Toyota Prius and hybrid versions of Chevrolet Malibu, Chevrolet Tahoe, Ford Escape, Saturn Vue, and Toyota Camry pay back price premium after one year

October 2008 Issue

YONKERS, NY — With gas prices soaring, Consumer Reports’ latest analysis of owner costs shows that drivers can save anywhere from $500 to $4,250 over a five year ownership period by choosing selected hybrids rather than similar conventional gasoline–powered vehicles.

Six of the 12 hybrids CR experts looked at — Toyota Prius and hybrid versions of the Chevrolet Malibu, Chevrolet Tahoe, Ford Escape, Saturn Vue, and Toyota Camry — can save consumers about $500 to $4,250 even without tax credits, and pay back their price premium after only one year. For several of these hybrids, owners can save even more by taking advantage of federal tax credits.

CR experts compared the five-year owner costs of 12 hybrids with those of similar conventional vehicles using Consumer Reports’ new-car owner-cost estimates, introduced in the April 2008 issue.

The Toyota Camry hybrid, which gets 34 mpg overall in CR’s tests, saves the most money, about $4,250 over five years compared with a similarly equipped four-cylinder Toyota Camry XLE, which gets 24 mpg.

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DUBLIN, Ireland–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/cb56b8/hybrid_vehicle_buy) has announced the addition of the “Hybrid Vehicle Buyer’s Guide” report to their offering.

There are many legitimate reasons why you would want to consider buying a hybrid vehicle. It could be that you want to do something to contribute to a cleaner environment or that you would like to find a more affordable way to fuel your vehicle. Regardless of why you are considering buying a hybrid vehicle, there are many questions that need to be asked and answered. Some questions sound simple, but the answers are anything but simple.

Some questions are basic, such as: (more…)