m/min, at about £235.81, with 4.5 from 155 United Kingdom reviews. The manufacturer page agrees those figures and describes layers up to 50 mm. Amazon leaves plate size blank. The maker page prints both 320 × 300 mm and 400 × 320 mm. Reviewers call it weak past about 75 mm beside a petrol hire plate. A paving pad is not in the box. A deep driveway, or Speedy’s 12–25 kN hire class, is a hire.

Petrol rows that state a spec

The CT2146, at about £434.95, states 5.5 hp, 1030 kg, a 510 × 350 mm plate and a rubber mat. There is no weight and no star rating. 1030 kg is the unit on the page, not a kilonewton measured beside 5 kN. At about £15 more than the blank C60 rows, it is the best value petrol listing because you can read a force and a size. The mat does not set the force. The CT1708, at about £935, states 20 kN, a 550 × 440 mm plate and a depth claim up to 30 cm. Compatible with a Honda GX160 is the listing line. The box list says compactor. There is no UK review. The 30 cm sentence is not a lift. Fumes are on electric vs petrol wacker plate.
Evolution Power Tools Evolution H320-E electric plate

Testsieger

Evolution Power Tools Evolution H320-E electric plate
9.2/10about £235.81
View offer

The C60 rows to leave

The C60 cluster, from about £419 to about £439, is the group to skip when you are choosing on spec. The plain C60 states no force, no weight and no plate size. The generic C60 states 72 kg and 5.5 hp, lists 240 V AC on the same petrol page, and gives maximum pressure as 100 with no unit. The C60-T states 74 kg and does not state a water tank. The C80T names a tank, at about £439, and still omits force and plate size. A tank is an asphalt extra. It does not fill in a missing kilonewton.

The expensive row with US reviews

The ZeHuoGe, at about £1,172.06, states 2.5 hp, 8200 N, a 490 × 320 mm plate and 42.6 kg. The 4.3 from 22 is marked United States in the captured texts. 8200 N is 8.2 kN only as arithmetic, not a retest against the CT1708’s 20 kN. You would pay more than the 20 kN Neilsen for a star line that is not British. It is not the pick.

Common questions

What is the best plate compactor in this set?
The Evolution H320-E, at about £235.81, is the top pick when you want 4.5 from 155 UK reviews and you will keep layers thin. It states 5 kN and 26 kg. It is the wrong pick when you need hire-fleet force or a deep driveway base. The CT2146 is the petrol listing that states a force and a plate size at about £434.95, with no UK rating to check.
Is the Evolution H320-E enough for MOT Type 1?
UK reviewers who were content used it on thin MOT and hardcore, often under about 75 mm, with extra passes. The manufacturer page says layers up to 50 mm for this 5 kN plate. Thicker lifts are the complaint when people compare it with a petrol hire plate. A full driveway build-up is a hire, or a heavier stated-force petrol row, still in layers.
Which petrol listing states a force and a plate size?
The CT2146 states 1030 kg and 510 × 350 mm, with a rubber mat, at about £434.95. The CT1708 states 20 kN and 550 × 440 mm, at about £935. The ZeHuoGe states 8200 N and 490 × 320 mm, at about £1,172.06. The C60 rows generally state no force. No UK rating is attached to the two Neilsen pages in this file.
Should I trust 4.3 from 22 on the ZeHuoGe?
The listing prints 4.3 from 22. The review texts captured for this comparison are marked United States. That is not a UK sample. Price, force and plate size are still on the page. The stars are not British evidence you can lean on.
Is the CT1708 fitted with a Honda GX160?
The title says compatible with a Honda GX160 and lists 3.6 kW. The included-components field says compactor. Compatibility is the claim you can quote. A fitted Honda engine is not what that box line says.
Who should skip the electric plate?
Skip it if your layer will be deeper than the maker’s 50 mm line, if you need the sort of force a hire desk calls 12–25 kN, or if you are paving blocks and you have not bought the optional pad. Also skip it if you have no safe 230 V supply outdoors. Handle vibration in the UK reviews is a reason to limit time on the handles, not a reason to pretend the force is 10 kN.

Related pages

How to use a wacker plate

Plate compactor

What size wacker plate for patios, paths and bases

Compact MOT Type 1 under a domestic patio sub-base

Electric vs petrol wacker plate: fumes, force, 230 V

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts were taken from the listings on 20 October 2026.

  1. HSE, Vibration risk assessment (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  2. HSE, Carbon monoxide (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  3. GOV.UK, Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  4. Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, regulation 4 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  5. Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  6. Pavingexpert, Sub-bases (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  7. Evolution H320-E manufacturer page (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  8. Hireload, What size wacker plate do I need? (retrieved 20 October 2026)