If you sell used cars, you have likely seen a paper sticker in the window of every car on the lot. That sticker is called the FTC Buyers Guide. It is not optional. It is a federal rule, and skipping it can cost you money.
In this guide, you will learn exactly what the FTC Buyers Guide is, who must use it, what it must say, and what happens if a dealer does not follow the rule. Every fact here comes straight from the Federal Trade Commission's own Dealer's Guide to the Used Car Rule.
Let's start with the basics.
What Is the FTC Buyers Guide?
The FTC Buyers Guide is a window sticker that dealers must place on every used car offered for sale. It tells buyers if the car is sold "as is" or with a warranty, and it lists major systems that may have problems.
This sticker comes from a rule called the Used Car Rule. Its full legal name is the Used Motor Vehicle Trade Regulation Rule. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) put this rule in place in 1985. You may also see it listed under its legal code, 16 CFR § 455.
The Buyers Guide is not a sales flyer or a price tag. It is a legal disclosure form. Its only job is to protect the buyer by giving them facts about the car before they agree to buy it. This is why the FTC controls exactly what the sticker looks like and what words it must use - dealers cannot write their own version.
Now that you know what the Buyers Guide is, the next question is simple: does your dealership actually have to use one?
What Happens if a Dealer Doesn't Comply With the Buyers Guide Rule?
According to the FTC, dealers who violate the Used Car Rule can face penalties of up to $53,088 per violation in FTC enforcement actions. This is the current inflation-adjusted figure, in effect as of the FTC's 2025 penalty update, and it applies per vehicle - not per dealership.
A few details make this risk bigger than it might first appear:
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No cure period. Once a vehicle is offered for sale without a proper Buyers Guide, the violation is already complete under the rule. There's no grace window to fix it after the fact.
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State enforcement adds a second layer. Many states have their own laws that mirror the Used Car Rule, and some even incorporate it directly by reference. That means state and local officials can also fine or sue a dealer for the same missing Guide, separate from any federal action.
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This applies across a large, active market. There are more than 152,000 used car dealers operating in the U.S. as of 2025, according to IBISWorld, and independent dealers alone sold 9.8 million used vehicles in 2025, according to NIADA's Used Car Industry Report. That's a lot of vehicles moving through lots where this rule applies on every single unit.
The math adds up fast for any dealer moving real volume. A lot that turns over even a few dozen vehicles without proper Guides isn't looking at one fine - it's looking at that penalty multiplied by every non-compliant vehicle sold.
This is exactly why most dealerships treat Buyers Guide compliance as a standing process, not a one-time task - using pre-printed, FTC-compliant forms alongside their other required sales paperwork, so no vehicle hits the lot without one. Getting set up that way is straightforward once you know exactly what format the FTC requires - which is exactly what the next section covers.
How Can Dealers Get a Compliant Buyers Guide?
Dealers have three ways to get a compliant FTC Buyers Guide: download the official form from the FTC, order pre-printed guides from a business-form supplier, or generate the form themselves - as long as it matches the FTC's required wording, type size, and layout exactly.
That last option comes with strict limits. According to the FTC's own Dealer's Guide to the Used Car Rule, a self-made Buyers Guide must follow these specs with no changes allowed:
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Printed in 100% black ink on white paper. Colored ink is only allowed to fill in the blanks, not for the form itself.
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Minimum size of 11" x 7¼". Anything smaller doesn't meet the rule.
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No extra wording, symbols, or logos. The FTC does not allow dealers to add their dealership branding or any other content to the form itself.
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Spanish version required when needed. If any sale is conducted in Spanish, the Spanish-language Buyers Guide must be posted before the vehicle is displayed or offered for sale.
Because the format is this exact, most dealerships skip the DIY route and order pre-printed, FTC-compliant Buyers Guide forms built to the correct size and layout from the start, so there's no risk of a formatting mistake turning into a compliance violation. These are typically stocked alongside other required point-of-sale paperwork, like odometer disclosure statements and deal jackets, so every vehicle leaves the lot with a complete, compliant file.
At this point, we've covered the full rule from start to finish - what the Guide is, who needs one, what it must say, where it goes, and what happens without it. A few specific questions still come up often enough that they're worth answering directly, which is where we'll close things out.
FAQ - Buyers Guide Quick Answers
Do I need a Buyers Guide if I sell a car "as is"?
Yes. Even "as is" sales require a Buyers Guide. The dealer still posts the form and simply checks the "As Is – No Dealer Warranty" box instead of filling in the warranty section.
Does the Buyers Guide rule apply in every state?
It applies in every U.S. state except Maine and Wisconsin, since both already have their own similar disclosure laws. It also applies in D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Do I need a Spanish Buyers Guide?
Yes, if the sale is conducted in Spanish. The FTC requires posting the Spanish-language Buyers Guide on the vehicle before it is displayed or offered for sale, in addition to the English version.
Are auctions required to follow this rule?
Yes, at public auctions open to consumers. Both the dealer and the auction company must comply. Auctions closed to the public, with no consumer buyers present, are exempt from the rule.
The FTC Buyers Guide is a small piece of paper with a large amount of legal weight behind it. It has to say the right things, sit in the right spot on the vehicle, and match the final terms of every sale - and a single missing or incorrect Guide can carry a penalty of up to $53,088 per violation. For moving real volume, building compliant Buyers Guides into the same routine as your other required sales paperwork is the simplest way to make sure no vehicle slips through without one.
