What is going on in this world? Aren’t Hybrids supposed to save money? The increasing consumer interest in Hybrid cars is causing prices to change – but not in the way you might think. “Rising fuel prices and competition among a proliferation of gasoline-electric hybrids have sliced the payback period for hybrids” But are you saving money or losing money?

Some model hybrids may not make as much economic sense as you might think considering current fuel prices. USA Today crunched some numbers and revealed some interesting facts:

“If gasoline goes up just a few cents, payback time falls dramatically. At $3.67 per gallon — the U.S. average Friday, according to AAA — the Prius takes 2.6 years to recover its price premium, vs. a gasoline Camry. When gasoline averaged $3.61 earlier last week, payback was 3.5 years, Edmunds says.” But, consider this mind blowing (or money blowing) Hybrid statistic: the $106,000 Lexus LS600h hybrid will take 102.6 years to recoup the cost you would have saved if you purchased the non-hybrid LS460L."

 

[SOURCE: usatoday.com READ THE FULL ARTICLE]