⚡ Power
kW to hp Converter
Enter kilowatts and press Convert to get horsepower. 1 kW to hp is 1.341. 1 kW is 1.341 hp (mechanical) or 1.360 PS (metric).
About the kW to hp Converter
There are two horsepower units in ordinary use and they differ by about 1.4%. Mechanical (imperial) horsepower is 745.6999 W, used for US and UK car ratings; metric horsepower, badged PS or ch, is 735.49875 W and is common in German and Japanese specifications. A 100 kW motor is 134.1 hp or 136.0 PS.
Electric motors are usually rated in kW and combustion engines in hp, so comparing an EV's 150 kW motor with a 200 hp petrol engine means converting first: 150 kW is 201 hp, which is why the two feel comparable.
How the calculation works
- hp = kW × 1.3410220896
- kW = hp × 0.7456998716
- 1 PS = 0.73549875 kW · 1 hp = 0.7456998716 kW
Reference values
| Kilowatts | Mechanical hp | Metric PS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 kW | 1.341 hp | 1.360 PS |
| 10 kW | 13.410 hp | 13.596 PS |
| 50 kW | 67.051 hp | 67.981 PS |
| 75 kW | 100.577 hp | 101.972 PS |
| 100 kW | 134.102 hp | 135.962 PS |
| 150 kW | 201.153 hp | 203.943 PS |
| 250 kW | 335.255 hp | 339.905 PS |
Worked examples
- 80 kW is 107.28 hp, a common electric-motor rating.
- 110 kW is 147.51 hp, typical of a family EV.
- 220 kW is 295.02 hp, a performance EV motor.
Which horsepower?
Mechanical horsepower is 745.7 W and metric PS is 735.5 W, a 1.4% difference. A car quoting 150 PS is 110.3 kW while one quoting 150 hp is 111.9 kW, so never mix the two in a comparison. European and Japanese brochures usually mean PS; US and UK brochures usually mean mechanical hp.
Common mistakes
- Using 0.75 kW per hp as exact. It overstates by 0.6%, which is 1.3 kW on a 200 hp engine.
- Comparing motor kW with engine hp without allowing for drivetrain losses.
- Assuming a higher kW rating always means more performance — gearing and weight matter more.
A last check on the numbers: 37 Kilowatt works out to 49.62 Mechanical horsepower, and reversing that with the same factor brings you back to 37 Kilowatt. Because Kilowatt to Mechanical horsepower is a single multiplication, any tool that gives a different figure for the same input is rounding somewhere in the middle rather than only at the end.