How do you convert kilowatts to horsepower?

Divide kilowatts by 0.74569987158227022 (or multiply by about 1.341) to get mechanical horsepower. A 150 kW EV motor is about 201.1 hp.

Why are EV motors rated in kilowatts instead of horsepower?

Kilowatts are the native SI unit for electrical power output, and EV manufacturers — especially outside the US — market and certify performance directly in kW. Many US-market EV listings additionally convert that figure to horsepower for buyers used to comparing gas-engine specs.

What's a typical power rating for a modern EV motor?

A modern compact EV motor is commonly around 150 kW, which converts to roughly 201 hp — comparable to a mid-size gas engine's output, though EV motors typically deliver peak torque more immediately across the rev range than combustion engines do.

Is EV kW power output measured the same way as gas engine horsepower?

Both describe peak power output using their respective units and the same underlying physical quantity, but the test standards and duty cycles used to certify EV motor power versus gas engine dynamometer horsepower can differ by market and regulator, which is a separate consideration from the unit conversion itself.

Guide

Kilowatts to horsepower: reading EV motor power ratings

Electric vehicle motors are rated in kilowatts, the native SI unit for electrical power, while combustion engines are traditionally marketed in horsepower — one kilowatt equals about 1.341 mechanical horsepower.

By Buğra SözeriPublished September 25, 2026

As electric vehicles have become mainstream, spec sheets increasingly show power in kilowatts rather than horsepower — a reflection of kilowatts being the natural SI unit for electrical power, the same unit used for the motor's electrical input and output throughout an EV's drivetrain specifications. Comparing an EV's kW rating against a gas engine's hp rating requires converting one to match the other.

The exact conversion

Since 1 hp (mechanical) = 745.69987158227022 W = 0.74569987158227022 kW:

hp = kW / 0.74569987158227022 ≈ kW × 1.3410
kW = hp × 0.74569987158227022

Reference values

Kilowatts	Mechanical horsepower
50 kW	≈ 67.1 hp
100 kW	≈ 134.1 hp
150 kW	≈ 201.1 hp
250 kW	≈ 335.2 hp
400 kW	≈ 536.4 hp

Comparing EV and gas engine specs

A modern compact EV motor commonly outputs around 150 kW, which lands right around 201 hp once converted — a figure that reads as comparable to a mid-size gas engine on paper. What the kW-to-hp conversion alone doesn't capture is how that power is delivered: electric motors typically produce their peak torque near-instantly from a stop, while combustion engines build torque across a rev range, so two vehicles with matching converted horsepower figures can still feel very different to drive. For a straight power-output comparison on a spec sheet, though, converting both figures into the same unit is the only way to compare them fairly.

Frequently asked questions

How do you convert kilowatts to horsepower?: Divide kilowatts by 0.74569987158227022 (or multiply by about 1.341) to get mechanical horsepower. A 150 kW EV motor is about 201.1 hp.
Why are EV motors rated in kilowatts instead of horsepower?: Kilowatts are the native SI unit for electrical power output, and EV manufacturers — especially outside the US — market and certify performance directly in kW. Many US-market EV listings additionally convert that figure to horsepower for buyers used to comparing gas-engine specs.
What's a typical power rating for a modern EV motor?: A modern compact EV motor is commonly around 150 kW, which converts to roughly 201 hp — comparable to a mid-size gas engine's output, though EV motors typically deliver peak torque more immediately across the rev range than combustion engines do.
Is EV kW power output measured the same way as gas engine horsepower?: Both describe peak power output using their respective units and the same underlying physical quantity, but the test standards and duty cycles used to certify EV motor power versus gas engine dynamometer horsepower can differ by market and regulator, which is a separate consideration from the unit conversion itself.

Sources & references

Authoritative references cited by this piece. Verified by Buğra Sözeri on the dates shown and re-checked at every deploy.

BIPM — SI Brochure, 9th edition (kilowatt as an SI multiple of the watt) — Reference for the kilowatt as the standard SI unit for rated electrical power(as of 2026-09-25)