现在油电混合动力汽车和纯电动汽车的品种越来越丰富了。购买这种新能源汽车的理由有很多，比如它降低了碳排放，让人们觉得自己是在为环保做贡献。当然省油钱也是一个理由。虽然眼下油价疯涨，但购买混动车或电动车并不能达到省钱的目的。

    虽说有不少新能源车型都比同级的汽油车省钱，但这并不是说所有的新能源汽车都是如此，有些新能源汽车说不定更费钱，这得考察它的售价、保值率以及油价等因素。反之亦然。当我们把一些新能源车型与同级的汽油车进行比较时，我们发现，丰田（Toyota）最新款的普锐斯（Prius）能比大多数替代能源车型更早地实现经济性。

    美国《消费者报告》杂志（Consumer Reports）经常会对各种汽车做大量测试，同时也会对车主进行调查，然后根据用户的实际体验对车型进行排名。最近《消费者报告》对一些指标进行了分析，然后纯粹从拥有成本的角度出发，帮助消费者确定哪些替代能源汽车最不值得购买。因此，如果你现在正打算购买一台环保车，这些结果非常值得一读。

雪佛兰沃蓝达

    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

    雪佛兰沃兰达（Chevrolet Volt）是一款电池动力轿车，不过它也搭载了一款供长途旅行的汽油发动机。归功于政府的优惠政策，它的售价大概在3.25万美金左右。它的性能与售价只有1.97万美元的科鲁兹（Cruze）相差无几。科鲁兹的油耗为每加仑26英里，沃兰达的油耗为每加仑61英里。按现行油价计算，一台沃兰达至少需要6年的时间，才能在油耗上抵消与科鲁兹的价差。因此科鲁兹现在已经成为通用（GM）雪佛兰家族的中流砥柱，而沃兰达的销量则没有达到通用的预期，也就没什么好奇怪的了。

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和飞度（Fit）是本田（Honda）最省油的两款轿车，但两者的表现不尽相同。Insight（售价18,970美元）是一款油电混合动力轿车，油耗为38英里每加仑。飞度（售价15,870美元）的油耗为30英里每加仑。Insight车主需要至少7年的时间才能从油价上抵消与飞度的售价差额。如果说汽油可能涨到每加仑4.75美元的话，那么Insight可能会更经济一些，只需5年就可以把价差找回来。

    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.