Newsday gives us new fodder for the continuing debate over the financial wisdom of buying a hybrid. Newsday tests the Nissan Altima hybrid, which they note, costs "about $4,000 more than a comparably equipped four-cylinder Altima." After tax rebates, and driving at least 15,000 miles per year, they conclude, a buyer would recoup that investment in "just over three years." And, it's worth noting, "The higher the price of gasoline, the shorter the recoup time." With gas likely to push $4 a gallon soon, that time keeps getting shorter. But the real value in driving a hybrid, according to Newsday, is that "every time you drive your hybrid you'd be, in effect, protesting the oil companies, the commodities speculators, the OPEC nations, the federal government and whomever else you'd like to blame for rising gasoline prices."
Those tax rebates are the key to the calculation. Autoblog Green found "it would take 300,000 miles of highway driving (or about 70,000 in the city) to recoup the hybrid Altima's premium" without including the tax rebates.
The full rebates are available on only the first 60,000 hybrids a manufacturer sells -- they're already gone on Toyota and Honda hybrids -- so if you're considering an Altima, don't wait too long. If you're considering a GM hybrid SUV, you probably have more time.
Research all of the latest hybrids with U.S. News' car rankings and reviews.
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