A window sticker (properly called a "Monroney label," after Senator Mike Monroney, who sponsored the law requiring it) isn't just a price tag — it's a legally mandated disclosure form. Several different federal laws, passed decades apart, each added a required section to it.
Before you read further: this page explains the real, legally required label. It is not the same thing as Clear Auto Choice's own printable summary, which is styled to look similar for readability but is explicitly not an official Monroney label — it's our own organization of public NHTSA/EPA data, not a substitute for the manufacturer's actual disclosure.
The label has grown by amendment since 1958 — each row below is a real, separately-enacted requirement, not one single law.
| Required on the label | Required since | Law / regulation |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer's suggested retail price and destination charge | 1958 | Automobile Information Disclosure Act |
| Standard equipment, warranty, and vehicle identification (make, model, trim, engine, transmission, VIN) | 1958 | Automobile Information Disclosure Act |
| Optional equipment installed, and its price | 1958 | Automobile Information Disclosure Act |
| EPA city and highway fuel economy estimates | 1970s | Energy Policy and Conservation Act |
| U.S./Canadian parts-content percentage and final assembly location | Vehicles built on or after October 1, 1994 | American Automobile Labeling Act (49 CFR Part 583) |
| NHTSA 5-star ratings for frontal crash, side crash, and rollover | Vehicles built after September 1, 2007 | NCAP safety labeling rule (49 CFR § 575.301) |
| Greenhouse-gas and smog-forming emissions scores | 2008 model year | Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 |
| MPGe, energy use per 100 miles, 5-year fuel cost estimate, and a QR code to fueleconomy.gov | 2013 model year | Joint EPA/NHTSA fuel-economy labeling rule |
The original Monroney label is affixed to a new vehicle's window at the factory and is legally required to stay on until the first retail sale. After that: