Window Sticker by VIN

What Is an Original Window Sticker?

An original window sticker, also called a Monroney label, is the price label a manufacturer attaches to the window of a new vehicle before it is offered for sale in the United States. It takes its name from Senator Mike Monroney, who sponsored the 1958 federal law that made the label mandatory on new cars. The label lists the vehicle's standard equipment, the factory options and packages it was ordered with, the retail price of each, the destination charge, and the EPA fuel economy estimates.

Years later, the same label is one of the most useful references a used-car buyer or seller can have. It records how the vehicle was equipped and priced when new, in plain language rather than factory codes, so you can check a listing, a trim badge or a seller's description against what was ordered. Many original labels are peeled off and thrown away after delivery, so a VIN lookup is often the practical way to see one again, when a copy is on file.

What Information Can a Window Sticker Show?

Layouts differ by manufacturer and model year, but an original sticker generally covers these six areas:

• Vehicle Identification

  The VIN, model year, make, model and trim level, and often the assembly plant and the dealer the vehicle was shipped to.

• Original MSRP

  The base price, the retail price of each factory option, the destination charge, and the total suggested retail price as listed when new.

• Factory Packages

  Option packages and groups ordered from the factory, often with the equipment each package adds itemized underneath.

• Powertrain

  Engine and transmission, and on many trucks and SUVs the drivetrain, axle ratio and trailering equipment.

• Exterior & Interior

  Paint color name, interior color and seat material, wheels, and the comfort, audio and technology options added at the factory.

• Fuel Economy & Warranty

  EPA city, highway and combined estimates, and the warranty coverage offered when the vehicle was new, which may have expired since.

Not every field appears for every manufacturer or year. Older labels carry less detail than recent ones, and on this site original stickers are available only for GM brands, and only for some VINs.

Window Sticker vs. Factory Build Sheet

The two documents describe the same vehicle from different angles. The window sticker is the retail label written for a shopper; the factory build sheet is a record of the equipment built into the vehicle.

A build sheet can list items a sticker never mentions, such as production and shipping codes, while the sticker presents equipment the way a buyer would recognize it. For a fuller comparison, read window sticker vs. build sheet; to make sense of GM codes, see GM RPO codes explained.

How to Look Up a Window Sticker by VIN

1. Find the 17-character VIN. It appears on a plate at the base of the windshield on the driver's side, on the label in the driver's door jamb, and on the title, registration and insurance card. VINs never use the letters I, O or Q, so if you see one, it is usually a misread 1 or 0. Not sure where to look? See where to find your VIN.
2. Enter it above and select Look Up Window Sticker. The site decodes the VIN's basic identity, such as make, model and model year, and detects the manufacturer on its own.
3. The lookup checks the records available for that VIN. For Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac and GMC it looks for the original window sticker first and, if none is on file, the RPO build sheet. For Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Fiat and Alfa Romeo it looks for the factory build sheet.
4. Compare the result with the vehicle. Check the record against the listing, the badges and what you can see in person. Some VINs return no record at all; why a window sticker may not be available covers the usual reasons and the alternatives.

Supported Manufacturers

The lookup covers two manufacturer groups. You don't need to pick a brand: the site reads the manufacturer from the VIN and requests the matching record.

Vehicles from other manufacturers, such as Ford, Lincoln, Toyota or Honda, are not supported.

Original MSRP by VIN

Original MSRP appears only on the original window sticker. When a GM vehicle's sticker is on file, it shows the base price, the retail price of each factory option, the destination charge and the total as listed when the vehicle was new.

That number is historical, not a valuation. It doesn't reflect what the first buyer actually paid after discounts, dealer add-ons or markups, and it says nothing about today's market value, which depends on mileage, condition, history and demand. Its real use is showing how heavily a vehicle was optioned compared with others of the same model.

A build sheet is not a substitute source for original retail pricing. RPO build sheets and Stellantis factory build sheets list equipment without prices, so the site does not provide MSRP for Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Fiat or Alfa Romeo vehicles.

Why Check the Original Equipment Before Buying a Used Car?

Used-car listings are often written from memory, from a trim badge, or by someone who never saw the original paperwork. A factory record lets you test the claims that affect price and usefulness:

• Missing options. Sellers leave out packages they don't recognize, which can make a well-equipped vehicle look ordinary, or skip over the fact that an expected feature was never installed.
• Aftermarket parts presented as original. Wheels, lift kits, badges and trim pieces can be added later. The factory record shows what was installed when the vehicle was built.
• Trim and powertrain claims. Engine, transmission, drivetrain and axle ratio are easy to misstate and expensive to get wrong, especially on a truck bought for towing.

A window sticker or build sheet shows how the vehicle left the factory, not its current condition. Parts get replaced, removed or upgraded over the years. Use the factory record alongside a pre-purchase inspection by an independent mechanic, a vehicle history report and the maintenance records. For GM models, checking options on a used GM vehicle walks through the process.

Popular guides

• What Is a Window Sticker?Monroney labels and what each part of one means.
• How to Read a Window StickerWorking through a GM sticker section by section.
• Window Sticker vs. Build SheetWhich document answers which question.
• Window Sticker Not Available?Common reasons a sticker is missing, and what to check instead.
• Check Options on a Used GM VehicleConfirming equipment before you buy.
• Jeep Build SheetReading the factory equipment listing for a Jeep.

Browse all guides →