Top 10 most fuel-efficient vehicles

"Hybrids offer great fuel economy but most don't provide the value consumers are seeking," said Jesse Toprak, Vice President of Industry Trends and Insights at TrueCar.com. "If you're looking to save the most amount of money, look at the overall picture from the cost of the vehicle and how much you would spend on fuel to see what vehicle offers the best overall value."

The Toyota Prius leads the hybrids with a combined mileage of 49.1 mpg and an estimated cost of fuel of $1,064. It is followed by the Lexus CT200h, Honda Insight and Honda Civic Hybrid, which all get just over 41-mpg. The fifth on the list is the Ford Fusion Hybrid.

The top gas-only vehicles are lead by the Hyundai Elantra, with an annual fuel cost of $1,595 and a mileage rating of 33.1-mpg. It is seconded by the Chevrolet Cruze Eco that gets 32.9-mpg with an annual cost of $1,661. Subsequently, the Toyota Yaris, Ford Fiesta and Mazda2 get just over 31-mpg.

The one thing these bean counters tend to overlook is the impact of driving in one of the gridlocked cities of America. Just last week we posted an article about the top 10 congested cities and reported people there may spend up to a four work weeks on the freeway in a year.

If you spend a lot of time in stopped or slow moving traffic, a hybrid will save you more money than any gasoline combustion vehicle.