Converting mph and km/h: How it works

Whether in movies or other media such as racing games, it is not uncommon to see the speed in mph. Our guide puts the unit from the U.S. in relation to km/h.

Just one calculation step: converting mph to km/h is child's play.

The metric system is considered the standard in much of the world, though not everywhere. Using mph is another example.

How to convert mph to km/h - and vice versa

Since mph stands for "miles per hour," all you need for the conversion is the info on how many miles one kilometer represents:

• 1 kilometer equals 0.62 miles.
• 1 mile corresponds to 1.61 kilometers.

The conversion between mph and km/h is thus quite simple:

• If you see an mph indication, you simply need to multiply it by 1.61 to get the value in km/h.

This also explains why acceleration values in the US are given from 0 to 60 - 60 mph is in fact 96.6 km/h, which is quite close to the German reference of 100 km/h.