Despite lower gas prices, fuel economy and safety are still top priorities for consumers looking to buy a new or used vehicle. And the Department of Energy’s fuel economy website has always been our “go-to” research tool. Well now, they’ve made gaining access to it--even easier.

Their popular “Find-a-Car” feature now has its own app, available on both Android and Apple devices. Users can take to their smartphones to search any make or model dating back to 1984 – and see relevant information such as government fuel economy ratings, energy impact scores, and even crash test ratings.

They can also store multiple vehicles in the app for quick reference to easily compare several vehicles all at once.  

Another feature is a QR code scanner. Users are able to scan codes found on new car Monroney Labels. Once scanned, the vehicle is stored in the app, and can be recalled with the touch of a button.

The app also stays up-to-date, refreshing data for a specific model, so you’ll know if things like fuel economy or greenhouse gas emissions ratings quickly change.  

With access to this kind of information right at your fingertips, The Department of Energy is helping users research cars in a fast and easy way. And that’s it for this week’s MotorNews.