Compare EPA Fuel Ratings Before You Buy A Car

Do Your Homework on EPA Fuel Ratings!

For every new vehicle sold in the United States, four used cars change hands.

Those new cars have nice, big window stickers showing their EPA-rated gas mileage figures. Now you can also get EPA fuel ratings on older or used cars.

How? A convenient new feature has been launched on FuelEconomy.gov, a Federal government website that offers gas-mileage ratings for all cars sold in the U.S. since 1984.
It lets used-car sellers print out a big, tidy window sticker showing the car’s EPA ratings (with all the latest statistical adjustments that make them consistent with new-car ratings).  The goal is to give used-car buyers more information about the costs of specific cars they’re evaluating. This proves especially useful as gasoline prices continue to rise due to unrest in the MiddleEast.
Besides displaying city, highway, and combined gas-mileage ratings, the sticker includes a photo of the vehicle and information about its engine size, transmission type, and the kind of fuel it takes. There’s also a QR Code that can be scanned with a smart phone, which links directly to that vehicle’s information page on the FuelEconomy.gov mobile site. That gives access to additional information, including its annual fuel cost and its greenhouse gas emissions.
The sticker includes a footnote explaining to consumers that fuel economy typically changes very little over a car’s life. The change is usually less than 2 percent over 15 years, assuming the vehicle has been properly maintained.

Before you buy either a new or used car, make sure to do the proper homework. While maintaining your car properly will help improve gas mileage, a better EPA rating is certain to help both your budget and our enviornment.

Tell you friends and family members to check FuelEconomy.gov before they buy their next vehicle.