"A convenient and fair comparison is the Corolla also made by Toyota."<p>No a fair comparison would be a non-hybrid Prius. I don't know if Toyota makes such a vehicle, but Honda makes the Civic in both a hybrid and conventional model, so a direct comparison would be fair. I'd actually like to see that analysis as I drive a Civic.
The same comparison can be done (for estimating savings) between diesel and unleaded gas in France. I did a similar calculation years ago and you had to drive your diesel vehicle more than 10 years before making any savings. Basically the initial investment trumps the ongoing costs.
Like the article says, saving money isn't the only reason to drive a hybrid.<p>If you care about the environment, and are wealthy enough, you might be willing to pay a premium to reduce your carbon footprint.
This argument only works when comparing a Prius to a Corolla... Which is the entry level bottom tier sedan from Toyota. I think it would be a bit more fair to use the Camry as the alternative car.<p>I'm a Prius owner and I didn't decide to spend an extra $6k just to get a Prius for the gas savings, otherwise I'd have a Camry. If I didn't buy a Prius I would have bought a similarly priced car because... that was the price range I was shopping in.