The Toyota Prius and Honda Insight hybrids have been around since 2001; the Honda Accord, Ford Escape and Lexus RX 400h hybrids since 2005; the Honda Civic, Toyota Highlander, Mercury Mariner, Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra hybrids since 2006; and the Lexus GS 450h, Saturn VUE Green Line, Toyota Camry and Nissan Altima hybrids since model year 2007. On sale this fall for the 2008 model year are the Saturn Aura Green Line, Lexus LS600h, Mazda Tribute, Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon and Dodge Durango hybrids - and there are more than a dozen new hybrid models coming for model year 2009.

The hybrid market is still quite limited with less than 1 million hybrid vehicles on the road, but some experts say that within five years 20 to 25% of all new car and light truck sales will have hybrid powertrains - especially if gasoline prices remain high.

Why Hybrids Are Hot
Hybrids are proving to be quite popular with motorists because of the improved fuel economy they deliver. By reducing the "on" time of the engine and using battery power as much as possible for low speed stop-and-go city driving, hybrid vehicles can achieve impressive fuel economy numbers. The 2007 Toyota Prius has EPA fuel economy ratings of 60 mpg city, and 51 mpg highway. The hybrid versions of the Chevy and GMC sport utility vehicles get 25 to 30% better fuel economy than their conventional counterparts.

Hybrid Differences
A hybrid vehicle is es...