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0-100 km/h Time Calculator

Enter engine power and vehicle weight to estimate the 0-100 km/h sprint time.

How it is calculated

Power is entered in horsepower (the tool uses 1 hp = 745.7 W) and weight in kilograms. The estimate is an energy balance: the kinetic energy needed to reach 100 km/h, E = ½ × m × v² with v = 100 ÷ 3.6 = 27.78 m/s, divided by the average power actually put to the road, assumed to be 60 % of the peak figure to allow for gear changes, drivetrain loss and wheelspin: t = E ÷ (0.6 × hp × 745.7). The tool also reports power-to-weight in hp per tonne, hp ÷ (kg ÷ 1000). Air and rolling resistance are not modelled. Tyre grip is handled by a floor: no result is shorter than the time to reach 100 km/h at 1.5 g, about 1.89 s, so very high power or very low weight inputs all show 1.89 s. Power and weight must be above zero. Use curb weight, ideally with the driver.

Worked example

A car has 150 hp and weighs 1,300 kg. The speed target is 100 ÷ 3.6 = 27.78 m/s, so the kinetic energy is ½ × 1,300 × 27.78² ≈ 501,543 J. The average usable power is 0.6 × 150 × 745.7 ≈ 67,113 W. Dividing, 501,543 ÷ 67,113 gives an estimated time of 7.47 seconds. The power-to-weight ratio is 150 ÷ 1.3 = 115.4 hp per tonne.

Try this example →

Common mistakes

  • Entering power in kilowatts or in PS/bhp without noticing the difference. The tool works in hp; multiplying kW by 1.34 gives hp.
  • Typing the weight in tonnes or pounds. The field needs kilograms, so a 1.3-tonne car is 1300; entering 1.3 gives the 1.89 s floor, not a real estimate.
  • Using the gross vehicle weight or a loaded weight when comparing cars, which makes one car look slower than another measured at curb weight.
  • Reading 1.89 s as a prediction for a very powerful car. It is the grip floor, so a 1,000 hp and a 5,000 hp car show the same time.
  • Comparing the estimate with a manufacturer's figure to the tenth of a second. Launch control, gearing and traction are not in the formula, so use it as a ballpark.

About this calculator

A car's 0-100 km/h time is driven primarily by its power-to-weight ratio — engine power divided by curb weight — since accelerating a given mass requires energy proportional to that mass, and more power delivered per kilogram means faster acceleration. Estimation formulas built on this relationship give a reasonable ballpark figure, though real-world sprint times also depend on factors a simple power-to-weight calculation cannot fully capture: gearing, drivetrain losses, tire grip and launch technique.

Car enthusiasts and reviewers use this kind of estimate to compare vehicles on paper before a real-world test, or to gauge roughly how a modification like an engine upgrade or a weight-reduction project might affect acceleration, since the relationship between power-to-weight and sprint time is consistent enough to be directionally useful even when it will not exactly match a stopwatch run at a track.

This calculator takes your engine power (hp) and vehicle weight (kg) and returns an estimated 0-100 km/h time and your power-to-weight in hp per tonne. It divides the kinetic energy at 100 km/h by an average usable power of about 60% of peak, and never returns less than about 1.9 seconds, the traction limit of roughly 1.5 g, so you get a quick, physics-based ballpark before relying on a manufacturer's claimed figure or a magazine test.

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