The San Francisco Chronicle just published a study on the amount of time it would take to offset the difference in cost between hybrid cars and their gasoline powered counterparts. The study looked at the cost of fuel saved per year and did not factor in other variables, such as the cost of replacement batteries for hybrid vehicles. On the other hand, the study also didn’t factor in the environmental benefits of driving a greener vehicle, which are difficult to quantify with cold, hard cash alone.

Below are their findings by vehicle, ranked in order of longest payback to shortest payback. All vehicle prices are MSRP, and gasoline cost is set at $2.86 per gallon.

Nissan Altima Hybrid

Compared to: Nissan Altima
Price premium for hybrid: $6,800.00
Annual fuel savings: $326
Years to break even: 21

Toyota Prius

Compared to: Totota Yaris
Price premium for hybrid: $10,000
Annual fuel savings: $500
Years to break even: 20

Honda Civic Hybrid

Compared to: Honda Civic
Price premium for hybrid: $7,800
Annual fuel savings: $460
Years to break even: 17

Honda Insight

Compared to: Honda Fit
Price premium for hybrid: $5,600
Annual fuel savings: $340
Years to break even: 16.5

Toyota Camry Hybrid

Compared to: Toyota Camry
Price premium for hybrid: $4,500
Annual fuel savings: $300
Years to break even: 15

Mercury Milan Hybrid

Compared to: Mercury Milan
Price premium for hybrid: $6,300
Annual fuel savings: $500
Years to break even: 13

Ford Fusion Hybrid

Compared to: Ford Fusion
Price premium for hybrid: $3,200
Annual fuel savings: $570
Years to break even: 5.6