Tyre (Tire) Pressure Converter 2026: 2.4 bar = 34.8 psi

2.4 bar is 34.8 psi, and 240 kPa is the same pressure again. That one line covers most of the confusion at a foreign petrol station: a hire car’s door placard in Germany or Italy is printed in bar or kPa, while a British or American air line shows psi. Type a reading into any box above and the other two units follow, or read it straight off the chart.

The three units and how they relate

• bar is used on most European placards and gauges. 1 bar = 100 kPa.
• kPa (kilopascal) is the SI unit. Many placards print it as a bare number such as 230 or 250, which means 2.3 or 2.5 bar.
• psi (pounds per square inch) is used in the US and on most UK air lines. 1 bar = 14.5038 psi, so 1 psi = 0.0689 bar = 6.895 kPa.

To go from psi to bar, divide by 14.5038: 32 psi is 2.21 bar and 36 psi is 2.48 bar. To go from bar to kPa, move the decimal point two places: 2.2 bar is 220 kPa.

Which number to convert

Convert the vehicle maker’s figure, not the one on the tyre. The placard on the driver’s door jamb (on some cars inside the fuel flap or glovebox lid) and the owner’s manual give the cold pressure for each axle, often with a second figure for a fully loaded car. The number moulded into the sidewall is the maximum the tyre can hold. If you want a starting estimate from tyre size and load rather than a straight unit conversion, use the tyre pressure calculator; the tyre pressure guide explains why the reading must be taken cold.

Related tyre (tire) tools

Changing to a different tyre size can change the load index and the recommended pressure, so check the new size in the tyre size calculator, which also decodes the load index and speed rating. Background reading: how to read tyre size numbers and understanding the tyre load index. Pressure also affects consumption; to compare a hire car’s L/100 km figure with the mpg you know from home, use the fuel economy converter.