SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Based on transaction data, current customer and dealer incentives as well as federal tax credits, TrueCar revealed what it believes are the best deals for 2009 and 2010 hybrid vehicles.

Taking top spot for the current model year was the 2010 Ford Escape, which surpassed seven other domestic vehicles that TrueCar listed in its Top 10.

Among 2009 hybrid vehicles, TrueCar went with Nissan Altima over choices that primarily consisted again of domestic brands.

"Over the last year, gas prices have quietly risen 46 percent," noted Jesse Toprak, vice president of industry trends and insights for TrueCar.

"When gas prices were at $1.50 per gallon then rose suddenly to $3 per gallon, many consumers felt the need to get a hybrid," Toprak continued.

"Now that we have been at that level for so long, we've become immune to the expense and a hybrid isn't as much of a priority as we think they should be," he interjected.

"That's why we did this analysis — to tell consumers about the best new-car deals to help them go green," Toprak added.

The company compiled its latest analysis by poring over 43 percent of all individual U.S. car deals per month from dozens of proprietary and third-party sources offering TrueCar Price Reports. Furthermore the analysis includes more than 84 percent of all new vehicles at the local level as well as information on dealer and consumer incentive trends.