Below is a walkthrough of every section, plus which lines you can negotiate down and which lines are fixed.
1. Vehicle identification block
Top of the sticker shows the year, make, model, trim, exterior color, interior color, engine and transmission codes, and the 17-character VIN. Confirm every line matches what the dealer is showing you. Color codes are especially important if you ordered a specific paint.
2. Base MSRP
The starting price for the trim before any options or destination charge. This is the manufacturer's suggested retail price for the bare trim — not what you pay.
3. Factory-installed options & packages
Each option appears on its own line with an individual price. Packages (like a "Premium Package" or "Technology Package") bundle multiple items at a single price. Check that every option you ordered is actually on the sticker — if it's not on the Monroney, it's either not installed or was a dealer add-on (not factory).
4. Total options
Sum of all factory options added to the base price. This number is the difference between a stripped trim and the one you're buying.
5. Destination & handling charge
The cost to ship the vehicle from the assembly plant to the dealer. This is a fixed, non-negotiable charge — every buyer in every state pays the same destination fee for the same model. Typical range: $1,000–$2,500.
6. Total MSRP
Base + options + destination. This is your negotiation anchor. Real buyers typically pay 5–10% below total MSRP for mainstream vehicles, with deeper discounts on slow-moving inventory.
7. EPA fuel economy
City MPG, highway MPG, combined MPG, estimated annual fuel cost (based on 15,000 miles/year), and the 5-year fuel cost comparison. EVs show MPGe, kWh per 100 miles, and estimated annual electricity cost.
8. NHTSA safety ratings
Frontal crash, side crash, and rollover ratings on a 1–5 star scale. New trims sometimes show "Not Rated" until NHTSA completes its testing.
9. Warranty coverage
Bumper-to-bumper, powertrain, corrosion, roadside assistance, and any complimentary maintenance. Compare across brands — some offer 10 years/100,000 miles powertrain (Hyundai/Kia/Genesis) while most offer 5/60,000 (most others).
10. Parts content & assembly
Percentage of parts from US/Canada vs. foreign sources, country of engine and transmission origin, and final assembly point. Required by the American Automobile Labeling Act.
Which lines can you negotiate?
- ✅ Total MSRP — yes. Real buyers average 5–10% off MSRP on mainstream vehicles. Use CarWhere's Full VIN Report to see what other buyers paid for the same VIN's make/model/year.
- ❌ Destination charge — no. Every buyer pays the same destination charge.
- ✅ Dealer addendum — yes, aggressively. Anything on the second sticker (paint protection, nitrogen, VIN etch, market adjustment) is dealer-added and almost always negotiable or removable.
- ❌ Factory options — no individually. Options are part of the build; you can't un-order them. But the total price reflects what they added to MSRP, and the whole price is negotiable as a single number.
How to find a window sticker by VIN
For 12 brands (GM, Ford/Lincoln, Stellantis, Hyundai, Genesis), CarWhere pulls the original Monroney free at /tools/window-sticker. Popular brand-specific lookups: Ford, Chevrolet, Jeep, Ram, and Toyota. For brands without a public Monroney endpoint (Honda, Nissan, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Subaru, Mazda, VW, Audi, Volvo, Porsche, Tesla, Rivian, Lucid), use the $9.99 Full VIN Report.
Related guides
- What Is a Monroney Label? — federal-mandate background and full label anatomy
- How to Find Original MSRP by VIN — step-by-step lookup process
- CarWhere VIN Report Methodology — data sources, the join, and what we don't include