Convert Kilowatts to Metric Horsepower
Convert Kilowatts to Metric Horsepower instantly. 1 Kilowatt (kW) equals 1.3596 Metric Horsepower (PS).
Kilowatts to Metric Horsepower conversion table
| Kilowatts (kW) | Metric Horsepower (PS) |
|---|---|
| 1 kW | 1.3596 PS |
| 2 kW | 2.7192 PS |
| 3 kW | 4.0789 PS |
| 5 kW | 6.7981 PS |
| 10 kW | 13.5962 PS |
| 20 kW | 27.1924 PS |
| 50 kW | 67.9811 PS |
| 100 kW | 135.9622 PS |
| 500 kW | 679.8108 PS |
| 1,000 kW | 1,359.62 PS |
1 Kilowatt = 1.3596 Metric Horsepower · multiply Kilowatts by 1.3596
About converting Kilowatts to Metric Horsepower
Kilowatts (kW) and Metric Horsepower (PS) are both units of power, so converting between them is a single multiplication: multiply your Kilowatts figure by 1.3596. Ten Kilowatts comes to 13.5962 Metric Horsepower, and a hundred works out at 135.9622 Metric Horsepower.
Rule of thumb: going from Kilowatts to Metric Horsepower multiplies, so the figure always grows — one Kilowatt is already 1.3596 Metric Horsepower. If your answer came out smaller, you have the conversion the wrong way round.
What is a Kilowatt?
A kilowatt is a thousand watts, the size at which power stops being about gadgets and starts being about infrastructure. It rates the things in a house that actually move the meter — kettles, ovens, showers, heat pumps, immersion heaters — and it is the unit of EV charging, where the kilowatt figure sets how fast a car charges while the battery’s kilowatt-hours set how far it goes. It is also the legal unit of engine power in the European Union: manufacturers must state kW on a vehicle’s paperwork, even though the marketing beside it still leads with horsepower.
What is a Metric Horsepower?
Metric horsepower is why the same car is advertised with two different "horsepower" numbers depending on which side of the Atlantic you read about it. It is defined as exactly 75 kilogram-force metres per second, which makes it slightly smaller than the mechanical horsepower used in Britain and America — so the European figure for an identical engine always comes out a little higher, and neither number is wrong. It is written PS in Germany, from Pferdestärke, and turns up as CV or hk elsewhere. Enthusiast arguments about a car’s "real" output are very often just this unit mismatch.
To put both in perspective: an electric kettle draws a couple of kilowatts, while a hot hatch might be advertised at 200 PS in Germany.
The converter above updates as you type, and the table lists common values for quick reference. Need the opposite direction? Use the Metric Horsepower to Kilowatts converter, or browse all Power converters.
Frequently asked questions
How many Metric Horsepower are in one Kilowatt?
There are 1.3596 Metric Horsepower in one Kilowatt.
How do I convert Kilowatts to Metric Horsepower?
Multiply the number of Kilowatts by 1.3596. For example, 10 Kilowatts = 13.5962 Metric Horsepower.
What is 100 Kilowatts in Metric Horsepower?
100 Kilowatts is equal to 135.9622 Metric Horsepower.
How do I convert Metric Horsepower to Kilowatts?
Multiply the Metric Horsepower value by 0.7355 (or divide by 1.3596).
Is this Kilowatts to Metric Horsepower conversion exact?
The definition is exact — Kilowatts and Metric Horsepower are both fixed against the same base by international agreement — but the decimal shown here is rounded for readability, because the true ratio does not terminate. For engineering or scientific work, carry more decimal places than this page displays.
What is a Kilowatt?
A kilowatt is a thousand watts, the size at which power stops being about gadgets and starts being about infrastructure. It rates the things in a house that actually move the meter — kettles, ovens, showers, heat pumps, immersion heaters — and it is the unit of EV charging, where the kilowatt figure sets how fast a car charges while the battery’s kilowatt-hours set how far it goes. It is also the legal unit of engine power in the European Union: manufacturers must state kW on a vehicle’s paperwork, even though the marketing beside it still leads with horsepower.
What is a Metric Horsepower?
Metric horsepower is why the same car is advertised with two different "horsepower" numbers depending on which side of the Atlantic you read about it. It is defined as exactly 75 kilogram-force metres per second, which makes it slightly smaller than the mechanical horsepower used in Britain and America — so the European figure for an identical engine always comes out a little higher, and neither number is wrong. It is written PS in Germany, from Pferdestärke, and turns up as CV or hk elsewhere. Enthusiast arguments about a car’s "real" output are very often just this unit mismatch.