How to Read a Car Window Sticker (Monroney Label Explained)

The window sticker, officially the Monroney label, named after the 1958 law that made it mandatory, is the factory spec sheet affixed to every new vehicle sold in the U.S. It is the single source of truth for what a car was built with and what the manufacturer suggested it should cost.

Most stickers share the same layout:

• MSRP: the manufacturer’s suggested retail price, before options.
• Standard equipment: what every version of this trim includes.
• Optional equipment & packages: factory add-ons and their prices.
• Destination charge: the cost to ship the vehicle to the dealer.
• Total MSRP: base price plus options and destination.
• Fuel economy: EPA city, highway and combined estimates.
• Warranty & safety: coverage and crash-test ratings.
• Parts content: where the vehicle and engine were assembled.

The original sticker data is tied to the VIN. You can often re-create it through a manufacturer’s site, a third-party decoder, or, most conveniently, on a dealer’s vehicle detail page. See our full window sticker by VIN guide and the VIN decoder.

The sticker tells you whether the used car you’re looking at actually has the options the listing claims, what it originally cost, and how it was equipped from the factory, the details that separate a fair deal from an overpriced one.