Cars, Light Trucks to be Required to Show Fuel-Use Labels

U.S. cars and light trucks will be required to carry labels comparing estimated five-year fuel costs with those of the average new vehicle, the Department of Transportation and Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday.

DOT also said that the Obama Administration plans to finalize in July the first-ever national fuel economy and greenhouse gas emission standards for commercial trucks, vans and buses built in 2014 to 2018 model years.

EPA and DOT announced the Obama administration’s plan for the first-ever standards to improve fuel efficiency of heavy-duty trucks and reduce greenhouse gas emissions last October.

The labeling plan comes following industry opposition to adding fuel-economy letter grades to the stickers, Bloomberg reported.

Labels will include annual fuel-cost estimates and must be affixed to cars and light trucks starting with the 2013 model year, DOT and EPA said, and will rate vehicles on a scale of 1 to 10 for smog and greenhouse-gas emissions.

The labels “will provide consumers with up-front information about a vehicle’s fuel costs and savings so that they can make informed decisions when purchasing a new car,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement.