Only recently, BMW announced plans to begin testing an all electric version of its’ popular Mini Cooper, with an expected roll out of approximately 500 test vehicles landing in California sometime in the near future.  If all goes as planned and test market results are positive, you can look forward to seeing these all electric Mini’s travelling soon on a road near you, however according to the latest buzz, buyers can expect to pay at least $10,000.00 over the cost of a conventional Mini Cooper when these all electric versions hit the market.

While I think $10,000 over the price of the conventional model is quite pricey, especially since the MSRP for the 2009 Mini Cooper comes in just below $29,000.00, experts say consumers wont flinch when shelling out the cash for the popular mini coupe, especially since it has the BMW name attached.  So far, details are sketchy, but more info is said to be forthcoming by years’ end.

With that in mind – and with so many hybrids coming into the market - how do we know which hybrids can really save us some green of our own?  I’ve come up with a list of some of the top selling hybrids (none of them electric) so we can see how they compare to each other and to our own conventional vehicles. Please note that all figures are approximate; I’ve rounded prices up to the nearest dollar, compared them to a conventional model of the previous year and calculated gas at $4.15 per gallon.  If you’ve been considering going from your own conventional model to one of the hybrid models on the following list (say from a conventional Camry to a hybrid Camry), feel free to use the exact cost per gallon for gas in your area and calculate accordingly to get a more precise tally of gas savings for your vehicle (only you know what the price of gas is in your area and how many mpg your conventional vehicle actually gets).

Also, for much more on hybrids, electric vehicles and driving green, please don’t forget to visit our sister site, The Green Motorist.

Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid

• Base Price: 24,000.00
• Tax Credit: $1,300.00
• Price Over Conventional Model $1,410.00
• Yearly Gas Savings: $187.00

Ford Escape Hybrid

• Base Price: $27,700.00
• Tax Credit: $3,000.00
• Price Over Conventional Model: $2,260.00
• Yearly Gas Savings: $895.00

Nissan Altima Hybrid

• Base Price: $26,200.00
• Tax Credit: $2,350.00
• Price Over Conventional Model: $2,100.00
• Yearly Gas Savings: $570.00

Mercury Mariner Hybrid

• Base Price: $29,000.00
• Tax Credit: $3,000.00
• Price Over Conventional Model: $4,000.00
• Yearly Gas Savings: $900.00

Mazda Tribute Hybrid

• Base Price: $25,000.00
• Tax Credit: $3,000.00
• Price Over Conventional Model: $1,175.00
• Yearly Gas Savings: $895.00

Toyota Camry Hybrid

• Base Price: $26,000.00
• Tax Credit: $0.00
• Price Over Conventional Model: $3,780.00
• Gas Savings: $670.00

Toyota Highlander Hybrid

• Base Price; $35,000.00
• Tax Credit: $0.00
• Price Over Conventional Model: $5,250.00
• Gas Savings: $900.00

Lexus RX 400 Hybrid

• Base Price: $42,100.00
• Tax Credit: $0.00
• Price Over Conventional Model: $4,000.00 (2008 Lexus RX 350)
• Gas Savings: $630.00

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