Skip to content
Toolore

Converters

Power Converter

Convert power for engines, appliances and heating systems. Watch the horsepower: mechanical horsepower and metric horsepower (PS or CV) differ by about 1.4%, and car specifications use whichever is local.

kilowatts to mechanical horsepower

1.34 hp

1 kW converted

1 kW equals
1.34 hp
Conversion factor
Approximate

Worth knowing

  • Mechanical horsepower and metric horsepower differ by about 1.4%. Car specifications quoted in PS or CV use the metric figure.

How to use this tool

  1. Enter the power figure.
  2. Choose the units, taking care to pick the right horsepower definition.

Worked examples

A 150 PS car in mechanical horsepower

  1. 150 × 735.49875 = 110,325 W
  2. 110,325 ÷ 745.6999 = 147.9

About 148 hp — the same engine, a different number.

Notes and limitations

  • Mechanical horsepower is about 745.7 W; metric horsepower (PS, CV, pk) is 735.5 W. European manufacturers usually quote PS, so a car advertised at 150 PS is around 148 hp.
  • Power is the rate of energy use; energy is power multiplied by time. A 2 kW heater is rated in power, and it consumes 2 kWh of energy per hour of running.
  • Air conditioning is often rated in BTU per hour. A 12,000 BTU/h unit is about 3.5 kW of cooling.

Frequently asked questions

How many watts are in a horsepower?

About 745.7 for mechanical horsepower, or 735.5 for metric horsepower. Which one applies depends on where the figure was published.

What is the difference between hp and PS?

They are two different definitions of horsepower, differing by about 1.4%. PS is standard in Europe and Japan, hp in the US and UK. A 200 PS engine is roughly 197 hp.

What is the difference between kW and kWh?

A kilowatt is a rate of energy use; a kilowatt hour is an amount of energy. A 3 kW kettle running for 20 minutes uses 1 kWh.

Related tools