Hybrid Vs Conventional vehicles? Obviously electric / petrol hybrids use less fuel than a conventional vehicle.
Is there also a difference in the other running costs, for example maintenance, and which is cheaper?
Are there any other factors I should consider if looking to buy a hybrid?
Are there new technologies about to be commercially released in passenger vehicles which I ought to consider holding off for?

One thing to consider is that there will be a lot of advances made in the next few years. 2010 is touted to be %26#039;the year to buy a new car%26#039; because so many new technologies will be available then. The Chevy Volt, plug-in Prius, several fully electric cars, etc. See the links below for further details. http://greenhome.huddler.com/wiki/electr...
http://green.yahoo.com/blog/ecogeek/459/...

- the original cost, and maintenance cost of a hybrid will be higher.
- i expect that, with the renewed interest, there will be more efficient cars soon.
- the system that the toyota prius uses seems to be the best, by far. so good, in fact, that (A) nissan pays to use it in the nissan ultima hybrid and (B) city mileage is better than highway mileage -- a condition that was unheard of before the prius.

it may well be good to wait a couple years.
i think i saw a honda civic that got 35 mpg on craig%26#039;s list.
if i was looking, that%26#039;s where i%26#039;d go.

if you live in CA they have fuel cell cars. they are like battery charged. i cant tell you exactly, but i know honda has a civic with the fuel cell. they have fueling stations throughout CA. go to honda.com for more info, ive gone to their website many times.

Ive heard that if you get a good economy vehicle that gets at least 35 mpg, it is a better value then a hybrid over the life of the car, when comparing maintenance coast.

Actually, if you do your research, hybrid cars aren%26#039;t as economical as they could be. It is already proven that the new diesel passenger cars are much more economical than hybrids.

If price is important to you, You should probably not buy a hybrid. Someone on TV said you would have to drive a hybrid ten years before it could pay for itself.

First response is correct. But Diesel fuel is expensive, and a good gasoline hybrid can be cheaper to run than a Diesel. My 2004 Honda gets about 40 mpg.