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Volts to Kilovolts Conversion

One volt is one thousandth of a kilovolt, so a volt figure becomes a kilovolt figure by dividing it by 1000. Type the voltage in volts, press Convert, and the same potential difference shows up in kilovolts.

About the kilovolt

The volt (V) is the common unit of electric potential difference, and the kilovolt (kV) is that same unit scaled up by a thousand. In the voltage family it sits above the millivolt and below the megavolt, both of which are also fractions or multiples of one volt.

Because the prefix kilo- means a thousand, 1 kV equals 1000 V and, going the other way, 1 V equals 1/1000 kV, which is 0.001 kV. Converting volts to kilovolts therefore always produces a number a thousand times smaller than the volt reading.

Volts to kilovolts formula

A voltage V expressed in kilovolts is equal to the voltage in volts divided by 1000:

V(kV) = V(V) / 1000, that is 1 V = 1/1000 kV = 0.001 kV and 1 kV = 1000 V.

For example, converting 3 volts gives 3 V / 1000 = 0.003 kV. Dividing by 1000 is the same as shifting the decimal point three places to the left, which is a quick way to sanity-check what the converter prints.