There are a number of  factors that effect the cost of operating a vehicle,  including registration, insurance, maintenance and resale value.

Hybrid car owners have made a commendable contribution to preserving the environment, with perhaps a secondary motive to save on fuel cost.  The cost fuel saving might end up a break even proposition for some owners, who typically are saving a few hundred dollars a year in gasoline costs, in a vehicle bought at a ‘hot item’ premium.

While most insurance companies are offering an incentive to alternate fuel/hybrid vehicle owners, usually a 10% discount, it turns out that they are actually costing more than their conventional car counterparts. Data published by the Wall Street Journal indicate that a 2010 Toyota Camry Hybrid actually costs $650 more to insure than the conventional Camry even accounting for the 10% discount.

Insure.com reports a cost of $1,374 to insure a Honda Civic but $1,427 to insure a Honda Civic Hybrid. A larger premium is paid for the Hybrid version of  the Toyota Camry: $1,628, while the standard Camry costs $1,304 to insure. ($324 more for the Hybrid, not as painful as the WSJ figure)

Factors causing the higher cost include the higher cost specialist technician skills needed to repair hybrids and the greater likelihood of a hybrid being stolen. There’s also higher risk factor assigned the relatively young hybrid technology due to a lack of history of accumulated crash damage statistics.

US News & World Report cites statistics collected by the insurance risk assessment service Quality Planning indicating that hybrid owners drive more miles, get more tickets and have higher repair costs.