Fuel-saving gasoline-electric hybrid cars don't save as much fuel as thought, according to new government fuel-economy ratings available to the public for the first time.

The new ratings go into effect with 2008 models, a few of which will soon be on sale. But now it's possible to tell what rating 2007 and older models would get using the '08 standards.

The government's fuel-economy Web site has a program than makes the comparison at www.fueleconomy.gov. Click on the button that says "Compare Old and New MPG Ratings." It shows that vehicles typically bought for their fuel efficiency use significantly more fuel than the previous ratings have said.

Toyota's Prius, best-known and best-selling gasoline-electric car in the United States, drops to 48 miles per gallon in the city under the '08 procedure, from a 60 mpg rating in the current tests. Its highway mileage rating falls about 12 percent, to 45 mpg.

The Ford Escape hybrid, which uses a system similar to Toyota's, goes down about 12 percent.

"What the cars get hasn't changed. It's just the numbers on the sticker," says Toyota spokesman Mike Michels. The lowered Prius rating is "probably more reflective of real-world experience. We hear people getting 46 to 50. I have one, and I get 48.

"If the (new) numbers contribute to customer satisfaction, that's a good thing," Michels says.

"I got near 60 (mpg) on the first tank, then never anywhere near that after," says Martha Ehrenfeld, a teacher who lives in San Francisco. The 48 mpg rating "makes me feel better, because that's about what I get. I was wondering what I was doing wrong. It's still better than most cars."