Does Canada use gallons or liters?

Answered by Willie Powers

In Canada, we actually use liters to measure fuel efficiency instead of gallons. This change was made to align with the metric system, which is widely used in the country. So, if you’re talking about how many miles a car can go on a certain amount of fuel, we would use liters/100 km as the unit of measurement.

Now, let’s talk about why Canada made this switch. The metric system is used in most countries around the world, including Canada, and it provides a standardized and consistent way of measuring things. It’s easier for people to understand and work with metric units, especially when it comes to calculations and conversions.

Using liters/100 km for fuel efficiency is actually more accurate and practical than using miles per gallon (mpg). When you think about it, the more fuel-efficient a vehicle is, the fewer liters of fuel it would consume to travel a certain distance. So, using liters/100 km allows for a more intuitive understanding of how fuel-efficient a car is.

I remember when I first moved to Canada from a country that used gallons, it took a bit of getting used to. I had to retrain my brain to think in liters instead. But after a while, it became second nature, and now I find it much easier to compare fuel efficiency between different vehicles.

Another advantage of using liters/100 km is that it’s a more universal unit of measurement. Most other countries around the world also use liters for fuel efficiency, so it makes it easier to compare and understand the fuel efficiency of cars globally. This is especially useful for people who travel internationally or import vehicles from other countries.

To give you an idea of the difference in measurement, let’s say a car has a fuel efficiency rating of 8 liters/100 km. This means that the car would consume 8 liters of fuel to travel a distance of 100 km. In the old system of gallons, this would be equivalent to approximately 35 miles per gallon (mpg). So, you can see that using liters/100 km provides a more precise measurement.

Canada made the switch from using gallons to liters for measuring fuel efficiency to align with the metric system and provide a more accurate and practical unit of measurement. While it may take some adjustment for those accustomed to gallons, using liters/100 km allows for easier comparisons and a more universal understanding of fuel efficiency.