A simplified explanation of a Hybrid car is as follows - A hybrid car is a car with two or more energy storage systems, both of which must provide propulsion power. Some times, there are deviations to the above definition, an example is the two-mode hybrid car which is build with twin electric motor systems.

It is understandable that this is an extreme task to have you, the car shopper, decide in the midst of rising gasoline prices and the maze of varied and confusing car models. This article intends to help your narrow the scope of the search of your hybrid car by giving you an overview of the types of hybrid cars in the market and the types suited for your kind of lifestyle and commute.

According to the above definition of Hybrid cars, there are a few types, with 3 key types of hybrid engines, namely the Petroleum Fuel Assist, Electric Assist as well as the Twin Electric Motor system.

Petroleum Fuel Assist Engine
This type of engine propels the vehicle using only the electric motor at very low speeds. When more power is required, the gasoline motor will kick in to assist the electric engine.

The petroleum fuel assist engine picks up for a standstill with the electric motor at work, until around a certain mph or miles per hour and the gasoline engine automatically takes over. When in a hard acceleration situation, the gasoline engine automatically and immediately takes on the task of starting up to ensure maximum power. The beauty of this petroleum fuel assist system is that both the electric and petroleum engines work in tandem when additional power is required depending on road conditions.

This Hybrid Car mode is adopted for instance by the Toyota Prius as well as the Ford Escape Hybrid. A little research revealed that such type of hybrid cars are most suited to an urban lifestyle, giving better mileage for your dollar when driving around the city rather than along the highway.

Electric Assist Engine
The alternative hybrid car system is the electric assist engine, which works conversely to that of the petroleum fuel assist system. The electric motor only kicks in when the gasoline engine requires additional boost, or during abrupt acceleration or uphill driving.

This is hence obvious that the Electric Assist engine powered hybrid car is more suited for highway driving. The Honda Insight and Civic Hybrid are modeled after the electric assist engine system.

Two Mode Hybrid System
The ‘two-mode’ hybrid system mainly utilizes twin electric motors used for both low speed and high-speed driving, with the low speed mode for slow urban driving to help drivers cope with traffic jams. The high-speed mode, on the other hand, operates at highways speeds which enables full power to kick in when you are driving uphill and heavy duty towing. The Chevrolet Tahoe is designed with this technology.

For a benchmark reference of the miles per gallon achieved by the above mentioned cars, visit the Top 10 Green Cars 2008 for more details.