Electric cars are packed with clever technology. But sometimes, it’s the completely unnecessary details that make them the most interesting.

Hidden sharks, tiny moose, miniature vans and messages underneath electric motors might not improve range, shorten charging times or make your morning commute any easier, but they do give cars something increasingly valuable: personality.

Manufacturers have been hiding so-called ‘Easter eggs’ in their cars for years, rewarding eagle-eyed owners with design details, jokes and references that are easy to miss.

And the arrival of electric cars certainly hasn’t put a stop to it.

From the Volkswagen ID. Buzz sheltering from the rain to the electric ponies hiding underneath a Ford Mustang Mach-E, here are some of our favourite automotive Easter eggs.

1. A Tiny Van Hiding from the Rain

The Volkswagen ID. Buzz isn’t exactly short on personality. Inspired by the iconic Volkswagen Type 2, it combines unmistakable retro styling with a thoroughly modern electric drivetrain. But Volkswagen’s designers have managed to squeeze even more character into the details.

Look closely at the rear window, just beneath the wiper, and you’ll find the outline of a tiny ID. Buzz sheltering underneath an umbrella.

And that’s far from the only surprise.

Depending on the version, you can find smiley faces inside the door handles, tiny ID. Buzz silhouettes around the cabin and even a world map hidden inside the rear drawer. Some models also feature a bottle opener with a ‘CAPS’ Easter egg and an ice scraper decorated with a snowflake motif.

The ID. Buzz might be inspired by Volkswagen’s past, but its designers clearly had plenty of fun bringing it into the electric age.

2. Coordinates, Ladybirds and Star Gazers

If there were an award for squeezing the most Easter eggs into one electric car, the Jeep Avenger would be a serious contender.

Hidden within the compact electric SUV is a small compass featuring coordinates pointing towards Turin, Italy, where the Avenger was designed. Look around the car and you’ll spot miniature versions of Jeep’s famous seven-slot grille worked into various parts of the design. There’s also a tiny ladybird hiding in the roof moulding, while the windscreen features stars alongside a small figure looking through a telescope.

Jeep has a long history of hiding graphics and references throughout its cars, and the Avenger proves that going electric hasn’t stopped its designers having a little fun.

3. Expansive City Skylines

Not every automotive Easter egg is there purely to make you smile. Some tell you a little more about where the car came from. At the bottom of the Changan Deepal S05’s windscreen, you’ll find the outline of a city skyline.

Look a little closer and it becomes clear that this isn’t just a generic cityscape. The silhouette represents Chongqing, the vast Chinese city where Changan was founded and where the manufacturer remains headquartered today.

It’s a subtle tribute to the brand’s roots and one you could easily drive past every day without ever noticing.

4. Tiny Sharks

Here’s one that has turned into something of a tradition. For more than two decades, Vauxhall designers have been hiding tiny sharks inside the brand’s cars, usually in places most drivers would never think to look. 

The story reportedly began during the development of the Corsa. Designer Dietmar Finger was working on a sketch of the inside of the glovebox when his son suggested adding a shark. So, he did.The idea made it into the finished car and stuck around, with sharks subsequently appearing across numerous Vauxhall models.

So, if you drive a Vauxhall and have never spotted yours, it might be time to start looking.

5. French Additions

Few manufacturers could get away with designing a car accessory specifically for carrying a baguette, but Renault can. For the Renault 5 E-Tech electric, the French manufacturer offers a wicker baguette holder designed specifically to fit inside the car. Created in collaboration with French basket-maker Marguerite Herlant, it gives your baguette its own dedicated place in the cabin rather than leaving it rolling around on the passenger seat.

It’s an obvious and brilliantly French addition. But Renault has another, much easier-to-miss nod to its home country hidden across many of its cars.

The cockerel.

A long-standing symbol of France, the little cockerel can be found tucked away in the detailing of various Renault models. Unlike the baguette basket, it’s not designed to draw attention to itself. You might have driven your Renault for months without ever noticing it.

Still proudly French, but often tucked away somewhere you’d never think to look.

6. Hiding in Plain Sight 

The Hyundai IONIQ 5 is covered in pixels. They’re in the headlights, rear lights, charging display and throughout the interior. But there’s one detail you might not immediately notice.

Look at the centre of the steering wheel and, instead of Hyundai’s usual ‘H’ badge, you’ll find four small square pixels.

Why four?

Four dots represent the letter ‘H’ in Morse code, a subtle nod to Hyundai’s name without actually displaying the badge.

7. Cherry Blossoms

The Nissan Ariya takes a more understated approach to its hidden details. Explore the centre-console storage areas and you’ll find delicate sakura the flowers of ornamental cherry trees, incorporated into the design. 

Cherry blossom is one of Japan’s most recognisable symbols, traditionally associated with renewal and new beginnings. That feels particularly appropriate for a car created to represent a new generation of Nissan electric vehicles.

The Japanese influence doesn’t stop there.

Throughout the Ariya’s interior, you’ll also find intricate geometric patterns inspired by kumiko, a traditional Japanese woodworking technique where individual pieces of wood are precisely arranged to create decorative patterns without using nails.

It’s a clever meeting of old and new, traditional Japanese craftsmanship reinterpreted for one of Nissan’s most technologically advanced electric cars.

8. Tiny Swedish Moose

What could be more Swedish than finding a moose hiding inside your Volvo? The Volvo EX30 features a moose and trees moulded into the detailing around its removable centre-console storage box.

It’s small. It’s easy to miss, in fact many will never remove the tray and see it! Which is exactly why we like it.

The EX30 is otherwise minimalistic and beautifully Scandinavian in design, so the miniature moose adds just personality without disrupting the simplicity of the cabin.

9. A Little Piece of the Original

Few cars have a silhouette as instantly recognisable as the original Fiat 500, and although today's electric 500e is larger, and slightly different in style to the original,Fiat hasn’t forgotten where it all began.

Look around the interior door-handle surround and you’ll find a tiny outline of the classic Fiat 500 moulded into the design 

The modern 500e might be built for a very different era of motoring, but that tiny silhouette connects it directly to the Italian city car that first arrived in the 1950s.

10. Electric Ponies Live Here

The Ford Mustang Mach-E might have traded a V8 for electric motors, but Ford certainly hasn’t forgotten the Mustang name. In fact, one of the Mach-E’s best Easter eggs is hidden somewhere most owners will probably never see.

Cast into the side of one of its electric motors, underneath the car, are the words: ‘ELECTRIC PONIES LIVE HERE.’

It’s a brilliantly simple reference to both the Mustang’s pony-car heritage and the Mach-E’s electric powertrain.

Fortunately, you don’t need to crawl underneath your car to find every hidden Mustang reference.

Open the charging port door and you’ll find another subtle nod to the car’s history: the familiar Mustang pony silhouette alongside the word ‘horsepower’.

The ponies may have gone electric, but they haven’t gone anywhere.