Fuel economy label
The official sticker or document showing a new car's consumption, emissions, and, in the US, estimated fuel costs, in the format each market's regulator requires.
The fuel economy label is the regulator-mandated summary of what a new car consumes. Its exact form differs by market, but the job is the same everywhere: put standardized, comparable figures in front of you at the point of sale.
In the US, the fuel economy section of the window sticker shows EPA city, highway, and combined mpg for gas cars. For electric cars, it shows MPGe: miles per gallon of gasoline-equivalent, the number of miles the vehicle can go using the amount of energy in one gallon of gasoline. The label also estimates annual fuel cost, based on 15,000 miles a year and a projected gasoline price.
In the UK, dealers must display a label with a new car's fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, under the Passenger Car (Fuel Consumption and CO2 Emissions Information) Regulations, as the Vehicle Certification Agency explains. UK labels show fuel consumption in both L/100 km and mpg.
The label is a comparison tool, not a forecast: figures come from lab cycles and your driving will differ. On CarPairly, every figure keeps its cycle name attached.
Differs by market
In the US, the label is part of the window sticker with EPA figures such as mpg, MPGe, and estimated annual fuel cost. In the UK, dealers must display a label showing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions on or near every new car displayed for sale.