Gas prices rose again this week, the summer driving season is around the corner and they are demonstrating today in Saudi Arabia.

So before gas hits $5 a gallon, we thought it would be a good day to look at the Chevy Volt; voted Top 10 most fuel-efficient rides you can buy -- based on EPA combined mileage ratings that better reflect what you'll average per year -- and the cost to drive it.

We've included an industry price and trend tracker -- the cost to drive this car 15,000 miles a year, at $3.52 a gallon (the national average) and at $5 a gallon. We also included the Volt's sticker price and calculation of what people actually have been paying for one in the past 30 days.

(Yes, you could bypass these and go for a pure electric -- if your commuting needs allow, if your family vacations are "staycations," if you have a garage to handle a charger, etc. But that's a lot of ifs, and their availability is limited.)

2011 Chevrolet Volt

     Type: Compact sedan
     Base model sticker price: $41,000
     Average people pay: $40,893
     Combined EPA rating: 37.1 mpg
     Gas burned in 15,ooo miles: 404 gal.
     Cost per 15,000-mile year at $3.52/gal.: $1,424
     Cost per $15,000-mile year at $5/gal.: $2,022

Fisker electric car to be priced at $117,000. Purchase a Chevy Volt for as low as $32,780 after $7,500 tax credit.

Three years after it was conceived, Fisker Automotive's first car will go into production later this month.

The Fisker Karma, on display at this year's Geneva motor show, is an electric car that has been kitted out with a four-cylinder, petrol-powered, range-extender engine.

The Californian company initially hopes to sell 15,000 cars per year, chief executive Henrik Fisker told BBC News.

But over time, "we want to become a proper high-volume carmaker", he said.

"We'll eventually achieve sales in the hundreds of thousands," said Mr Fisker, who is a former Aston Martin and BMW designer.
'Responsible luxury'