Fuel economy window stickers now available for used cars, too

For years, new cars have had fuel economy information on window stickers. But knowing fuel economy estimates for used car buyers has been more difficult, especially when walking a local car lot.

Now the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is providing old fuel economy window stickers for used car sellers and buyers at its fuel economy website, fueleconomy.gov.

These are not new fuel economy estimates. The Agency is publishing the new widow stickers based on its updated mpg figures it began publishing in 2008. The new estimates take into account the higher freeway speeds, greater use of air conditioners, colder temperatures, and faster acceleration typical of modern traffic. They tend to be a couple of miles per gallon lower than widow stickers for the same cars prior to 2008.

They are available on the website in a format that used-car sellers can print out to advertise their car. If you're shopping for a used car, you can also access the official window stickers for as many models as you're considering to compare their fuel economy.

The EPA says its research shows that mileage declines only about 2 percent over the first 15 years of wear if a car properly maintained. When we recently tested a well-maintained 2002 Toyota Prius with over 208,000 miles, we found its fuel economy barely dropped from the 40.6 mpg overall we had originally measured to 40.4 mpg.

Consumer Reports publishes our own real-world mpg measurements based on cars bought new at dealerships. If you're buying a used car, you can find our mpg data on past-tested models on the used car overview pages, available to online subscribers.

Used cars account for four of every five car sales in the United States, so we're happy to see this useful shopping tool become available for used car buyers, especially at a time when buyers are increasingly concerned with fuel economy.

–Eric Evarts

—Aaron Bailey