(March 1, 2013) SANTA MONICA, Calif. — February's record-breaking gas prices might have pushed shoppers to consider more fuel-efficient cars, but incentives on those vehicles left a lot to be desired, reports Edmunds.com.

According to Edmunds.com's True Cost of Incentives (TCI) report, incentive spending on hybrid vehicles was down almost 12 percent from January to February, hitting its lowest average level since July of last year. Incentives on compact cars, meanwhile, were down two percent from January to their lowest level since October.

"Every year there comes a time when gas prices put hybrid and compact cars into focus, but it's not often we have them under the microscope this early," says Edmunds.com Sr. Analyst Jessica Caldwell. "It will be worth watching to see if automakers are willing to loosen their grip on incentives to make these vehicles easier to buy, especially if gas prices keep rising."

According to Edmunds.com's TCI report, new car incentives in February fell 2.3 percent overall from January to an average of $2,269. Year over year, incentives were up 2.6 percent in February. Nissan (+5.7%) had the highest month-over-month increase in spending, while Toyota (-12.6%) had the sharpest decrease.