Liters per 100 Kilometers to Kilometers per Gallon (US) Conversion Calculator: Free Online Tool
Convert liters per 100 kilometers to kilometers per US gallon with our free online fuel consumption converter.
Liters per 100 Kilometers to Kilometers per Gallon (US) Calculator
How to Use the Calculator:
- Enter the value you want to convert in the 'From' field (Liters per 100 Kilometers).
- The converted value in Kilometers per Gallon (US) will appear automatically in the 'To' field.
- Use the dropdown menus to select different units within the Fuel Consumption category.
- Click the swap button (⇌) to reverse the conversion direction.
How to Convert Liters per 100 Kilometers to Kilometers per Gallon (US)
Converting Liters per 100 Kilometers to Kilometers per Gallon (US) involves multiplying the value by a specific conversion factor, as shown in the formula below.
Formula:
km/gal (US) = 26.4172 / L/100km
Example Calculation:
Convert 8 liters per 100 kilometers: 26.4172 / 8 = 3.30215 kilometers per US gallon
Disclaimer: For Reference Only
These conversion results are provided for informational purposes only. While we strive for accuracy, we make no guarantees regarding the precision of these results, especially for conversions involving extremely large or small numbers which may be subject to the inherent limitations of standard computer floating-point arithmetic.
Not for professional use. Results should be verified before use in any critical application. View our Terms of Service for more information.
What is a Liters per 100 Kilometers and a Kilometers per Gallon (US)?
Liters per 100 Kilometers (L/100km) is a unit of fuel consumption commonly used in the metric system. It measures the volume of fuel (in liters) required for a vehicle to travel a distance of 100 kilometers. Unlike units like MPG or km/L, a lower value indicates better fuel efficiency.
Kilometers per Gallon (US), often abbreviated as km/gal (US), is a unit of fuel efficiency. It measures the distance in kilometers (km) that a vehicle can travel using one US liquid gallon (US gal) of fuel. It combines a metric unit of distance with a US customary unit of volume.
Note: The Liters per 100 Kilometers is part of the metric (SI) system, primarily used globally in science and trade. The Kilometers per Gallon (US) belongs to the metric (SI) system.
History of the Liters per 100 Kilometers and Kilometers per Gallon (US)
The L/100km unit gained prominence alongside the adoption of the metric system in many parts of the world, particularly Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and parts of Asia and South America. It was chosen as a standard measure because it directly quantifies fuel consumption over a fixed, standard distance (100 km), which is often preferred for regulatory and comparative purposes over distance-per-unit-volume measures like km/L or MPG. Its adoption reflects a focus on the amount of resource used rather than the distance achieved per unit of resource.
This unit is not a standard international or US unit for fuel consumption. Its use typically arises in specific, often informal, contexts where metric distances (kilometers) need to be related to fuel volumes measured in US gallons. This might occur when comparing vehicle specifications or fuel data between regions using different systems (e.g., comparing a European car's potential range using US fuel measurements) or during transitions between measurement systems.
Common Uses for liters per 100 kilometers and kilometers per US gallon
Explore the typical applications for both Liters per 100 Kilometers (metric) and Kilometers per Gallon (US) (metric) to understand their common contexts.
Common Uses for liters per 100 kilometers
- Official Vehicle Ratings: Standard unit for reporting fuel consumption figures by manufacturers and government agencies in many metric countries.
- Vehicle Labeling: Displayed on mandatory fuel economy labels on new cars in regions like the EU, Canada, and Australia.
- Consumer Comparison: Used by consumers to compare the fuel usage of different vehicles (remembering lower is better).
- Fleet Management: Helps businesses track and manage fuel costs for vehicle fleets.
- Environmental Reporting: Used in calculating vehicle emissions based on fuel consumed.
Common Uses for kilometers per US gallon
Kilometers per Gallon (US) is rarely used in official vehicle specifications, regulations, or everyday conversation, especially within the United States where Miles per Gallon (US MPG) is the standard. Globally, Liters per 100 kilometers (L/100km) or Kilometers per Liter (km/L) are more common metric standards. Its primary use might be in specific technical calculations, data conversions, or informal comparisons involving US fuel volumes alongside metric distances.
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions About Liters per 100 Kilometers (L/100km)
Is a lower L/100km value better?
Yes, a lower L/100km value indicates better fuel efficiency. It means the vehicle consumes less fuel to travel the same 100 kilometers.
How do I convert L/100km to km/L?
To convert Liters per 100 kilometers (L/100km) to Kilometers per Liter (km/L), divide 100 by the L/100km value: km/L = 100 / (L/100km)
. Note that km/L measures efficiency directly (higher is better).
How do I convert L/100km to MPG (US)?
To convert L/100km to US Miles Per Gallon (MPG), divide 235.21 by the L/100km value: MPG (US) ≈ 235.21 / (L/100km)
.
How do I convert L/100km to MPG (Imperial)?
To convert L/100km to Imperial Miles Per Gallon (MPG), used mainly in the UK, divide 282.48 by the L/100km value: MPG (Imperial) ≈ 282.48 / (L/100km)
.
About Kilometers per Gallon (US) (km/gal (US))
Why is km/gal (US) not commonly used?
The United States primarily uses Miles per Gallon (US MPG) for vehicle fuel efficiency. Most other countries using the metric system prefer Kilometers per Liter (km/L) or Liters per 100 Kilometers (L/100km). Hybrid units like km/gal (US) mix systems and are generally avoided in official standards to prevent confusion.
How does km/gal (US) differ from km/gal (UK)?
The key difference is the gallon size. The US liquid gallon is smaller than the Imperial (UK) gallon (1 US gallon ≈ 3.785 liters, while 1 UK gallon ≈ 4.546 liters). Therefore, for the same actual fuel efficiency, a vehicle's rating in km/gal (US) will be numerically higher than its rating in km/gal (UK) because it travels the same distance using a smaller gallon measure.
How do I convert km/gal (US) to km/L?
Divide the value in km/gal (US) by the exact number of liters in a US gallon: km/L = km/gal (US) / 3.785411784
.
How do I convert km/gal (US) to MPG (US)?
Divide the value in km/gal (US) by the exact number of kilometers in a mile: MPG (US) = km/gal (US) / 1.609344
.
How do I convert km/gal (US) to the common L/100km format?
Use the inverse relationship formula: L/100km = 378.5411784 / km/gal (US)
. A higher km/gal (US) value corresponds to a lower L/100km value (indicating better fuel economy).
Conversion Table: Liters per 100 Kilometers to Kilometers per Gallon (US)
Liters per 100 Kilometers (L/100km) | Kilometers per Gallon (US) (km/gal (US)) |
---|---|
1 | 378.541 |
5 | 75.708 |
10 | 37.854 |
25 | 15.142 |
50 | 7.571 |
100 | 3.785 |
500 | 0.757 |
1,000 | 0.379 |