The Toyota Prius arrived in the United States in 2000 amid the SUV boom with the sole purpose of squeezing as many miles as possible out of a gallon of gas. Before the Prius, a “hybrid car” was not something American consumers had seen, let alone driven.

Toyota introduced a plug-in hybrid version of the Prius for the 2012 model year, giving buyers a way to drive on electricity alone for short trips while keeping the same hybrid safety net for longer ones. More than a decade later, that basic idea has not changed all that much, but the price of admission has.

The Prius arrived in the United States in 2000, a tiny fuel-sipping Toyota amid an SUV onslaught that included Dodge Durangos, Ford Explorers, and Chevy Suburbans. Although “everyone” had an SUV, the Prius was the first hybrid most Americans ever really gravitated toward, its name forever attached to the idea of environmental stewardship and frugality.