If you want a car that gets the most miles per gallon, you want a hybrid. The top three models on Consumer Reports new list of the "top 12 gas savers" are hybrids: Toyota Prius, Honda Civic hybrid and Toyota Camry hybrid.

With gasoline prices around $3.50 a gallon hybrid cars are looking better than ever.

"So the higher the gas price, the quicker the payback is for the extra cost of the hybrid," says David Champion ,who runs the auto test program at Consumer Reports.

Champion says hybrids are so popular now that some dealers are demanding a premium. That has some people looking for other cars that get good mileage.

These include some new sub-compacts, such as the Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit.

"Yes they're pretty small sedans, but they give you 34 miles per gallon overall, which is excellent," Champion says.

There's also the sporty Mazda3.

Diesel is another option. A number of manufactures are out with new cleaner-burning diesel engines.

"We tested a diesel Mercedes last year got excellent gas mileage at 29 miles per gallon overall, got 38 miles per gallon on the highway for a fairly large heavy sedan is excellent. However, the 30% advantage that a diesel engine gives you in terms of fuel economy is almost mitigated by the higher price of diesel today."

Remember, a stick shift tends to give better mileage than an automatic. And any hybrid pollutes less than a regular gasoline engine, so they're better for the environment.

But hybrids do pollute less, so they're better for the environment.

For More Information:

The most fuel efficient cars Consumer Reports has tested

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