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Conversion

kW ⇄ Horsepower Converter (kW / HP / PS)

Kilowatts (kW) and horsepower (hp / PS / BHP) are the everyday units for cars, motorcycles, generators and power tools, but "horsepower" actually has several distinct definitions — US/UK mechanical hp, European metric PS, and dyno-measured BHP. This tool shows the equivalent value in all six common units side by side and lists the exact conversion factor for each.

All-units value

kW Kilowatt
W Watt
hp Mechanical HP (imperial / US)
PS Metric horsepower (PS / CV)
BHP Brake horsepower
ft·lbf/s Foot-pound-force per second

Common reference: 1 kW ≈ 1.341 hp ≈ 1.360 PS. Mechanical hp and BHP are numerically identical (both 745.6999 W); they differ only by where the measurement is taken (flywheel vs crankshaft). Metric PS = 75 kgf·m/s = 735.49875 W exact, used on European / Japanese engine specs.

  • kW SI unit used for EVs, household appliance ratings, and solar panel output.
  • hp US / UK car & power-tool ratings — defined as 550 ft·lbf/s.
  • PS European (PS) / French (CV) / Japanese horsepower spec for engines.
  • BHP Power at the crankshaft (before losses); numerically equal to mechanical hp.

Formula

1 hp (mechanical) = 745.6998715822702 W ; 1 PS = 75 kgf·m/s = 735.49875 W (exact) ; 1 BHP ≡ 1 mechanical hp ; 1 ft·lbf/s = 1.3558179483314 W

Frequently asked

How different are hp and PS?

PS (metric) is about 1.4% smaller than hp (mechanical): 1 hp = 1.01387 PS, or 1 PS = 0.98632 hp. A 200-hp US car ≈ 202.7 PS; a "200 PS" European version is only 197.3 hp. For engineering you can't treat them as equal; in marketing copy people usually do.

BHP vs WHP — what is the difference?

BHP (brake horsepower) is engine output measured on a brake dynamometer with no driveline losses; WHP (wheel horsepower) is measured at the wheel hub on a chassis dyno after losses through gearbox, driveshaft, differential and tyres (typically 15–25%). Spec sheets are usually BHP; owners reading from a chassis dyno see WHP. This tool treats BHP and hp as numerically identical, because both share the same SI conversion factor — drivetrain losses are a physical measurement issue, not a unit conversion.

Why is 1 kW ≈ 1.34 hp in some sources and 1.36 in others?

Two common values: 1 kW = 1.341022 hp (mechanical / imperial) or 1.359622 PS (metric horsepower). European sources tend to use PS (1.36); US/UK sources use mechanical hp (1.34). The discrepancy is ~1.4% — that is already 2 hp for a 100-kW motor, so formal reports must specify "mechanical/imperial" or "metric/PS/CV".

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