Window sticker

All new vehicles sold in the ‘United States’ are required to have a “Window sticker,” also called a Monroney label, on them. It includes information about the vehicle, such as ‘Manufacturer’s suggested retail price’ (MSRP), Vehicle ‘make, model, and year,’ ‘Standard and optional’ equipment, ‘Engine and transmission’ specifications, Fuel efficiency ratings, Safety ratings, or Warranty information.

New vehicles sold in the United States are required to have a Window sticker attached to the “side window” (or windshield). This requirement stems from the “Automobile Information Disclosure Act” of 1958, generally referred to as the Monroney Act. In addition to being necessary for adhering to “federal rules,” the ‘Window sticker’ (Monroney label) gives buyers important details about the car they are buying. The sticker has to provide the following information:

the model, make, and “serial number or digits serving as identification”;
final assembly point (‘place’ where the vehicle was assembled);
the dealer’s “name and business address,” to whom it is to be handed;
the amount, if any, that the dealer is ‘charged’ for transporting the vehicle to the dealer’s location;
the mode of transportation utilized to deliver the vehicle, whether it is being ‘towed or driven,’ from the point of final assembly to the delivery location;
the retail price of the vehicle and retail price for “each accessory or piece of optional equipment”; and
information regarding safety ratings presented in a “readable, noticeable, and conspicuous” manner, if one or more have been ‘assigned, formally published, or released’ for such an automobile by the ‘National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’ (NHTSA) under the ‘New Car Assessment Program’ (NCAP).
a statement to that effect, if a vehicle has not been examined by the NHTSA as part of the NCAP or ‘if no safety ratings have been given to it.’

‘Safety rating labeling’ in the Window sticker is applicable on vehicles manufactured on or after ‘September 1, 2007,’ and with a “Gross Vehicle Weight Rating” (GVWR) of 10,000 pounds or less. This covers a variety of vehicle types, including “station wagons, passenger vans, sport utility vehicles (SUVs), passenger cars, and recreational vehicles (RVs).”

Dealerships are now required, as of ‘April 10, 2023,’ to scan a copy of the vehicle’s legally required Window sticker during ‘Electronic Vehicle Registration’ (EVR) transactions for ‘new’ cars. This is to guarantee that the ‘transaction’ is being entered with the right Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP).

During an EVR transaction, if the ‘Dealer Management System’ (DMS) imports an incorrect MSRP, the “Independent Electronic Processing” (IEP) provider is responsible for updating the MSRP to reflect the correct amount.

The MSRP for a vehicle should include both the “base price” and the cost of any “optional equipment” (such as additional features or packages) that is added to the vehicle, when entering the MSRP during an EVR transaction. Further, ‘delivery, destination, processing, and shipping/handling’ expenses shouldn’t be included in the MSRP amount.

Used Car -

The ‘Federal Trade Commission’ (FTC) released the Used Car Rule’s final revisions in November 2016. The Used Car Rule mandates that dealers place a Window sticker (known as a “Buyers Guide”) with warranty and other information on ‘used cars’ that are offered for sale.

A Monroney label (which is necessary for new cars) is not required for used cars. Alternatively, a ‘Buyers Guide’ must be visible on used cars.

Irrespective of its former title, a “vehicle is deemed used” if it has been driven for purposes other than ‘moving or test driving.’ Vehicles under this category include “light-duty trucks, demonstrators, program cars, and light-duty vans” if they fulfill the following requirements:

‘Gross vehicle weight rating’ (GVWR) of the vehicle is less than 8,500 pounds;
Curb weight is less than 6,000 pounds; and
‘Area in front’ (Frontal Area) that is smaller than 46 square feet.

Motorcycles, any vehicle sold for “junk or components,” and ‘farm equipment’ are exempt from the rule.

The Buyers Guide offers crucial details such as:

Is the car being offered “as is” (no warranty) or with a warranty?
Information regarding the ‘conditions and terms’ of any relevant ‘warranty’ (if any).
Advice to consumers on pre-purchase
Advice to customers on how to obtain a “vehicle history report” (VHR).
The main ‘electrical and mechanical’ systems of the vehicle, along with some of the most important issues that buyers should be aware of.
Advice to get written copies of all commitments.
Advice to ‘preserve’ the Buyers Guide for future use after the sale.

The following are acceptable places for the guide to be displayed: hung from the car’s rear-view mirror, hanging out of the car on a side-view mirror, under a wiper blade or ‘affixed to a side-window.’

To gain additional knowledge about the ‘FTC Rule,’ go to “ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/rules/used-car-rule”.

Sticker history -

Senator Almer Stilwell “Mike” Monroney of Oklahoma, the senator behind the Monroney label (or Window sticker), played a pivotal role in its creation. In 1955, he chaired a subcommittee of the ‘Senate Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee’ that was tasked with investigating dealer complaints. These complaints alleged that “automobile manufacturers” were treating dealers unfairly, which led to concerns about transparency in car sales and pricing.

As a result of these investigations, Senator Monroney introduced ‘legislation’ to mandate a Window sticker on all new cars. The legislation was passed in 1958 and is known as the “Automobile Information Disclosure Act,” often referred to as the ‘Monroney Act’ in honor of the senator’s efforts.

Fuel Economy and Environment -

The “National Highway Traffic Safety Administration” (NHTSA) and the “Environmental Protection Agency” (EPA) jointly published a final rule in 2011 that established new labeling requirements for the ‘fuel economy and environment’ label, which is required to be shown on the ‘Window sticker’ of every new car sold in the United States.

The purpose of the ‘new label’ is to provide customers more details about the vehicle’s:

Fuel economy (mpg, or equivalent for electric cars).
Greenhouse gas emissions rating (Higher is the Best).
Smog-producing pollutants rating (Higher is the Best).
Annual fuel cost (calculated using an ‘average gasoline price’ and 15,000 kilometers driven annually).
Technology and fuel type, like “gasoline, diesel, plug-in hybrid (electric-gasoline), flexible fuel (gasoline-ethanol [E85]), and electric vehicle.”

Passenger cars, light-duty trucks, and “medium-duty passenger vehicles” (including bigger SUVs and vans) are all subject to these labeling regulations.

The “fuel economy and environment” label needs to be placed on a side window, as close to the ‘Window sticker’ as feasible, if it isn’t already integrated within it. Further, the “fuel economy and environment” label must be placed on another window as close as ‘physically practicable’ to the ‘Window sticker,’ if the window is not big enough to fit both one.

The official web page of ‘Automobile Information Disclosure Act’ is: https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title15/chapter28&edition=prelim.

That’s all friends.

Window sticker

Used Car -

Sticker history -

Fuel Economy and Environment -

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