Liters to Gallons — US & UK Conversion Formula
Convert liters to US and UK gallons with exact formulas, a reference chart, and worked examples. 1 liter = 0.2642 US gallons = 0.2200 UK gallons.
There are two different gallons in active use — the US gallon and the UK (Imperial) gallon — and confusing them leads to real problems, especially with fuel economy and recipe scaling. The CalcHub Volume Converter handles both standards.
The Formulas
US Gallons = Liters x 0.26417 (1 US gallon = 3.7854 liters) UK Gallons = Liters x 0.21997 (1 UK gallon = 4.5461 liters)The UK gallon is about 20% larger than the US gallon. This matters more than most people realize.
Worked Example 1 — Fuel Tank
Your car has a 55-liter fuel tank. In US gallons: 55 x 0.26417 = 14.53 US gallons. In UK gallons: 55 x 0.21997 = 12.10 UK gallons.
Worked Example 2 — Fuel Economy
A car gets 6.5 liters per 100 km. To convert to US MPG: 235.21 / 6.5 = 36.2 mpg (US). For UK MPG: 282.48 / 6.5 = 43.5 mpg (UK). Same car, different numbers — because the UK gallon is bigger.
Liters to Gallons Conversion Chart
| Liters | US Gallons | UK Gallons |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.26 | 0.22 |
| 2 | 0.53 | 0.44 |
| 5 | 1.32 | 1.10 |
| 10 | 2.64 | 2.20 |
| 15 | 3.96 | 3.30 |
| 20 | 5.28 | 4.40 |
| 25 | 6.60 | 5.50 |
| 30 | 7.93 | 6.60 |
| 40 | 10.57 | 8.80 |
| 50 | 13.21 | 11.00 |
| 60 | 15.85 | 13.20 |
| 75 | 19.81 | 16.50 |
| 100 | 26.42 | 22.00 |
Practical Use Cases
Fuel comparison: When comparing fuel prices across countries, you must convert both the currency and the volume unit. At $3.50 per US gallon, you are paying $0.92 per liter. In Europe, fuel at 1.80 EUR per liter is about $7.30 per US gallon — a dramatically different cost. Pool and tank filling: A swimming pool holds 40,000 liters or about 10,567 US gallons. Water utilities charge per gallon in the US and per cubic meter (1,000 liters) elsewhere. Cooking: US recipes use cups and gallons. One US gallon = 16 cups = 3.785 liters. A gallon of milk in the US is smaller than a gallon in the UK, which is why UK pint glasses are larger than US pints.Why are US and UK gallons different?
The US gallon descends from the English wine gallon (231 cubic inches), while the UK gallon was redefined in 1824 as the volume of 10 pounds of water (277.4 cubic inches). The US kept the older, smaller unit.
How many liters in a US quart?
A US quart is one-quarter of a US gallon, so it is 0.9464 liters — very close to 1 liter. This makes quarts and liters almost interchangeable for cooking.
What is the quick mental math for liters to US gallons?
Divide by 4 and add a tiny bit. Example: 20 liters / 4 = 5 gallons. Exact: 5.28. The error is about 5%, acceptable for quick estimates.
Related Calculators
- Fuel Cost Calculator — cost per trip
- Gas Mileage Calculator — fuel efficiency in mpg or L/100km
- Pool Volume Calculator — water volume for pools
- Water Usage Calculator — household consumption