I think the real solution here is customization. Some folks prefer meters for everything, some folks prefer numbers for everything, some others want different things depending on the context.
There are arguments for numbers and meters, and sometimes there's one that's probably better for the general population (like numbers for speed or meters for fuel), and in that case this "better" option should of course be the default, but still be changeable.
This way, everyone can be happy, including those who don't really care and want someone else to choose, and those with strong preferences too.
Of course, with a car this is much easier, because most people would set it up once and then use it for a long while, while web pages are a different thing, you interact with many different ones from different devices, in different contexts, with or without a login, ...
There are arguments for numbers and meters, and sometimes there's one that's probably better for the general population (like numbers for speed or meters for fuel), and in that case this "better" option should of course be the default, but still be changeable.
This way, everyone can be happy, including those who don't really care and want someone else to choose, and those with strong preferences too.
Of course, with a car this is much easier, because most people would set it up once and then use it for a long while, while web pages are a different thing, you interact with many different ones from different devices, in different contexts, with or without a login, ...