Believe it or not, carmakers sometimes have a sense of humour.
Yes, it's not all mild hybrids and winter tyres. Sometimes designers hide random fun details in their cars that you might not spot at first. These are known as easter eggs – sadly, they're not made of chocolate…
It might be a digital secret buried in the infotainment system, or a physical feature tucked away in a cubbyhole, and we've listed 10 of our favourite.
Tesla is the undisputed easter egg leader – you'll find a full carton of secrets in each model if you know where to look – but plenty more carmakers have got in on the action.
Tesla Model S – ‘007’ mode
The first Tesla – the Roadster – was actually a Lotus Elise sports car re-engineered to run on electricity. Perhaps that’s why there’s a James Bond Lotus easter egg in Tesla’s Model S – hold the Tesla logo on the touchscreen for five seconds, tap in ‘007’ when you’re asked for an access code and – hey presto! – the white submersible Lotus Esprit from The Spy Who Loved Me appears. Select your ‘depth’ in ‘leagues’ and the Model S raises or lowers on its air suspension.
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Volkswagen ID.3 – play and pause pedals
Looking at your feet when driving is as smart as looking at your elbows while running. So it's no wonder most people don’t spot the play and pause logos on the electric Volkswagen ID.3’s accelerator and brake. It’s a neat touch that’s actually borrowed from the old Renault Twingo RS, which put pause on the clutch and stop on the brake. Sadly, we couldn’t find a fast-forward button on the Volkswagen, which isn’t particularly rapid, nor a rewind pedal in case things go terribly wrong.
See it for yourself with our range of used Volkswagen ID.3 models
Vauxhall Corsa – shark dare
Sharks In A Vauxhall isn’t a terrible sequel to Snakes On A Plane, but it is an easter egg that dates back to 2004 and Corsa interior designer Dietmar Finger – yes, that's his real name. Finger needed to add reinforcement ribs to hinges on the Corsa’s glovebox, so he started doodling at home. His son little Finger only had to look at his efforts for two seconds before suggesting a shark, which was obvious when his dad thought about it properly. Now little cartoon sharks apparently lurk in every Vauxhall.
Sink your Jaws into our range of used Vauxhall Corsa models
Toyota Prius – hashtag hidden compartment
If, for whatever innocent reason, you need a hidden compartment in your car, the latest Toyota Prius has you covered. Our sources tell us there's a panel in the centre console that can actually be opened to reveal a secret tray for you to store… whatever it is you want to store there. Not only has Toyota gone to the effort of fitting this useful feature, it's also stamped the bottom with '#hiddencompartment' so there's absolutely no confusion over what it's for. That actually follows the rest of the Prius' philosophy, which includes #glovebox, #wirelesscharger and even #safetyfirst printed beneath the seatbelts.
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Volvo XC90 – spider
The Volvo XC90 is awesome for kids because its standard seven-seat layout gives plenty of room for 14 legs to spread out onboard. But climb in the third row and there’s another eight to put the ‘eek’ into peek when you open the armrest storage bin. Volvo isn’t officially saying why there’s a spider grinning from its web under that lid, but we’re guessing – just like the Corsa above – it needed strengthening and the web was a neat solution.
Dare to check it out for yourself? Look at a nearly new XC90 – available to drive away today from Motorpoint
Tesla – Back To The Future phone app
Doc Brown needed 1.21 gigawatts to send Marty McFly Back To The Future. Now you too can time travel back to 1955 if you plug in your Tesla – or at least the Tesla phone app might say you have. Use the app to keep tabs of charging, stop the process bang on 121 miles, press the battery illustration and the app flashes up a ‘Time Circuits Off’ warning with a ‘be sure to reset your clocks to account for temporal displacement’ message. There’s an ‘Outatime’ namecheck to the DeLorean’s numberplate and a shot of a Model X parked with its Falcon Doors raised, just like the iconic film moment. Remember that where you’re going, you still need roads. And to keep your hands on the wheel, please.
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Jaguar E-Pace – mother and cub
The E-Pace is Jaguar’s smallest SUV, and you might spot the ‘Est 1935 Coventry’ tags on the seats, or the Jaguar print on the storage cubby in the centre console, but our favourite hidden gem is a different kind of, erm, cubby – a mother and cub Jaguar imprinted on the base of the windscreen. Wonder if replacement windscreens get the same treatment?
Want a used Jaguar E-Pace? You know what to do…
Jeep Renegade – grille and jerrycan
The Renegade is packed with more easter eggs than a Thorntons warehouse in March, but there are two key themes. The first is Jeep’s iconic seven-slot-grille-and-headlights graphic that’s hidden inside the head- and taillights, either side of the rear-view mirror housing, on the speaker surrounds and inside the tailgate. The second is a jerrycan – a nod to Jeep's World War 2 heritage – hidden in the taillights, at the bottom of the cup holders and imprinted right across the roof. Almost as though they’re trying to prove it’s an actual Jeep…
Find all 10 of the easter eggs by checking out our used Jeep Renegade range
Skoda – umbrellas
‘Simply Clever’ Skoda isn’t frivolous enough to do easter eggs just for fun, it does them to be handy, too. You might find an umbrella under the passenger seat or in the driver’s door on some models – a feature the Superb actually had before the Rolls-Royce Phantom – or a handy ice scraper hidden behind the fuel filler. We’re still searching for the cap, sunglasses and suncream.
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Toyota Touch 2 with Go – glass of water
Possibly a homage to anime film Initial D, where star Takumi delivers tofu at high speed in a Toyota Corolla without spilling a glass of water, you’ll find the Glass of Water feature on Toyota’s Touch 2 with Go infotainment system. The touchscreen displays a virtual glass of water, which spills if you drive too aggressively, a gamified way to coach you towards driving more economically. Keep the glass full to be an mpg champion – half full on arrival is still decent, but there’s room for improvement if it’s half empty.
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