????現在油電混合動力汽車和純電動汽車的品種越來越豐富了。購買這種新能源汽車的理由有很多，比如它降低了碳排放，讓人們覺得自己是在為環保做貢獻。當然省油錢也是一個理由。雖然眼下油價瘋漲，但購買混動車或電動車并不能達到省錢的目的。

????雖說有不少新能源車型都比同級的汽油車省錢，但這并不是說所有的新能源汽車都是如此，有些新能源汽車說不定更費錢，這得考察它的售價、保值率以及油價等因素。反之亦然。當我們把一些新能源車型與同級的汽油車進行比較時，我們發現，豐田（Toyota）最新款的普銳斯（Prius）能比大多數替代能源車型更早地實現經濟性。

????美國《消費者報告》雜志（Consumer Reports）經常會對各種汽車做大量測試，同時也會對車主進行調查，然后根據用戶的實際體驗對車型進行排名。最近《消費者報告》對一些指標進行了分析，然后純粹從擁有成本的角度出發，幫助消費者確定哪些替代能源汽車最不值得購買。因此，如果你現在正打算購買一臺環保車，這些結果非常值得一讀。

雪佛蘭沃藍達

????The variety of cars that are gas-electric hybrids or run on batteries is greater than ever. There are many good reasons to purchase such a vehicle, from pumping out fewer emissions to feeling good about doing one's part. But saving money -- even at a time of sky-high gas prices -- isn't always one of them.

????While many models can save owners money compared to the equivalent gasoline-powered versions, others can cost quite a bit more, depending on the sticker price, depreciation rate and, naturally, the price of gasoline. Of course, the opposite can be true. The latest Prius model from Toyota proves its thrifty claims faster than most alt-fuel models, when compared with a similar model that runs on gasoline.

????Consumer Reports, which extensively tests automobiles and also rates them on the basis of real-world experience from surveyed owners, has analyzed the metrics that help determine which alternative-fuel vehicles are the least desirable to own, purely from a cost of ownership standpoint. The results were noteworthy, especially if you're shopping for a green vehicle.

Chevrolet Volt

????雪佛蘭沃蘭達（Chevrolet Volt）是一款電池動力轎車，不過它也搭載了一款供長途旅行的汽油發動機。歸功于政府的優惠政策，它的售價大概在3.25萬美金左右。它的性能與售價只有1.97萬美元的科魯茲（Cruze）相差無幾。科魯茲的油耗為每加侖26英里，沃蘭達的油耗為每加侖61英里。按現行油價計算，一臺沃蘭達至少需要6年的時間，才能在油耗上抵消與科魯茲的價差。因此科魯茲現在已經成為通用（GM）雪佛蘭家族的中流砥柱，而沃蘭達的銷量則沒有達到通用的預期，也就沒什么好奇怪的了。

本田Insight

????The Chevrolet Volt, a battery-powered sedan that also is equipped with a gasoline-engine for longer trips, costs about $32,500 when factoring in government incentives. At current gasoline prices it would take about six years of owning the Volt to justify its price premium over a $19,700 Chevrolet Cruze. The Cruze, rated at an average 26 miles per gallon, and the Volt, rated at 61 miles per gallon, resemble one another and perform similarly. It's hardly surprising that the Volt has fallen short of GM's sales expectations while the Cruze has turned into a mainstay of the automaker's Chevrolet brand.

Honda Insight

????Insight和飛度（Fit）是本田（Honda）最省油的兩款轎車，但兩者的表現不盡相同。Insight（售價18,970美元）是一款油電混合動力轎車，油耗為38英里每加侖。飛度（售價15,870美元）的油耗為30英里每加侖。Insight車主需要至少7年的時間才能從油價上抵消與飛度的售價差額。如果說汽油可能漲到每加侖4.75美元的話，那么Insight可能會更經濟一些，只需5年就可以把價差找回來。

????

????Two of Honda's most fuel-efficient cars, the Insight and Fit, differ. The Insight, a gas-electric hybrid, is rated at 38 miles per gallon. But at a sale price of $18,970, it would take seven years to make up the price and operating cost premium over the Fit, which sells for $15,870 and is rated at an average 30 miles per gallon. If gasoline were to rise in price to $4.75 a gallon, then the Insight would make a bit more fiscal sense, as its payback period would drop to five years.???