what does bhp mean on a car

[LaSamuel]

BHP stands for brake horsepower. It’s a specific measurement of an engine's power output taken at the engine's crankshaft, before any power is lost through the transmission, drivetrain, and other auxiliary components. Essentially, BHP is the raw power the engine produces. This is different from wheel horsepower (WHP), which is the power that actually reaches the wheels and is what you feel when you accelerate. The difference between BHP and WHP is often referred to as "drivetrain loss."

When you see a car advertised with 300 BHP, that number represents the engine's maximum potential under ideal testing conditions on a device called an engine dynamometer. In the real world, about 15-20% of that power is typically lost by the time it gets to the wheels. So, a car with 300 BHP might deliver around 240-255 WHP. This is why BHP figures are almost always higher than WHP figures for the same vehicle.

Here’s a quick comparison of common power measurements:

Measurement	Abbreviation	What It Measures	Typical Use Case
Brake Horsepower	BHP	Power at the engine's crankshaft	Manufacturer specs, advertising, performance comparisons
Wheel Horsepower	WHP	Power delivered to the wheels	Real-world performance tuning, dyno testing
Metric Horsepower	PS	A European measurement very close to, but slightly less than, BHP	Common in European car markets

BHP is a crucial figure for comparing the fundamental performance of different engines. However, for a more accurate sense of how a car will perform on the road, WHP is a more realistic metric. Cars with similar BHP can feel different to drive based on their weight (power-to-weight ratio), torque, and how much power is lost through their specific drivetrain (e.g., all-wheel-drive systems typically have higher drivetrain losses than rear-wheel-drive systems).

[McHarley]

Think of it like this: BHP is the total power the engine creates. But some of that power gets used up just turning the gears in the transmission and spinning the driveshafts before it even gets to the wheels. The number that really matters for how fast you feel pushed back into your seat is the power that makes it to the tires. BHP is the big, impressive number on the brochure, but the actual power you can use is a bit less.

[SophieLee]

As someone who spends weekends at the track, I look at BHP as a starting point. It's the engine's potential. But when we tune cars, we measure wheel horsepower on a chassis dyno because that's the true output. Two cars with the same BHP can have different WHP based on their drivetrain. A rear-wheel-drive car will put more of that BHP to the ground than an all-wheel-drive car, which has more mechanical parts to spin. BHP tells you about the engine's muscle; WHP tells you how effectively that muscle is used.

[StAshlyn]

When I was comparing family SUVs, I kept seeing BHP. The salesperson explained it's the engine's power before losses. The Honda Pilot had 280 BHP and the Toyota Highlander had 295 BHP. On paper, the Highlander seemed stronger. But after driving both, the Pilot felt more responsive. This is where drivetrain loss comes in. It’s not just the highest BHP that matters; it’s how efficiently the car delivers that power. It taught me to use BHP as a guide, but to always trust the test drive.

[AdalynnFitz]

From an engineering perspective, BHP is a precise measurement obtained by testing a standalone engine on a brake dynamometer. The term "brake" refers to the device used to apply a load to the engine, effectively measuring the torque and rotational speed required to hold it at a specific RPM. We use BHP because it standardizes the assessment of an engine's performance, isolated from the inefficiencies of the rest of the car. It’s the purest measure of an engine's capability and is essential for development and accurate comparisons between different engine designs.