Toyota Prius
The first U.S. Prius could move with gasoline, electricity or a blend of both, and it decided the mix by itself. Its screen even drew little arrows so passengers could watch energy travel between the engine, motor, battery and wheels.
2001 Toyota Prius · davocano · CC BY 2.0
More than a set of wheels.
Toyota launched the 2001 Prius in the United States in July 2000. The compact five-seat sedan paired a 1.5-liter gasoline engine with two motor-generators and a nickel-metal-hydride battery. It earned a Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle rating and made start/stop operation, regenerative braking and a dashboard energy-flow display visible to everyday drivers.
Look a little closer.
Its 5.8-inch touchscreen showed the hybrid system's condition and energy flow—an unusual piece of dashboard technology in a 2001 family sedan.
Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.
NHW11 means the U.S. car, not the 1997 original
The U.S. launch car was the updated first-generation Prius sold as model year 2001, not the earlier Japan-only NHW10. Toyota's U.S. retrospective records its July 2000 launch, five-passenger sedan body, 97-hp combined rating and SULEV classification. This profile also stops before the larger 2004 liftback and its differently named Hybrid Synergy Drive system.
Source: Toyota USA Newsroom — Celebrating 25 years of Prius ↗Why city mileage was higher
The original U.S. label read 52 mpg city, 45 highway and 48 combined under the test and label method used at the time. Stop-and-go driving gave the hybrid more chances to shut off its engine and recover energy while slowing. Toyota's later retrospective shows lower adjusted 42/41/41 figures; both sets describe the same car under different label conventions, so this packet marks the period rating explicitly.
Source: U.S. DOE / INEEL — 2001 Prius performance characterization ↗The battery was a helper, not a plug-in pack
The sealed nickel-metal-hydride pack contained 228 cells and produced 273.6 volts. It was replenished by the engine-generator system and regenerative braking; owners did not plug the car into a charger. DOE road loops also showed why one fuel-economy number is not a promise: payload, air conditioning, temperature and driver behavior moved results substantially.
Source: U.S. DOE / INEEL — 2001 Prius performance characterization ↗Where these facts come from
- Toyota USA Newsroom — Celebrating 25 years of Prius
- U.S. DOE / INEEL — 2001 Prius performance characterization
- 2001 Toyota Prius U.S. brochure scan
Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed October 1, 2026.