Hybrid cars pay off in a year -- thanks to higher gas prices

This has always been the big question about gas-electric hybrid cars: Sure they help save the planet and your lungs by cutting emissions. But they cost you more up front than a regular old gas-guzzling polluter. So if you're buying a hybrid, is that higher cost balanced out by the savings you get?

The answer, according to the latest Consumer Reports, is yes, depending on the make and model you pick: "With gas prices soaring, our latest analysis of owner costs shows that you can save more than $4,000 over five years by choosing a hybrid over a similar conventional gasoline-powered vehicle. Six of the 12 affordable hybrids we looked at can save you from about $500 to $4,250, even without tax credits, and pay back their price premium after only one year"

Those six are the Toyota Prius and hybrid versions of the Chevrolet Malibu and Tahoe, Ford Escape, Saturn Vue, and Toyota Camry.

"The Toyota Camry Hybrid, which got 34 mpg overall in our 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," the magazine reported.

Not all the hybrids are quite so beneficial to your pocketbook, however: "The Lexus models and Toyota Highlander Hybrid show five-year losses ranging from about $1,250 for the Highlander to $5,500 for the GS," the magazine noted.

[Ford Escape hybrid from Ford website]

--Craig Pittman