Conversion chart
The whole range, if you would rather read a number off a table than type one. Both ladders are generated by running the calculator above — a row here cannot disagree with the tool.
PS to hp and kW
Read across from a PS figure — a German or Japanese brochure number — to get mechanical horsepower and kilowatts.
| PS | hp | kW |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | 49.3 | 36.8 |
| 60 | 59.2 | 44.1 |
| 70 | 69 | 51.5 |
| 75 | 74 | 55.2 |
| 80 | 78.9 | 58.8 |
| 90 | 88.8 | 66.2 |
| 100 | 98.6 | 73.5 |
| 105 | 103.6 | 77.2 |
| 110 | 108.5 | 80.9 |
| 115 | 113.4 | 84.6 |
| 120 | 118.4 | 88.3 |
| 125 | 123.3 | 91.9 |
| 130 | 128.2 | 95.6 |
| 136 | 134.1 | 100 |
| 140 | 138.1 | 103 |
| 150 | 147.9 | 110.3 |
| 160 | 157.8 | 117.7 |
| 170 | 167.7 | 125 |
| 180 | 177.5 | 132.4 |
| 190 | 187.4 | 139.7 |
| 200 | 197.3 | 147.1 |
| 220 | 217 | 161.8 |
| 240 | 236.7 | 176.5 |
| 250 | 246.6 | 183.9 |
| 265 | 261.4 | 194.9 |
| 280 | 276.2 | 205.9 |
| 300 | 295.9 | 220.6 |
| 320 | 315.6 | 235.4 |
| 340 | 335.3 | 250.1 |
| 360 | 355.1 | 264.8 |
| 400 | 394.5 | 294.2 |
| 450 | 443.8 | 331 |
| 500 | 493.2 | 367.7 |
| 550 | 542.5 | 404.5 |
| 600 | 591.8 | 441.3 |
| 650 | 641.1 | 478.1 |
| 700 | 690.4 | 514.8 |
| 800 | 789.1 | 588.4 |
| 900 | 887.7 | 661.9 |
| 1000 | 986.3 | 735.5 |
| 1200 | 1183.6 | 882.6 |
| 1500 | 1479.5 | 1103.2 |
kW to PS and hp
Read across from a kW figure — the number printed in field P.2 of an EU registration document — to get metric and mechanical horsepower.
| kW | PS | hp |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | 40.8 | 40.2 |
| 35 | 47.6 | 46.9 |
| 40 | 54.4 | 53.6 |
| 44 | 59.8 | 59 |
| 50 | 68 | 67.1 |
| 55 | 74.8 | 73.8 |
| 60 | 81.6 | 80.5 |
| 66 | 89.7 | 88.5 |
| 70 | 95.2 | 93.9 |
| 74 | 100.6 | 99.2 |
| 77 | 104.7 | 103.3 |
| 81 | 110.1 | 108.6 |
| 85 | 115.6 | 114 |
| 90 | 122.4 | 120.7 |
| 96 | 130.5 | 128.7 |
| 100 | 136 | 134.1 |
| 110 | 149.6 | 147.5 |
| 120 | 163.2 | 160.9 |
| 125 | 170 | 167.6 |
| 130 | 176.8 | 174.3 |
| 135 | 183.5 | 181 |
| 140 | 190.3 | 187.7 |
| 147 | 199.9 | 197.1 |
| 150 | 203.9 | 201.2 |
| 160 | 217.5 | 214.6 |
| 170 | 231.1 | 228 |
| 180 | 244.7 | 241.4 |
| 190 | 258.3 | 254.8 |
| 200 | 271.9 | 268.2 |
| 221 | 300.5 | 296.4 |
| 250 | 339.9 | 335.3 |
| 280 | 380.7 | 375.5 |
| 300 | 407.9 | 402.3 |
| 350 | 475.9 | 469.4 |
| 400 | 543.8 | 536.4 |
| 450 | 611.8 | 603.5 |
| 500 | 679.8 | 670.5 |
| 600 | 815.8 | 804.6 |
| 700 | 951.7 | 938.7 |
What PS, hp and kW actually measure
All three are units of power — a rate of doing work — and each was defined by a different group of people who never intended to agree with the others.
- PS — Pferdestärke, metric horsepower. Defined as the power needed to lift 75 kg by one metre in one second. At standard gravity that is exactly
75 × 9.80665 = 735.49875 W. - hp — mechanical or imperial horsepower, the unit James Watt scaled to a working horse. Defined as 550 foot-pounds per second, which works out to
745.6999 W. - kW — the SI unit. One kilowatt is 1,000 watts, and it needs no horse at all.
So the conversions are just ratios of those definitions:
hp = PS × 735.49875 ÷ 745.6999 · kW = PS × 0.7355 · PS = kW × 1.3596
Why 300 PS reads as 296 hp
Mechanical horsepower is 1.387% larger than metric horsepower. That single fact explains nearly every "is my car really that fast" question in this category — the engine did not change, the yardstick did.
- 150 PS = 147.9 hp = 110.3 kW — the hot-hatch baseline, and a 2 hp haircut on paper.
- 300 PS = 295.9 hp = 220.6 kW — the gap is now 4 hp, which is why brochures round it to 296.
- 800 PS = 789.1 hp = 588.4 kW — at hypercar figures the same 1.4% is an 11 hp difference.
It runs the other way too, and this one is the neat coincidence worth remembering: 100 kW is 136 PS — the exact figure on a very large number of European engine badges.
Which unit is your car quoted in?
Usually more than one, in different documents, which is where the confusion starts:
- Your registration document quotes kW. The EU harmonised vehicle registration certificate lists maximum net power in kilowatts under field P.2. If you are converting a number off your own paperwork, that is a kW number.
- German, Japanese and most European brochures quote PS, usually with the kW figure in brackets beside it because the law requires it.
- UK and US material quotes bhp or hp — mechanical horsepower, the smaller-numbered unit.
And metric horsepower changes its name at almost every border while staying exactly the same 735.49875 W:
| Abbreviation | Language | Full name |
|---|---|---|
| PS | German | Pferdestärke |
| CV | Italian, Spanish | cavalli vapore, caballos de vapor |
| ch / CV | French | cheval-vapeur |
| pk | Dutch | paardenkracht |
| KM | Polish | koń mechaniczny |
| hk | Swedish, Norwegian, Danish | hästkraft, hestekraft |
| LE | Hungarian | lóerő |
| CP | Romanian | cal-putere |
A "150 CV" Fiat, a "150 ch" Peugeot and a "150 PS" Volkswagen are all quoting the same number in the same unit. Convert any of them with the PS box above.
FAQ
Is PS the same as BHP?
Not quite. BHP — brake horsepower — is mechanical horsepower measured at the crankshaft on a brake dynamometer, so it is the same unit as hp. PS is metric horsepower and is 1.387% smaller, so 300 PS ≈ 296 bhp. The word "brake" describes where the measurement was taken, not a different unit.
Why does my registration document say kW?
Because kilowatts are the SI unit and EU type approval is written in SI. Field P.2 of the harmonised registration certificate is maximum net power in kW. Many countries also tax on that number, which is why it is the one the paperwork cares about.
What is the difference between hp and whp?
Where it was measured. Crank horsepower (hp, bhp, PS) is taken at the engine; wheel horsepower (whp) is taken at the rollers of a chassis dyno, after the gearbox, driveshafts and diffs have taken their cut. Expect roughly 10–15% less at the wheels on a manual, more on an automatic or all-wheel drive. Converting between units does not change which one you started with — see the dyno correction calculator for the other half of that problem.
Why do two sources quote different power for the same engine?
Because they may be quoting different standards. DIN 70020, EEC 80/1269 and SAE J1349 all measure net power but differ in test conditions and which accessories are fitted, so the same engine can be published a few percent apart. Older US figures are worse: pre-1972 SAE gross ratings were taken with no alternator, water pump, exhaust or air filter, and are far higher than anything comparable today.
Is 1 PS exactly 1 hp?
No, and the difference is fixed. 1 PS = 0.98632 hp, and 1 hp = 1.01387 PS. Both are exact by definition — 735.49875 W and 745.6999 W respectively — so the conversion never drifts, it just does not round to anything tidy.
Where to go next
A power figure on its own predicts very little. Feed it into power-to-weight to get the number that actually tracks pace, into the 0–60 and quarter-mile estimator for a time, or into top speed to find the aero wall. If you are converting a dyno figure rather than a brochure figure, correct it first with SAE J1349 dyno correction.