HP vs BHP: The Great Motoring Lie

BRMMM BRMMM!

You know what’s always baffled me? Horsepower. Not because I don’t get it — obviously, I do. But because car manufacturers have been using it like a teenager padding out their CV: “Yes, I can absolutely speak fluent Mandarin and juggle chainsaws.” Can you, though? Can you really?

Let’s sort it out.

HP: The Headline That Lies Through Its Teeth

Horsepower — or HP, if you're in a rush — is the number car companies plaster on the side of the box like a discount sticker on a ready meal. It's the power of the engine when it's basically on holiday. No stress. No effort. Nothing plugged in. Just a naked engine screaming away on a test bench in ideal conditions, possibly with a motivational playlist in the background and a fan pointed at it like it’s on the cover of Vogue.

That 300 HP figure? Not real. That’s the idea of power. The fantasy. It’s what your engine could do if it didn’t also have to run the air-con, power steering, alternator, water pump, and, oh yes, actually move the car. It’s the equivalent of saying Usain Bolt can run 100 metres in 9.58 seconds — but only if he’s not wearing shoes, carrying groceries, or being forced to stop at a zebra crossing.

BHP: The Power You Actually Get (Give or Take)

Then there’s BHP — brake horsepower. And now we’re getting serious. This is the figure after your engine’s been asked to do some actual work. Like powering everything that makes a modern car modern: lights, pumps, electronics, the lot. It’s the sober version of HP. No filter. No fluff. No flattering angles.

It’s still taken at the crankshaft, but now it includes the effort it takes to keep the car from having a complete meltdown when you turn on the heated seats and demister at the same time. Basically, BHP is your car saying, “Right, I’ll give you what I’ve got — but don’t expect miracles if you’re also charging your phone and blasting Coldplay.”

If HP is the marketing department, BHP is the engineer at the back muttering, “Actually, it’s a bit less than that.”

And Then There’s WHP, Because of Course There Is

Just when you thought it was all sorted, along comes WHP — wheel horsepower. This one? This is what’s left after your power has been kicked, dragged, and punched through the gearbox, the driveshafts, and finally to the wheels, where it either gets to the road… or doesn't.

This is the number that tells you the truth. The hard, sometimes embarrassing truth. You bought a 300 HP car? At the wheels, you might be looking at 220 on a good day. With a tailwind. Downhill. If the tyres aren’t made of cheese.

Why It Matters (Beyond Pub Bragging Rights)

Because numbers sell cars. And while HP might win the showroom poster war, BHP and WHP are what matter when you’re actually trying to overtake a caravan on the A303 with a boot full of questionable decisions and a half-screaming Sat Nav.

If you’re buying, tuning, or arguing on the internet (which let’s be honest, we all are), then knowing the difference means you’re not the poor sap quoting fantasy figures while your mate in the diesel Golf overtakes you with a smug wave and a Spotify playlist of victory anthems.