I still don't see it, myself.
There is no difference between a Prius and any other car from the POV of the driver that I can really see. Apart from the flashing gimmick on the dashboard and the 'knowledge' of something different happening, you perform all the normal operations of a car and still go to the fuel station and refuel every couple of hundred miles.
If you didn't know beforehand something extra was happening under the bonnet, what would be the difference for driver?
So it seems to me that Prius sold on the basis of a gimmick. Whether the early models truly achieved a fuel saving still seems dubious to me, but it appears to have defeated the fuel consumption tests of the day.
An EV is a wholly different proposition. It does something very different in terms of the fuelling and the maintenance that the driver has to deal with. You, the driver, have to do different things and plan journeys differently, doing different things along the way. You do different things for servicing and maintaining the vehicle too, whereas Prius you still check all the fluid levels and go get an interim oil change if you want one, rust exhausts, etc., etc..
I see no different between the introduction of the Prius and the introduction of electronic fuel injection for the 1976 Cadillac Seville (which I happen to mention because I had one). It was neither the first use of that technology, nor did it make any difference to the driver's behaviour, apart from, arguably, visit the fuel station a little less.
So I don't see any connection for the mainstream driver between the desire to buy an ICE and buy a Prius. However, I do see a difference between ICE and EV because they have to fundamentally change the way they go about their driving. The only appeal hybrids offer is to people who consciously visualise that this technological difference changes things.
I think a piece of evidence towards this is the geeky way you are discussing early models!! It makes no difference where it is sold, it only makes a difference if you believe it makes a difference.
Reality is, hybrids don't really change anything and the only change is in attitude towards the car, whereas driving an EV really does change things.