The Window Sticker (Monroney Label) Explained, Section by Section

Every new car on a dealer's lot has a large printed label on a window. That is the Monroney label, named for the senator who sponsored the 1958 law that created it. The manufacturer prints it, and it stays with the car until it is sold. It is the one price document on the lot that the dealer did not write, which makes it your reference point for everything else.

Often there is a second, smaller sticker beside it. That one is the dealer's. Knowing the difference is the most useful thing in this guide, so we cover both.

What federal law requires

The label requirement is in the Automobile Information Disclosure Act, at 15 U.S.C. 1232. It says the manufacturer must attach a label to each new automobile showing:

the make, model and identification number (the VIN)
the final assembly point
the name and location of the dealer the car is being delivered to, and the place of delivery
the method of transportation, if the car was driven or towed to the dealer
the manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) for the car
the suggested retail price of each factory-installed option not included in that price
the amount charged to the dealer for transportation, usually printed as the destination charge
the total of those amounts
government crash-test star ratings from NHTSA, if the car has been rated, or a statement that it has not been

A related section, 15 U.S.C. 1233, makes it an offense to willfully remove or alter the label before the car is delivered to its first retail buyer. So on a new car you should always be able to see it. If it is missing, ask for it. Used cars do not carry a Monroney label; dealers must display a different document, the FTC Buyers Guide, on those.

Other federal rules add two more blocks to the same sheet: the EPA and DOT fuel economy and environment label, and the parts-content information required by the American Automobile Labeling Act.

Reading it section by section

Layouts differ by brand, but the content is the same.

1. Vehicle description

Model year, make, model, trim, engine and transmission, exterior and interior colors, and the VIN. Check the VIN against the plate at the base of the windshield and against any paperwork. This is how you confirm the sticker belongs to this car.

2. Standard equipment

Everything included in the base price for that trim, usually grouped under headings such as safety, interior, exterior and mechanical. This is where you confirm that a feature you care about is really on this trim for this model year. See how to choose a trim level.

3. Optional equipment

Factory-installed packages and options, each with its suggested price. Port-installed accessories added by the distributor before the car reached the dealer sometimes appear here too. If an option you are being charged for is not on this list, it was not installed by the manufacturer.

4. Pricing

Line	What it means
Base price	MSRP for the trim before options
Total options	Sum of the optional equipment
Destination charge	The manufacturer's transportation charge, generally a flat amount per model, not based on how far your dealer is from the plant
Total suggested retail price	The number most people mean by "sticker price"

MSRP is a suggestion. A dealer can sell for less or ask for more. The destination charge is part of the total on the label, so a dealer should not add a second freight or delivery charge on top. MSRP, invoice and market price explains how the sticker relates to what cars really sell for.

What the label does not include: sales tax, title and registration, the dealer's documentation fee, or anything the dealer added. Those show up in your out-the-door price.

5. Fuel economy and environment

For gasoline cars this block shows, according to fueleconomy.gov:

city, highway and combined MPG, with combined most prominent
gallons used per 100 miles, which is a better basis for comparing fuel cost than MPG
estimated annual fuel cost, based on 15,000 miles a year and a projected fuel price
how much more or less you would spend on fuel over five years compared with the average new vehicle
a 1-to-10 fuel economy and greenhouse gas rating, and a 1-to-10 smog rating
the range of MPG for other vehicles in the same class
a QR code linking to the car's page on fueleconomy.gov

Electric cars show MPGe (miles per gallon-equivalent), kilowatt-hours used per 100 miles, estimated driving range on a full charge, and the time to charge an empty battery on 240-volt service. Plug-in hybrids show figures for both electric and gasoline operation. The fine print says real-world results vary, and they do. EV range and charging basics explains how to read the EV numbers.

6. Safety ratings

NHTSA's star ratings for frontal crash, side crash and rollover, with an overall score, if the model has been tested. If it has not, the label must say so. "Not rated" does not mean unsafe; it means not tested under that program. The insurance industry's IIHS runs separate tests that are not on the label and are worth looking up.

7. Parts content

Under 49 U.S.C. 32304, the label shows the percentage of U.S. and Canadian parts content for that model line, the final assembly city and country, the country of origin of the engine and transmission, and other countries that supplied 15 percent or more of the parts. Most buyers skip this block, but the final assembly point now has a practical use: the IRS says the label is one way to verify U.S. final assembly for the federal car loan interest deduction. EV tax credits and incentives summarizes that deduction.

The dealer addendum: the other sticker

The addendum, sometimes called a supplemental sticker, is printed by the dealer and placed next to the Monroney label, often in a similar style. It is not required by the federal labeling law and its contents are the dealer's choice. Typical lines:

dealer-installed accessories such as tint, wheel locks, floor mats, paint or fabric protection, nitrogen in the tires, or an anti-theft product
a "market adjustment" or "additional dealer markup"
a new, higher total labelled something like "dealer asking price"

None of this is hidden or improper in itself. Dealers are allowed to add products and to ask more than MSRP. But the two stickers have different authors, and you should treat them differently.

	Monroney label	Dealer addendum
Who prints it	Manufacturer	Dealer
Required by federal labeling law	Yes	No
Prices	Manufacturer's suggested prices	Dealer's asking prices
Items	Installed at the factory or port	Added at the dealership, or pure markup
Negotiable	The selling price is	Every line is

How to handle addendum items

Ask whether each item is already installed. Something not yet applied can simply be left off.
For installed items, ask for the price to be reduced or removed. The dealer's cost for many of these is far below the sticker figure, and "I am not paying for that" is a normal thing to say.
If the dealer will not move, compare with another dealer's car that does not have the items. Dealer add-ons: which are worth it and dealer markups and market adjustments go through the common lines.

A line you can use: "I am working from the manufacturer's sticker. Please quote me a selling price for the car as it left the factory, and list any dealer-added items separately so I can decide on each."

Three uses for the sticker

Before you visit. Many dealer listings link to a copy of the window sticker. Listings on /cars link to the dealer's own page, where you can often find it. Compare the advertised price to the sticker total to see whether the car is priced over, at or under MSRP.
On the lot. Photograph both stickers. They are your record of what was offered.
At signing. Match the VIN, the options and the MSRP on the purchase contract to the label.