According to a recent study published by Newsday, the Nissan Altima hybrid can pay off within three years. Essentially, the article tells us, once you account for tax rebates and driving for around 15,000 miles per year, a driver will have saved enough on gasoline to make the difference in price between the 4-cylinder Altima and the Altima hybrid worth it. The higher gas prices climb, the sooner the payoff comes through. As we approach $5 per gallon gasoline, consumers are more and more ready to turn to hybrids like the Hybrid Nissan Altima to save at the pump.

The Nissan Altima hybrid has a distinct advantage over hybrids from Toyota and Honda. The full tax rebate is only offered on the first 60,000 hybrid vehicles sold by a manufacturer. Toyota and Honda have both already sold that many. However, there are still some full rebates available at Nissan. They won’t last forever, of course, but for now they are still there for the taking. Without the tax rebates, it will take much longer than three years for the hybrid to pay off.

Still, even without tax rebates and gas savings, the Nissan Altima hybrid is an excellent choice for a midsized car. In fact, the 2007 Altima outsold any midsize offered by General Motors, Ford or Chrysler, and came in third for overall sales. The new Altima design, released first for the 2007 model year, is sleek and stylish, and distinctively Nissan. It handles well on the road, and has a number of options available. The Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) comes standard with the Nissan Altima hybrid, and is optional on some of the other versions of the Altima.

If you want to save money at the pump or just help make the world a cleaner place, the 2008 Nissan Altima should be one of your top choices.