The Detroit Free Press breaks it down for you, hybrid-style

The DFP has done the legwork for you. They've engaged the Honda Civic Hybrid, the Ford Escape Hybrid and the Toyota Prius in various driving situations, crunched the numbers, and analyzed the results in order to use real examples to explain hybrids to the uninitiated. Topics covered include: the gas-electricity relationship, cost, fuel economy, utility, performance, hybrid-specific technology, and non-hybrid-specific power steering failures. The must-have figures are 48.4 mpg for the innovative Prius, 42.7 mpg for the Civic that blends into the crowd, and 33.3 mpg for the very practical Escape (all mpg averaged).