Method for operating an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle, in which exhaust gas from the internal combustion engine is fed to at least one catalytic converter which is arranged in an exhaust system of the motor vehicle, and in which a power which can be supplied by the internal combustion engine is set by means of a control device of the motor vehicle as a function of an emission of at least one pollutant contained in the exhaust gas into the surroundings of the motor vehicle, characterized in that a size of a partial volume, effecting the conversion of the at least one pollutant, of the at least one catalytic converter is calculated, wherein the partial volume is sufficiently heated in order to achieve a specific minimum conversion rate for the at least one pollutant, and the power which can be supplied by the internal combustion engine, that is the maximum allowed power of the internal combustion engine, is set as a function of the respective size of the partial volume, wherein a temperature of the exhaust gas flowing through the at least one catalytic converter is taken into account in order to calculate the respective size of the partial volume which effects the conversion of the at least one pollutant, a current conversion capacity of the at least one catalytic converter for the at least one pollutant is calculated based on a space velocity, relative to the respective size of the partial volume, of the exhaust gas flowing through the at least one catalytic converter, the current conversion capacity of the at least one catalytic converter is compared with a target conversion capacity for the at least one pollutant, and a lower power than the maximum power of the internal combustion engine is set as the power which can be supplied by the internal combustion engine when the current conversion capacity is less than the target conversion capacity. a size of a partial volume, effecting the conversion of the at least one pollutant, of the at least one catalytic converter is calculated, wherein the partial volume is sufficiently heated in order to achieve a specific minimum conversion rate for the at least one pollutant, and the power which can be supplied by the internal combustion engine, that is the maximum allowed power of the internal combustion engine, is set as a function of the respective size of the partial volume, wherein a temperature of the exhaust gas flowing through the at least one catalytic converter is taken into account in order to calculate the respective size of the partial volume which effects the conversion of the at least one pollutant, a current conversion capacity of the at least one catalytic converter for the at least one pollutant is calculated based on a space velocity, relative to the respective size of the partial volume, of the exhaust gas flowing through the at least one catalytic converter, the current conversion capacity of the at least one catalytic converter is compared with a target conversion capacity for the at least one pollutant, and a lower power than the maximum power of the internal combustion engine is set as the power which can be supplied by the internal combustion engine when the current conversion capacity is less than the target conversion capacity.