The successful implementation of innovative fuels relies on many factors and requires a precise description of the combustion characteristics. In practice, traditional indicators, such as octane or cetane numbers, are used. Obtaining these numbers however requires a specific setup. Moreover, they are not sufficient to predict the combustion timing for innovative concepts, such as homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI). Evaluating and reporting the characteristics of new fuels is therefore challenging. Using a regular diesel engine converted to HCCI operation, we developed a screening methodology to easily characterize and present key features of new fuels. This paper describes the methodology and then applies it to new fuels produced from biomass: valeric biofuels. The methodology presented in this study intends to bridge the work on fundamental chemical kinetics with conventional engine experiments.