Quick fuel economy reference
Common equivalences between MPG, liters per 100 km, and kilometers per liter. Use the calculator above for every unit pair and full precision.
| US MPG | ≈ 2.352 L/100 km per MPG (divide 235.2 by MPG) |
|---|---|
| L/100 km | 100 ÷ (km/L); e.g. 5 L/100 km ≈ 20 km/L |
| km/L | 100 ÷ (L/100 km); 1 km/L ≈ 2.352 US MPG |
| UK MPG | Larger gallon than US; same distance economy reads higher in UK MPG |
What is fuel consumption?
Fuel consumption describes how much fuel a vehicle uses relative to distance traveled. You will see it expressed either as economy (distance per unit fuel: miles per gallon, kilometers per liter, meters per liter) or as consumption (fuel per unit distance: liters per 100 km, gallons per mile). Both views describe the same trip; they are reciprocals of each other after you align length and volume units.
This converter uses meters per liter (m/L) internally as the common base. All “distance per volume” units convert with a simple ratio. Units written as volume per distance use the reciprocal so that, for example, doubling the liters per 100 km halves the implied kilometers per liter.
For energy per volume of fuel (heating value, Btu per cubic foot, and similar) use the Fuel Efficiency (Volume) Converter instead. This page is strictly about distance traveled per amount of fuel (and its inverse).
How fuel consumption conversion works
For units that are already “distance ÷ volume,” multiply your value by the source factor and divide by the target factor, where each factor is the equivalent in m/L for a value of 1 in that unit:
For volume per distance (liters per meter, gallons per mile, L/100 km), the relationship is reciprocal:
Example: 40 US MPG. The factor for US miles per gallon is the number of meters in one mile divided by liters in one US gallon, so 40 MPG maps to 40× that factor in m/L, then to any other row in the table.
US liquid gallons, UK gallons, statute miles, and international nautical miles use standard definitions (US gallon 3.785411784 L; UK gallon 4.54609 L; mile 1609.344 m; nautical mile 1852 m). All arithmetic runs in your browser; nothing is sent to a server.
Key units explained
Short reference for labels you will see on dashboards, window stickers, and engineering specs.
Mile per gallon (US)
Distance per US liquid gallon
Dominant in the United States. EPA labels and everyday conversation use US liquid gallons (231 in³). Do not mix with imperial (UK) gallons.
Mile per gallon (UK)
Distance per UK gallon
Still seen in the UK and some Commonwealth material. A UK gallon is about 20% larger than a US gallon, so the same car shows a higher “MPG” in UK units than in US MPG.
Liter per 100 km [L/100 km]
European consumption style
Lower numbers mean better economy. To compare with km/L, divide 100 by L/100 km (e.g. 5 L/100 km = 20 km/L).
Kilometer per liter [km/L]
Common in Asia and parts of Europe
Higher is better. Multiply km/L by the liters-per-gallon factor to compare mentally with MPG, or use the tool above.
Nautical mile per gallon
Marine context
One nautical mile is exactly 1852 m. Paired with US gallons for small-craft fuel planning and brochure figures.
Meter per liter [m/L]
SI-friendly economy form
The internal base for this calculator. Useful when you already work in meters and liters and want a single coherent scale for scientific or spreadsheet work.
US gallon vs. UK gallon
Fuel economy numbers are only comparable when the gallon is specified. The US liquid gallon is legally defined as 231 cubic inches (3.785411784 L). The UK (imperial) gallon is 4.54609 L. Any “MPG” without a country label is ambiguous on the internet; this converter labels US and UK explicitly.
| Measure | US | UK |
|---|---|---|
| Gallon size | 3.785411784 L | 4.54609 L |
| Same car, “MPG” | Lower number | Higher number |
Who uses a fuel consumption converter?
Drivers comparing vehicles across regions translate EPA miles per gallon to L/100 km or km/L before judging efficiency. Fleet and logistics planners reconcile OEM data in mixed units with fuel purchase records in liters or gallons. Marine and aviation enthusiasts work with nautical miles per gallon or liter. Students and engineers normalize classroom SI problems to regulatory or marketing units. Publishers and bloggers verify equivalent figures for international audiences. Everything runs locally in the browser.
Common fuel consumption conversions
Reference multipliers; the calculator above handles all listed units exactly.
| From | To | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| US MPG | L/100 km | L/100 km ≈ 235.214583 ÷ MPG (US) |
| L/100 km | km/L | km/L = 100 ÷ (L/100 km) |
| km/L | US MPG | MPG (US) ≈ 2.35214584 × km/L |
| UK MPG | US MPG | Same physics: multiply UK MPG by UK gal / US gal |
| Meter/liter | km/L | km/L = (m/L) ÷ 1000 |
Fuel Consumption Converter FAQ
? How do I convert US MPG to liters per 100 km?
Divide approximately 235.214583 by the US MPG value. Example: 30 MPG (US) ≈ 7.84 L/100 km. The calculator above uses exact gallon and mile definitions, so use it when you need more digits than a mental shortcut.
? Why is UK MPG higher than US MPG for the same car?
The imperial gallon is larger (4.54609 L) than the US gallon (3.785411784 L). Traveling the same distance on the same fuel yields a larger “miles per gallon” figure when the gallon is UK-sized. Always check which gallon a brochure or forum post uses.
? Is a lower L/100 km better?
Yes. Liters per 100 kilometers is a consumption rate: less fuel used over the same 100 km is better. It is the inverse viewpoint of km/L or MPG, where higher numbers mean better economy.
? What is the difference between fuel consumption and fuel efficiency (volume)?
Fuel consumption here means distance traveled per volume of fuel (or the reciprocal). Fuel efficiency (volume) in thermodynamics often means energy per unit volume (or volume per unit energy) of the fuel itself—Btu per cubic foot, megajoules per liter, and similar. Those are different physical quantities; this page only handles distance and fuel volume.
? Does this account for temperature or ethanol blend?
No. The converter is a pure unit translation at fixed definitions of the mile, nautical mile, meter, US gallon, and UK gallon. Real-world energy content per liter changes slightly with blend and temperature, but the units of “miles per gallon” are still defined the same way on the label.
? What does “meter per cubic meter” mean for fuel?
It is meters traveled per cubic meter of fuel. Because one cubic meter of liquid is 1000 liters, it is a compact SI-style way to express economy using volume in m³ instead of liters—uncommon on dashboards but useful in some technical writing.