HOUSTON -- Some drivers have decided to turn in their gas guzzlers for smaller cars that aren't completely dependent on fuel.

Just last year, sales of the Toyota Prius jumped up 54 percent along the Gulf Coast.

In 2008, sales may even surpass those numbers.

Owning a hybrid car use to be a considered an environmentally friendly thing to do, but for a growing number of people it’s become more of a practicality as well.  

The Toyota Prius is one of the top-selling hybrid cars, followed by Honda and Ford hybrid models.

This year alone, sales of the vehicles have skyrocketed along side soaring gas prices.

The Prius gets between 48 to 50 miles to the gallon. Because of their popularity, dealerships are having a hard time keeping up with demand for hybrid vehicles.

“As far as you can see back there are brand new cars, and you’re not going to find a Prius back there,” Toyota salesman David Womack said. “Why? They can’t make them fast enough. A lot of it is due to the battery.”

He said it takes 55 hours to build a hybrid car because of the battery. Right now Toyota is trying to boost their production of the batteries in order to churn out more of the cars.

Even so, most people interested in buying a hybrid can expect to wait at least two months.

The upside of owning a hybrid vehicle: It gets more miles to the gallon.

The downside: They cost a bit more than the average small car. Despite the gas savings will require buyers to hang on to their hybrids for a while before they see any return on their money.

But what do long-time hybrid owners really think about the cars?

“If I were buying this strictly for gas mileage alone and for total savings, you can get a regular, non-hybrid car that can do 35 mpg, which is pretty close,” Prius owner Pat Reiff said. “But the whole package – the emissions, the making a statement that I’m trying to do the right thing – that’s worth money to me.”

The Rice University professor said she’s a high-tech environmentalist and bought the car to reduce emissions.

In fact she’s planning, on buying her third Pirus later this year and giving the older model to her son.

But she’ll have to wait.