One listing says 15 km/l; another says 35 mpg. They look close, but are they? Converting the units is a useful first step when comparing a car across India and the US, not a guarantee that both figures describe the same test or the same real-world drive.
Convert the units first
For US miles per gallon, multiply km/l by about 2.35 to get US mpg. In the other direction, multiply US mpg by about 0.425 to get km/l. So 15 km/l works out to roughly 35.3 US mpg.
That conversion uses the US gallon, which is smaller than the Imperial gallon used in some other markets. If a figure comes from outside the US, check which gallon it uses before comparing it with an American listing. Otherwise, the arithmetic may be tidy while the comparison is not.
Keep the test context attached
Even after converting, check how the figure was produced. US EPA estimates and figures reported for vehicles in India come from market-specific procedures, so matching units alone does not make the results directly equivalent. Look for the local certification or test context in the listing or manufacturer material.
For a buying decision, compare versions sold in the same market first, then use the other market’s number as context rather than a promise. Your route matters too: stop-and-go traffic, highway speed, terrain, and load can all change the result. Treat the converted figure as a translation—not a forecast of what your commute will deliver.