Liters to Gallons conversion

Liters to gallons

The liter is the metric unit for liquids, defined as one cubic decimeter. To express liters in US gallons, divide by 3.78541: liters ÷ 3.78541 = gallons. If you need imperial gallons (UK, Ireland, historically Canada), divide by 4.54609 instead — the two gallons differ by about 20 %.

Quick reference

• 1 L = 0.26 gal (a little over a quart)
• 2 L = 0.53 gal
• 4 L = 1.06 gal
• 10 L = 2.64 gal
• 20 L = 5.28 gal (a jerry can)
• 50 L = 13.21 gal (a compact car's tank)
• 100 L = 26.42 gal
• 200 L = 52.83 gal (an oil drum)
• 1000 L = 264.17 gal (one cubic meter)

Mental shortcut

Multiply liters by 0.26, or divide by 4 and add 5 %. So 60 liters is about 15 gallons plus a bit — 15.85 to be exact.

Fuel economy

European cars quote consumption in liters per 100 km; American cars quote miles per US gallon. The two are inverses: mpg = 235.2 ÷ (L/100 km). A car that uses 6 L/100 km does 39 mpg (US); in imperial gallons that would read as 47 mpg, which is why UK and US figures for the same car look so different.

Bottles, kegs and pools

Bottled water comes in 0.5 L (0.13 gal) and 1.5 L (0.4 gal) sizes. A standard 50 L beer keg is 13.2 gallons. A 40 000-liter swimming pool holds about 10 570 gallons. When buying pool chemicals or a pump sold with gallon ratings, convert the pool volume first.

Worked examples

A 60-liter tank. 60 ÷ 3.78541 = 15.85 US gal. A US car with a "16-gallon tank" holds the same.

A 5-liter jug of water. 5 ÷ 3.78541 = 1.32 gal — a bit more than the American gallon jug.

1 000 liters (one cubic meter). 1 000 ÷ 3.78541 = 264.2 gal. Water utilities in the US bill per 1 000 gallons, about 3.8 m³.

Frequently asked questions

How many gallons are in a liter? 0.264 US gallons, or about a quarter of a gallon plus a little.

Why are British and American gallons different? The US kept the old English wine gallon of 231 cubic inches; Britain redefined its gallon in 1824 as the volume of 10 pounds of water, 4.546 l.

How do I convert L/100 km to mpg? 235.21 ÷ (L/100 km): 5 L/100 km is 47 mpg (US), 56 mpg (imperial).

Related conversions

For bottles and glasses, liters to fluid ounces (× 33.814) is the natural pair; a liter is also 4.23 US cups.

Good to know

Engine oil, coolant and windscreen fluid are sold in litres in Europe and quarts and gallons in the US, and owner's manuals give capacities in both. A 4.5-litre oil capacity is 4.75 quarts, so an American 5-quart jug covers it; a 7-litre cooling system is 1.85 gallons. Fuel prices are the everyday comparison: divide the price per litre by 0.264 (or multiply by 3.785) to get the price per US gallon — €1.70 per litre is about $6.40 per gallon at parity, which is why American visitors are startled by European pump prices.