(May 26, 2011) WASHINGTON — The Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday unveiled new fuel economy window stickers that will be on all cars for model year 2013.

The stickers will show how new vehicles rate on a scale of 1-to-10 on fuel economy and emissions, the Obama administration said as it dropped a controversial proposal to use letter grades.

The new labels drew praise from dealers, automakers, consumer advocates and environmental groups.

The stickers will show how much more or less consumers will spend on fuel over five years compared to the average new vehicle in the national fleet. Current labels limit the comparison to the class of vehicle; an SUV, for example, is compared only with other SUVs.

The stickers also will introduce a gallons-per-100 miles figure that will enable comparisons among electric vehicles, hybrids and gasoline-powered vehicles, according to EPA and the U.S. Transportation Department.

In addition, each vehicle’s environmental impact is included on the label for the first time.

The new stickers, like current labels, will feature most prominently  mpg, with breakdowns for city and highway.

“We are pleased that the actual fuel-economy number is prominently displayed, as it has been all along,” National Automobile Dealers Association spokesman Bailey Wood said.

NADA, as well as automaker groups, had vigorously opposed the use of letter grades based on fuel economy and emissions.

Sources: U.S. government, Automotive News