17 of the best automotive April Fools' Day pranks from years gone by

Have you fallen for any of these automotive April Fools’ Day pranks?

There’s nothing we love more than a good jape. An excellent joke. A well-executed prank.

And April Fools’ Day always brings with it some of the best – as well as some duds. Well, they can’t all be winners.

The automotive industry is full of brands ready to get their funny bones out and put their pranking hats on. And we love them for it. Some of the best April Fools’ Day jokes have come from the car industry, with some of the most iconic brands – and some you might not expect! – jumping in on the fun.

We’ve rounded up 17 of our favourite automotive April Fools’ Day jokes from years gone by – and one that perhaps didn’t land quite as well as it should have done.

Subaru’s ‘Suba-Shoes’

You’ve heard of all-wheel drive, but have you heard of ‘all-heel drive’?

Subaru’s 2023 April Fools’ Day joke was just that. The Subaru Suba-Shoes, just on the off chance you’d ever wanted to match your feet to your ride. 

The Japanese brand claimed that the AHD (all-heel drive) limited edition all-terrain walking boots offered maximum comfort due to the shock-absorbing outer sole with – in their own words – ‘grill springs’.

The cherry on top of the joke? Subaru gave you the option of enquiring through the website about the shoes, using a special product code. 

Anyone nab a pair? We’d love to know.

Volkswagen’s car paint nail polish

If you don’t fancy matching your shoes to your car, how about your nails?

Volkswagen announced they were launching a range of nail polishes in the same shade as their iconic cars. Not only that, but the paint could be used to touch up those pesky dinks and dents that make your vehicle look less than showroom perfect.

The colour range included Kings Red, Lapiz Blue and Oryx White, with the special formulation dubbed ‘Fashionable Oil Overhaul Lacquer’.

Or F.O.O.L.

Still, we think VW have missed a trick here. C’mon, who doesn’t want to paint their nails the same shade as their wheels?!

We’re not sure it would pass for fair wear and tear though...

Jeep Compass Mud-On

Recognising that the humble Jeep has come a long way in its time, and finds itself on tarmac more than it is off it, Jeep decided to give customers the option of getting that iconic muddy, had a long day off-roading, probably smashed through a few puddles and got some air on a small hill, feel.

You know the one.

The brand’s ‘Chief Mud Officer’, Dr. Terry Firma, developed the ideal solution to these awful woes: the Mud-On package, giving you the option of having your Jeep Compass ‘pre-mudded’.

With three muds to choose from (Clay, Soil and Silt), you’re sure to find the mud that shows you mean proper Jeep business.

McLaren’s feather wrap

Spend any amount of time in London, and you’ll see at least one supercar with an interesting wrap.

But McLaren’s ‘Feather Wrap’, launched for April Fools’ 2017, took it to a whole new level. Comprising of 10,000 artificial feathers, it was ‘given’ as an option for the McLaren 570GT model.

It does give the car the air of a pleasantly plush pigeon – which is perhaps not the right vibe for a supercar – but we applaud McLaren’s commitment to the bit. It’s not every day you get such a high-end manufacturer willing to make their cars look – we’ll say it – a little bit stupid.

Were they winging it? We’ll let you decide!

Alfa Romeo’s window filters

What do you think of when you think ‘Alfa Romeo’? 

Sunshine, winding Italian roads and stunning scenery? Yeah. Us too. 

But if that’s not your reality, never fear. Alfa Romeo announced the launch of their Nuova Loce tech, which uses ‘state-of-the-art electrochromic glass’ to transform the view outside your window. 

Gone is the Great British countryside in the middle of winter, and in its place is a landscape that makes you feel like you’re racing around the Italian countryside.

There were allegedly five different windows to chose from: ‘Roma’ with its sunset hues; ‘Milano’ that evoked the crisp light of the Duomo; ‘Torino’ with a more peachy tone; ‘Como’ which, you guessed it, had the air of a sunlit lake; and ‘Cinque Terre’ that gives an Amalfi Coast vibe.

Dacia ‘Dustar’

Ever thought space travel was just too inaccessible to the general public? No? Well, Dacia did.

Famous for its cheap-yet-incredibly-sturdy-and-spacious-and-kitted-out new cars, Dacia’s 2021 April Fools’ prank included sending the Duster SUV into space.

Dubbing this ‘new era’ for space travel ‘Dustar’, Dacia even created a launch video, layering it with an incredible rip off of the 2001: A Space Odyssey theme tune.

Our hats are tipped to you Dacia, this is one of our favourites.

SKODA’s auto-tune solution for car-aoke

Listen, we all love a spot of karaoke. Especially on a long journey when the only thing stretching in front of you is an indeterminable amount of tarmac that never seems to end.

You have to fill those hours somehow. And there’s no better way to do that than belting out a touch of Celine Dion (or Whitney Houston, or Aerosmith, or even Fleetwood Mac – your choice of playlist is entirely up to you). 

But – and we hate to admit it – it can be an earsore. Enter SKODA and its alleged introduction of ‘In Tune’; software with the ability to auto-tune the voice and play it back in real time.

Carrie O’Key – SKODA’s apparent Head of Vehicle Audio – said, 'we know music is good for the soul, but caterwauling is not. This software will hopefully add some much-needed light-hearted fun to every car journey.’

MG’s road-painting tyres

MG’s 2019 April Fools’ joke involved a spot of light vandalism.

Announcing their ‘road-colouring tyres’, which coated the tyres in a dye that would paint the road behind you but was, in fairness to MG, water-soluble and would fade if this was ever a real launch.

MG’s Professor of Pigment, Dr Gull Abel, said that customers would also be able to change the colour of the dye, and that the new range of tyres had passed all the safety tests with ‘flying colours’.

MG, we are rolling our proverbial eyes at you.

Fiat Panda Hawaii edition

If you’re of a certain age, you’ll absolutely remember the iconic Fiat Cinquecento from the classic The Inbetweeners series. 

Fiat took hold of that nostalgia and ran with it, announcing one April Fools’ their intention to release a special edition Panda inspired by the car, with its spec list including a 38bhp 899cc engine, M-reg plate, pre-dented red passenger door, black bumpers and a radio-cassette player.

And the Italian brand didn’t stop there. They took the joke even further, claiming to offer free insurance to all first-time teenage buyers along with four free tickets to Thorpe Park.

Aston Martin’s Project Sparta

Okay, sure, perhaps monster truck isn’t your first thought when you think Aston Martin.

You’re more likely to think iconic heritage and cooler than cucumber cars. But the 2018 April Fools’ press release showed Aston Martin’s more playful side, announcing their Project Sparta programme.

What’s Project Sparta? A V12, 1100bhp monster truck that would be entering the 2019 Monster Jam series alongside titans of that world, including Grave Digger, Big Kahuna, Ice Cream Man and Jailbird.

We won’t lie, we’d quite like this one to have been real.

SEAT Arona Copper Edition

Got a lot of coppers floating around?

SEAT, back in 2018 in response to the news that coppers (of the coin, not police variety) might be pulled from circulation, announced the SEAT Arona Copper Edition – which came from alleged product manager Rhea Sonible-Price.

And no, it wasn’t just lovely copper-coloured detailing. 

The SEAT Arona Copper Edition instead featured a coin slot next to the gear level that would allow you to insert 1p and 2p coins to power the car. How these coins would power the car was never explained.

We can only assume witchcraft.

Cu the resounding applause (one for the scientists out there). 

i'Kia

If there’s something we love more than cars, it’s puns. And this is the crème de la crème of puns.

i'Kia? We’re on board. 

This April Fools’ dates back to 2007, when Kia decided that it was time to move with the times and offer a car in flat-pack form. The ‘Concept i’ was designed to arrive at the dealership in flatpack form.

Customers could then pick an engine, transmission and body style, before coming to the dealership to build their flatpack car themselves. It even came with an Allen key.

And as we all know, when armed with the humble Allen key, there’s no flatpack that cannot be conquered.

Hyundai’s Click to Fly car deliveries

A bit more futuristic, Hyundai’s 2017 April Fools’ offering saw the brand launch their ‘Click to Fly’ delivery option.

Supposedly, you’d be able to purchase your vehicle online and have it delivered within two hours by Hyundai’s crack team of ‘Hy-drones’.

Claiming these drones were powered by Hydrogen Fuel Cell tech, Hyundai said they'd carry your car through the skies in a big box before lowering it onto your driveway and the key into your hand. Two for an i10, four for a Santa Fe. 

They’d done the maths.

This might have sounded beyond the valley of the unreasonable in 2017. But with more talk of drone deliveries than ever these days, it doesn’t seem quite so weird now that your car might eventually be delivered by several drones.

MINI’s Hipster Hatch

Another one from back in the day, the 2016 MINI Hipster Hatch prank was definitely a product of its time.

Remember when the hipster trend took over the internet? You couldn’t move for bicycles and moustaches at one point.

MINI hopped on the hype, delivering up a MINI Hatch that allegedly featured Instagram filtered windows, a cassette player and stonewash denim upholstery. 

A Hoxton hipsters dream. If only it had been real.

Jeep Wrangler’s Grille Grill

The manliest pursuit meets the manliest car – a barbeque shaped like the Wrangler’s grille.

Who doesn’t want to grill up some steaks in the great outdoors with your trusty Wrangler at your back? Truly, it sounds like a dream to us. Fresh air, rugged landscapes, a touch of off-roading – what a day out it would be.

Unfortunately, the Grille Grill was only ever an April Fools’ prank. Though we’re 90% sure if Jeep actually launched the line, it would sell out within seconds.

MINI Cooper T

Announced on April Fools’ Day 2017, meet MINI’s best idea yet – a MINI Cooper T fuelled entirely by tea.

Yes, that tea. The drinking sort. 

Allegedly capable of covering up to 40 miles on one cup, it was said to come with Dunk Avoidance Technology to prevent chancers from opening the fuel tank and going in for a dunk.

Listen, with the amount of Yorkshire Biscuit Tea I drink, I reckon I could get the MINI Cooper T from Lands’ End to John O’Groats without it running out of steam.

Alas, the MINI Cooper T isn’t real. And our dreams are shattered.

Vauxhall’s mobile kebab shop

Finally, perhaps one of the finest ideas on this list, Vauxhall’s offering from 2015.

Imagine this. You’ve had a long night on the town. You’re dreaming of your bed. You want to get home and put your pyjamas on. 

But you’re also starving.

Vauxhall’s ingenious idea had you covered. Never will you have to choose between sleep and kebab again, with the Taxi Kebabi, a Vauxhall Vivaro Combi taxi with built-in kebab shop, including two gas-fired spit rotisserie grills and salad bowls integrated into the arm rests.

And the one that didn’t do so well…

‘Voltswagen’

They’re not always winners.

And unfortunately for Volkswagen, despite it being a rather excellent basis for a prank, the execution fell rather flat.

With the press release coming out before April Fools’ Day, press outlets in the US weren’t sure whether Volkswagen’s announcement that they were changing their name to Voltswagen with the VW ID.4 coming out was true or not.

It was never confirmed nor denied, so the press ran the story as though it were serious – and ended up looking a little silly when it all turned out to be a joke.

Note to self: when launching an April Fools’ Day prank, make sure you send it out on April 1st.