Everyone knows the Toyota Prius gets awesome gas mileage.  You either love or hate the styling. And the electronics that open the door and start the motor without a key are kind of cool.  But have you driven one in real-life driving conditions?  If your commute includes more freeway than city streets, you won't get the maximum benefit from Toyota's hybrid system, because the fuel economy at high speed is not that great (it is at low speed, when the car runs on the electric motor). How safe do you and your family feel in that light shell?  How secure do you feel cornering at speed on those skinny tires? And what if you need to accelerate out of trouble when you're already going 60?

The new Civic Hybrid is a nice, if sluggish alternative. Makes less of a statement visually, but has many of the same fuel and safety considerations as the Prius, without the green badge of honor. You too can drive solo in the California carpool lanes -- just not very fast. And less techno-wizardry to geek out on.

Ford Escape, Mercury Mariner, and Lexus RX400 are the first to provide SUV benefits with Hybird guilt-reduction. These things should sell like hot cakes, new or used. But they come with a hefty price premium, and with gas at over $3 a gallon, you'll still spend a lot at the gas pump once you do the math on their fuel economy.

Many buyers think Diesel is the way to go. Turbo Diesels are understandably popular in Europe due to their balance of power and fuel economy. Emissions per gallon are not low, but they use fewer gallons, so emissions per mile are good. Too bad they are not more widely available in the US. Check your state regulations, and check eBay Motors for the best selection from VW.

For me, the unsung hero of Hybrids is the Honda Accord Hybrid. Honda surprised many by making the Accord Hybrid a V6 with 255 horsepower - the fastest AND most economical Accord in the line-up. Big, safe, and luxurious, it is a real driver's car that also gets reasonable miles per gallon. And because of the way Honda uses electronics for "Integrated Motor Assist", the car gets better mileage at high speed that at low - resulting in better economy on longer commutes. As gas prices go up, the payback period on the $3000 price premium over the regular V6 gets shorter (but is still measured in years). The website "The Truth About Cars" called it a "Hot rod hybrid for [deeply conflicted] environmentally-conscious enthusiasts". That's a mouthful, but it sums it up perfectly. Race a BMW and deliver your kids in safety, and get 500 miles from a tank of gas.  Having been on the market for over a year, you can now find good deals on these on eBay Motors, and the fears about high maintenance costs have (so far) not been proven. This is a car to consider.

The new Toyota Camry Hybrid will be the main competition, although you won't find many used ones for a while. It should be a fascinating race.