Hybrid gas-electric cars really aren't that complicated. Add an electric motor and rechargeable batteries to the conventional gas engine—and see your efficiency increase by as much as 50 percent. The onboard computer does all the hard work of switching between gas and electric power.

How Hybrids Work

List of Hybrid Cars

Name	Combined MPG	Type	MSRP	Available
Toyota Prius The number-one selling hybrid car. The Prius is nearly synonymous with "hybrid."	46 MPG	Sedan	$22,000	Now
Honda Civic Hybrid Fuel efficiency, full-hybrid system, and a sleek design.	42 MPG	Sedan	$22,600	Now
Nissan Altima Hybrid The Altima Hybrid is basically a Toyota hybrid wrapped in Nissan’s attractive packaging.	34 MPG	Sedan	$25,100	Now
Toyota Camry Hybrid The hybrid version of the Camry beats the fuel efficiency of the V6 version by 10 mpg.	33 MPG	Sedan	$25,500	Now
Ford Escape Hybrid The overall most fuel efficient SUV.	32 MPG	SUV	$29,300	Now
Mercury Mariner Hybrid Slightly upscale version of the Ford Escape Hybrid.	32 MPG	SUV	$29,800	Now
Mazda Tribute Hybrid The 2008 Mazda Tribute Hybrid is basically a re-skinned Ford Escape Hybrid, using the same powertrain and many of the same interior bits.	32 MPG	SUV	n/a	Now
Toyota Highlander Hybrid More affordable than the Lexus RX400h, more powerful than Ford's hybrid SUVs, and more efficient than GM's full-size SUV hybrids.	26 MPG	SUV	$33,700	Now
Lexus RX 400h Everything a luxury SUV buyer seeks—in a greener package.	25 MPG	SUV	$42,000	Now
Lexus GS 450h Race-car-like acceleration, luxurious appointments, and half-way decent fuel efficiency.	23 MPG	Sedan	$54,900	Now
Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid A new breed of full-size SUV that is significantly greener than its gas-powered counterparts	21 MPG	SUV	$50,500	Now
Lexus LS 600h L Lexus's 5-liter, V8, 430-horsepower luxury sedan hybrid.	21 MPG	Sedan	$104,000	Now
GMC Yukon Hybrid The sister vehicle of the Chevy Tahoe Hybrid. Same gas-saving improvements to the XXL platform.	21 MPG	SUV	$50,500	Now
Cadillac Escalade Hybrid The first eight-passenger luxury SUV hybrid. An odd mix of self-indulgence and green.	20 MPG	SUV	$70,000	Now
Chrysler Aspen Hybrid A hulking 5.7-liter V8 Hemi hybrid.	19 MPG	SUV	$44,700	Now
Dodge Durango Hybrid It's a hemi hybrid. Lots of power and towing capacity. And the gas mileage doesn't completely suck.	19 MPG	SUV	$44,500	Now
Ford Fusion Hybrid Expected to reach 39 mpg, almost doubling the city efficiency of the non-hybrid Fusion.	39 MPG	Sedan	$27,300	2009
Saturn Vue Green Line Two-Mode The Two-Mode Hybrid version of the Saturn Vue is a solid high-efficiency V6 SUV.	30 MPG	SUV	$33,000	2009
Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid GM phased out the ultra-light hybrid pickups that produced a 10-15 percent increase in fuel economy to make room for a full-hybrid version of the Silverado, which goes into production in late 2008.	21 MPG	Pickup	$39,000	2009
GMC Sierra Hybrid Could break the 20-mpg mark to become the most efficient full-size pickup.	21 MPG	Pickup	$39,400	2009
The New Honda Insight The new Honda Insight combines practicality, affordability and top-of-the-charts fuel economy.	n/a	Sedan	$19,000	2009
Honda Global Subcompact Hybrid A small, practical, affordable and entirely new hybrid-only model from Honda.	n/a		n/a	2009
Mercury Milan Hybrid Expected to reach 38 mpg, almost doubling the city efficiency of the non-hybrid Milan.	n/a	Sedan	n/a	2009
Lexus RX 450h Updated version of the luxury SUV with green stripes.	n/a	SUV	$42,000	2009
Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Hyundai's first hybrid could offer efficiency above 30 mpg, for thousands below the competition.	31 MPG	Sedan	n/a	2010
Hyundai Accent Hybrid Hyundai delayed development of its $15,000 45-mpg subcompact until 2009, at the earliest.	n/a	Sedan	n/a	2010
BMW X6 Hybrid An SUV that has crossed over into sports car territory.	n/a	SUV	n/a	2010
Porsche Cayenne Hybrid The Porsche Cayenne Hybrid achieves better than 24 miles per gallon compared with less than 18 mpg for the conventional model.	n/a	SUV	n/a	2010
Honda Fit Hybrid The hybrid version of the Honda subcompact could become the leader of the pack on fuel efficiency.	n/a	Sedan	n/a	2010
Mercedes S400 Hybrid This eco-chic luxury sedan could be the first production vehicle with a lithium ion battery.	n/a	Sedan	n/a	2010
Dodge Ram Hybrid Chrysler's hemi-powered hybrid system applied to the Ram pickup.	n/a	Pickup	n/a	2010
Honda CR-Z Can a hybrid compact car be sporty and speedy? Honda tries.	n/a	Coupe	n/a	2011
Ford Reflex Concept sports coupe marries 1.4-liter turbo-diesel engine with Ford's hybrid drive.	n/a	Coupe	n/a	Concept
Mercury Meta One A hybrid transmission with a twin-turbocharged V-6 diesel engine calibrated to run on biodiesel.	n/a	Van	n/a	Concept
Toyota Volta Before the Chevy Volt, there was the Toyota Volta—a super-hip and speedy concept hybrid from Toyota.	n/a	Coupe	n/a	Concept
Toyota Sienna Hybrid Toyota offers a hybrid minivan in Japan. Thousands of families are waiting for that option in the United States.	n/a	Van	n/a	Concept
Toyota Hybrid X The Hybrid X is a design exercise indicating the general visual direction of Toyota's hybrids.	n/a	Sedan	n/a	Concept
Saab BioPower Hybrid Saab's kitchen sink approach to solving environmental problems in cars.	n/a	Sedan	n/a	Concept
Volvo 3CCC Rocket-shaped three-seater can accommodate the full range of power systems and fuels.	n/a	Coupe	n/a	Concept
Toyota A-BAT Concept Hybrid Pickup Truck A kinder, gentler, and weirder vision for a pickup truck. And it's a hybrid.	n/a	Pickup	n/a	Concept
Audi Q7 Hybrid Refined and opulent, and now the hybrid version offers slightly better fuel efficiency.	n/a	SUV	n/a	Concept
Dodge Grand Caravan Hybrid At this stage, it's more of a rumor than a definite release. But it makes sense for Chrysler.	n/a	Van	n/a	Concept
Lexus HS250h Concept vehicle which could be the new dedicated Lexus hybrid.		Sedan	n/a	Concept
Honda Accord Hybrid The Honda Accord Hybrid emphasized power over efficiency. Honda's experiment failed, and the vehicle was discontinued in 2007.	n/a	Sedan	n/a	Discntd.