Taking ownership of a new car can be full of surprises, with all those gadgets and features to get to grips with. It can take months or even years to familiarise yourself with a car, and just when you think you’ve got it all figured out, you’ll find something new!

Motor manufacturers often tease us with hidden morsels or ‘Easter eggs’ that make us scratch our heads at the wonder of car design. At Motor Range, Liverpool’s biggest car supermarket and the home of family-friendly motoring, we’ve found a few unexpected cryptic messages in our used cars - some useful, some for fun and some downright barmy!

They’re certainly not as calorific as the chocolate variety but we think you’ll find them just as sweet. Here are some of our favourite automotive Easter egg efforts:

Shark Attack

Apparently some Vauxhall Zafiras also have three smaller sharks hidden within. Can you feel a fish hunt coming on?

If you’ve ever thought that the Vauxhall Corsa is a safe ride, think again. Look closely at a 2004-2016 model and you might find that it has a sharp bite hiding in the glove box. The story goes that the designers dared each other to add a shark to the interior design, and never believed it would happen.

A Jeep Joke

The Jeep Renegade has a bucketload of hidden messages throughout its interior and exterior. Harking back to its military origins, it has maps stamped into the cargo tray and centre console, grilles on the lights, a yeti on the rear window, a silhouette of a jeep printed on the windscreen… the list goes on.

To top it all, there’s a creepy little spider inside the Jeep Renegade’s fuel cap, allegedly to suggest a fuel efficiency that will result in such infrequent trips to the fuelling station that cobwebs will grow on your refill cap!

The Web Widens

There are more spidery shenanigans going on in the XC90 from Volvo. Apparently the head honcho didn’t like the proposed design for the underside of one of the storage boxes and so added his own little spider.

It promises a lovely surprise for any child delving into the depths of the storage box in the third row of the SUV...  

Helping Hand

Our favourite Easter egg is a helpful one that appears in most makes of car. Filling up with fuel but can’t remember which side your cap is on? Worry not. Simply glance at your dashboard.

An arrow next to the fuel pump symbol indicates which side of your car you should position next to the pump. This is a simple but little-known fact that’s guaranteed to have at least some of your friends running to check out their car.

Not Just A Car

Get your licence to thrill by selecting the hidden 007 option on the Tesla S. Use James Bond’s codename as the password on the technician’s login screen on the model and type in \"007\" to transform your car into the Lotus Esprit submarine in The Spy Who Loved Me.

Don’t get too excited, your Tesla S won’t actually sprout fins and a rudder, but will just appear as such on the infotainment screen.

Nice ’N Icy

Not all motor Easter eggs are just for giggles. Škoda likes to add some helpful little treats to its cars. Like a hidden ice scraper.

Since 2013, owners of various Škoda models from Citigos and Fabias to Octavias and Yetis have made use of this handy gadget safely tucked away inside the fuel filler flap (a colleague can attest to this, as his dealer was proud to show him where he could find the one on his Rapid).

Wordsearch

The textured door card of the Fiat Panda might seem like any other, until you take a closer look. Thousands of tiny Ps, As, Ns and Ds litter the insert to remind you exactly where you are.

Once you see it, there’s no going back: you’ll be trying to spell out the name of your car forever. However, this could well be the most infuriating wordsearch as the letters never seem to appear in quite the right order.

Z Cars

Just in case you ever forget the model of car that you’re driving, the handy Z emblazoned on the side of your BMW Z4 will serve as a reminder.

You can find it running right through the BMW logo on the front wings of the car, then challenge your friends to do likewise.  

Honda Help

Got a Honda? Ever forgetfully left the keys in the ignition? If you have, you’ll have heard the four short beeps that the car sends to remind you to remove them.

Four beeps represent H in morse code. H for Honda. Nice touch!

If you fancy an automotive Easter egg hunt, get down to Motor Range’s new state-of-the-art Liverpool showroom to see which of these features you can find in our selection of over 1,000 expertly picked used cars which are all prepared to the best standard. Or get in touch with us via Facebook or Twitter to tell us about the hidden gems that you’ve found in your own car.