Friends usually ask Margaret Stenerson where she plugs in her car. `` Most people think that because it is electric, it needs to be charged,'' said Stenerson of Norton, an honors chemistry teacher at Bishop Feehan High School. `` The (Toyota) Prius is an efficient machine because deceleration recharges the battery,'' said Stenerson.

What was once a novelty, may become a new jolt for the auto industry.

As gasoline prices soar to unprecedented highs, American consumers are starting to turn to hybrid cars to ease the pinch in their pocketbooks.

The hybrid is one car with two engines -- internal combustion and electric -- that can reach an optimum of 68 miles per gallon in the case of the two-seat Honda Insight. And approaching that gasoline mileage are two sedans: Honda's Civic Hybrid and Toyota's Prius.

Unlike purely electric-powered vehicles, they don't have to be recharged from an outside source. The car's generator does that when batteries run low. `` The Civic Hybrid is hotter than a pistol. We can't keep them in stock,'' said Scott Birdle, general manager of Herb Chambers Honda in Seekonk. `` I'll try to get more. But everywhere you go, people are buying them because of the gas prices.''

With regular gasoline prices averaging $2.10 in Massachusetts last week, it costs $50 or more to fill up the tank on a large SUV.

Although energy analysts say there is no let-up in sight, and every major manufacturer will be introducing hybrids over the next three years, owners of SUVs aren't yet clamoring to unload their automotive juggernauts.

`` I'm not seeing people trading in big SUVs for smaller cars,'' said Joe Cordeiro, general manager at Attleboro Toyota. `` If they need an SUV, they are going to find the money for it. But I do see people looking for smaller cars. I definitely see them a little bit more concerned about gas prices.''

Even before recent gasoline price spikes, hybrid cars were growing in popularity, particularly in California, where most sales have taken place. Japan, at this point, dominates the hybrid market.

`` As far as hybrid cars, we have a seven- to eight-month back log. People are putting their names on a waiting list,'' Cordeiro said.

So far, the only hybrid vehicles available to U.S. consumers have been smaller models -- the four-door Toyota Prius, the four-door Honda Civic Hybrid and the smaller Honda Insight.

Of those, the Insight, starting at just above $19,000, gets 61 mpg in the city and 68 mpg on the highway, and is without question the most fuel efficient mass-produced car on the road.

The five-passenger Honda Civic sedan, listed at just under $20,000, gets 46 mpg in the city and 51 mpg on the highway.

The five-passenger Prius, listed at slightly more than $20,000, actually gets more mileage per gallon in the city (52) and slightly less on the highway (45 mpg) because its electric motor bears more of the load in stop-and-start driving. Stenerson bought her Prius in March of 2003 when she needed to replace her standard shift Subaru because of arthritis in her knees.

`` Operating a clutch had become too painful,'' she said. `` I was interested in the Prius from the first time I read about it several years ago.''

Stenerson went to Attleboro Toyota, test drove the only car they had in stock, and bought it two hours later.

`` The two engines are seamless,'' she said. `` Stop for a red light, and the gasoline shuts down. Step on the accelerator, it turns back on.''

Toyota sold 24,627 Priuses last year, and expects sales to hit 40,000 in 2004.

Spokesman Wade Hoyt says Toyota has more orders for the Prius than it can fill. The company is importing 1,000 a month from Japan, with sales particularly high in Southern California and the Pacific Northwest.

Ford and Daimler-Chrysler are planning on rolling out hybrid versions of some of their SUVs over the next two years; Chevrolet is planning to produce hybrid versions of two full-size pickups, the Silverado and the Sierra, this year.

Ford announced in April it will open a $650 million factory in Turkey, where up to 150,000 hybrid vehicles will be manufactured each year.

But before buying a hybrid, there are some questions you might consider.

With an initial investment that may be up to $4,000 more than buying a standard Honda Civic, you have to ask: Can you afford the extra money up front? How long do you plan to keep the car?

Tangible overall gasoline vs. sticker savings will only be recouped over an extended period of ownership.

Can you afford the repairs?

At some point, the battery will have to be replaced -- and that will usually be down the line, after the dealer's limited warranty -- anywhere from 80,000 to 100,000 miles -- runs out.

`` The electric motor is warrantied for 90,000 miles. Imagine that!'' Stenerson said.

She says she gets about 48 mpg and a fill-up that costs less than $20.

And, finally, what is the car's resale value? Today's market hasn't determined that yet.

According to Lucy Lazarony, consumer writer at Bankrate.com, if gasoline stays at $2 a gallon, the yearly fuel expense for a Honda Civic LX will be about $908 a year, compared with $652 a year for a Civic Hybrid. That's a savings of $256 per year.

After five years of high fuel prices, you'd save about $1,280, but that is still a long way from recouping the extra $3,500 for what Lazarony called, `` this environmentally-friendly set of wheels.''

Of course, if gasoline prices continue to soar, you will save that much more money over time.

There are also other incentives for buyers of hybrids, such as a one-time federal tax deduction through 2006. How much you can deduct depends on your tax bracket.

Some states also give tax benefits. In Oregon, for example, it's a tax credit of $1,500.

Research by J.D. Power has found many hybrid owners would buy the car even if they could save just half of their investment in fuel economy over the life of the car, simply because they want to help the environment.

Because of fuel efficiency and squeaky clean emissions, hybrids are much kinder to the atmosphere. The Toyota Prius is 90 percent cleaner than the average 2003 car, according to the California Air Resources Board. The Honda offerings also run very cleanly.

`` Environmentally, this car makes sense,'' Stenerson said. `` No wasted gasoline and very low emissions.''

According to CNW Marketing/Research, a West Coast company that has tracked the automotive industry since 1985, consumers won't change their car-buying habits significantly, however, until gasoline prices exceed the $2 threshold for three months or longer.

CNW President Art Spinella says if prices reach $2.50, car buyers will postpone doing anything for three or four months; at $3 per gallon, consumers cancel plans to buy new vehicles.

And people always assume prices will go back down, he said.

Even if they don't, Stenerson has her new hybrid and maybe another down the line.

`` The only car I would trade for is the new Camry that is a hybrid,'' she said. `` I think hybrids are like PCs -- here to stay.''

JAMES A. MEROLLA can be reached at 508-236-0428 or at jmerolla@thesunchronicle.com.