Horsepower and kilowatts are two different units used to measure engine or motor power — horsepower is standard for gas engines in the US, while kilowatts are the standard unit for electric motors and are widely used internationally. This horsepower to kW calculator converts between the two instantly, which is useful when comparing a gas vehicle’s horsepower rating against an EV’s kW output, since manufacturers don’t always list both figures.
This conversion comes up most often when researching an electric vehicle purchase, since EV spec sheets typically list power in kW rather than horsepower. If you’re comparing an EV against a gas vehicle more broadly, our electric vehicle range calculator and EV charging cost calculator cover the other key differences worth understanding before you switch.