We hear about hybrid cars every time the price of gasoline or oil spikes, or when the difficulty of finding enough oil to support all the people who want to drive makes the headlines. Over the last few years, though, this segment of the market – once teensy – has been growing. Among new car sales, hybrids will make have a three percent market share in 2010.

While one manufacturer gained a lot of publicity for bringing out first one then a line of hybrid cars, there are now hybrids on sale from Honda, Ford, VW, Mazda, Chevy, Kia, BMW, Nissan, Mercedes, Suzuki, Hyundai, and others – as well as Toyota. There’s an equal amount of variety in models: small cars, mid-sized sedans, vans, SUVs, pick-up trucks, luxury cars: all come in hybrid models. Most people in the market for a vehicle can find a hybrid to suit their needs. There’s one part of buying a hybrid that most consumers overlook: the possibility of buying a used hybrid car.