Another financial impetus to the sales of hybrid cars came with tax breaks announced by the Washington administration to encourage the consumer towards cleaner and more fuel-efficient vehicles. Hybrid cars were seen as a double bonus for the whole population. First it promoted a cleaner environment and helped with reducing the carbon and greenhouse gas emissions. It also was seen, if taken up by a significant amount of drivers, that hybrid cars could help reduce the consumers need for gas and so make the US more self sufficient in fuel production.

Before the introduction of the Toyota Prius, hybrid cars had not been widely available to the average car owner and were largely thought of as experimental and not practical for everyday motoring. The Toyota Prius changed all this, bringing the notion of a cleaner, more efficient, and more environmentally friendly hybrid cars within the grasp of the average consumer.