Revamped car mileage stickers give more info

With gas prices hovering around the $4 a gallon mark in much of the country, a car's gas mileage is as imporant as ever for cousumers. And now, the Obama administration has unveiled new fuel economy labels designed to give consumers more help than the old ones in evaluating vehicles' energy efficiency before making a purchasing.

The new stickers, announced by the Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency, will provide car shoppers with an estimated annual fuel cost, an estimated total savings over a five-year span, and information on the vehicle's environmental impact.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood called the new stickers the most significant overhaul

to fuel economy labels since they started appearing on cars and trucks more than 30 years ago.

"These new stickers are a win-win," LaHood said. "They'll help consumers make informed choices and save money at the pump, and they'll help keep America moving down the road to energy independence."

Car shoppers can expect to see them on all 2013 model vehicles, but automakers can choose to start using them earlier, on 2012 model year cars.

Said EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, ""These new labels will provide one of the most powerful consumer

information tools that car buyers have ever had at their disposal."