Conversion factor
1 L = 0.264172 gal
and 1 gal = 3.78541 L
The formula
US gallons = litres × 0.264172
Worked example. To convert 5 L, multiply by 0.264172: 5 × 0.264172 = 1.32086 gal.
Litres to US Gallons conversion table
| litres (L) | US gallons (gal) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0.264172 |
| 5 | 1.32086 |
| 10 | 2.64172 |
| 20 | 5.28344 |
| 40 | 10.5669 |
| 50 | 13.2086 |
| 60 | 15.8503 |
| 100 | 26.4172 |
| 200 | 52.8344 |
About litres and US gallons
There are two gallons in common use and they are not close. A US liquid gallon is exactly 3.785411784 litres. An imperial gallon, still used in the UK for fuel economy figures, is 4.54609 litres, roughly 20% larger. Quoting a gallon figure without saying which one is a genuine source of error.
So one litre is 0.264172 US gallons but only 0.219969 imperial gallons. A 60 litre car fuel tank holds 15.85 US gallons or 13.20 imperial gallons.
The split is historical. The US kept the old English wine gallon of 231 cubic inches, while Britain redefined its gallon in 1824 as the volume of ten pounds of water. The two were never brought back together. This is also why US and UK miles per gallon figures are not comparable — see the fuel economy converter, which keeps them separate.
Need other units?
The full volume converter handles every unit in this family.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- How many litres are in a gallon?
- A US gallon is 3.785411784 litres. An imperial (UK) gallon is 4.54609 litres. Always check which gallon is meant before converting.
- Why is a UK gallon bigger than a US gallon?
- The US retained the older English wine gallon of 231 cubic inches. Britain redefined the imperial gallon in 1824 as the volume of ten pounds of water, making it about 20% larger. The two standards were never reconciled.
- How many gallons is a 60 litre fuel tank?
- 15.85 US gallons, or 13.20 imperial gallons.
- Is a US gallon of petrol the same as an imperial gallon?
- No, and it matters for fuel economy. A car rated at 40 US mpg is about 48 imperial mpg for identical real-world consumption, purely because the imperial gallon is larger.
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