I face a similar issue with my honda civic hybrid: they have worked to let you pretend it's a regular internal combustion engine (it looks nearly identical to the other honda civic trims, down to the instrument panels), but you _must_ actively pay attention to the battery level if you don't want to be surprised when trying to pull into traffic (if the battery is under half, it's _much_ more reluctant to boost your acceleration) or trying to brake (if the battery is topped out, it does not assist your braking _nearly_ as much).

In general, if you're trying to evade (either with braking or acceleration), you have to know the state of your battery or else the car will not perform the way you think.

I don't know if all hybrid/electric cars are this way or if it's specific to my particular year of the HCH or what.