Region: International or Italy (both)
UI Language: English
Node: EUROPE-WEST2

Search: Modena
Switch to Maps
Click "Directions"
Choose Rome, Italy as a starting point

Driving directions report overall distance in miles, but turn-by-turn navigation uses wrong units too (it used to be "m" not long ago, now it's "ft m", whatever that means). There is no way to change units through the Maps interface.

Suggestion:

add a user preference for the default length units (SI, Imperial or auto)
by default (auto) use the SI units or units used conventionally in the chosen region (Italy or International => km, United States => mi)
do not mix different systems in the same UI
allow to toggle this option from the Maps page (currently, it's not possible to switch to a different region)

This suggestion is not a duplicate of https://kagifeedback.org/d/871-use-metric-units-on-maps which is reported to be DONE. It suggested to use the location of the user to select a system of measurement. Instead I suggest to use an explicit user preference rather than an arbitrary and often unreliable heuristic like user location, search location, or browser language.

Consider these use cases:

planning a trip across regions where different systems of measurement are used: the same distance unit should be used for all results
traveling abroad (a European traveling to the US may want to keep using metric units, an American traveling to continental Europe may prefer miles): user preference should be used
cross-referencing Kagi directions to traffic signs or other local sources: requires a quick toggle switch

Why user location is not a good cue:

the user may run the same search before and after a transatlantic flight, he/she should expect to see the same results
the reported/detected location is often wrong
it may interfere with privacy tools like VPNs, Private Relay, etc.

Why browser settings and language are not a good cue:

interface language does not mean that the user is located in that country or is using all other conventions of its speakers
English UI is commonly used in professional contexts worldwide
people learning languages often prefer to use the language they study
many people prefer to use their mother tongue even when they live abroad

Why the geographical location of the start and end points of the search query is not a good cue:

it may cross multiple regions which use different systems of measurement