HP to PS Converter
Convert between imperial horsepower (HP/BHP) and metric horsepower (PS, pk, cv, ch, hk) — with kilowatts alongside.
European, Japanese and Korean car specs quote metric horsepower — written PS in Germany and Japan, pk in the Netherlands, ch/cv in France and Spain, hk in Scandinavia. Imperial (mechanical) horsepower is the US/UK unit. They differ by about 1.4%, enough to matter when comparing spec sheets.
HP to PS Formula
Why Two Horsepowers Exist
James Watt defined horsepower as 550 ft-lb/sec (745.7 W). When continental Europe metricated, engineers redefined it as the power to lift 75 kg one metre per second — 735.5 W — and called it Pferdestärke (PS, "horse strength"). Every country then translated the name: pk (paardenkracht), cv (cavallo vapore / caballo de vapor), ch (cheval-vapeur), hk (hästkraft). They are all the same 735.5 W metric unit — only the imperial HP differs.
Marketing exploits the gap: quoting PS makes the same engine sound ~1.4% stronger. EU type-approval documents use kW officially; see our HP to kW converter for that leg.
HP ↔ PS Conversion Table
| HP | PS | kW |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 101.4 | 74.6 |
| 150 | 152.1 | 111.9 |
| 200 | 202.8 | 149.1 |
| 300 | 304.2 | 223.7 |
| 400 | 405.5 | 298.3 |
| 500 | 506.9 | 372.9 |
| 750 | 760.4 | 559.3 |
| 1000 | 1013.9 | 745.7 |
Worked Example
Frequently Asked Questions
Almost — PS is about 1.4% smaller. 100 PS = 98.6 HP. For rough comparisons they're interchangeable; for exact figures, convert.
Yes. They're the Dutch, Italian/Spanish, French and Scandinavian names for the identical 735.5 W metric horsepower.
100 kW = 136.0 PS = 134.1 HP. Divide kilowatts by 0.7355 for PS, or by 0.7457 for imperial HP.
BHP (brake horsepower) is imperial HP measured at the crank — so BHP to PS uses the same ×1.0139 factor. See our brake horsepower page.