Tesla Cybertruck Santa Mode: All the Unique Features

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Tesla’s Santa Mode is one of the earliest Tesla Easter Eggs, and with the 2024 Holiday Update, the Cybertruck gets its own customized version of Santa Mode. While Santa Mode already has its own set of unique assets and animations, Tesla’s team went all out with the special Cybertruck version.

Cybersled

When you enable Santa Mode on the Cybertruck, you won’t get the classic-looking Tesla sleigh with Santa behind the reigns.

Instead, Santa’s been replaced by Santa Optimus, who’s doing all the chores from now on. Optimus is steering the Cybersled, and his trusty steeds, this time, are Cyber Reindeer with their own slick-looking goggles. The Cybersled has also been upgraded with some fancy levitating technology.

Turn Signals

While the reindeer’s harnesses will light up when you turn on your turn signal, Tesla also added a unique feature to the Cybertruck version. When you turn on your blinker, Optimus will actually stick out his arm and look in that direction. It’s a nice little touch that makes the whole thing come to life. You can check it out in the video below:

In the Cybertruck Holiday update Optimus will turn its head and point left or right with its hands when you initiate a turn signal. Cool little details @Tesla pic.twitter.com/ntxMFXjBtK

— Brandon (@brandontsla) December 26, 2024

Cybertruck’s Santa Mode otherwise has all the features of regular Santa Mode on other vehicles, including snowy roads and falling snow. The assets for people and other vehicles are also the same, with them being replaced by elves and reindeer, respectively.

Santa Mode Lighting

The Cybertruck, just like the 2024+ Model 3, features ambient lighting on the interior. When you activate Santa Mode, your Cybertruck’s ambient lighting will cycle between Red, Green, and White, fitting the Christmas theme quite well.

How to Activate It

Santa Mode can be activated year-round and isn’t limited to the holiday season. You can activate it via the Toybox menu or using a voice command.

Voice Commands

The first voice command is “Ho Ho Ho”. Just simply say that - and the Run Rudolph Run song will chime on for a single cycle, and you can go spread some Cyber Christmas Cheer.

The second voice command is “Ho Ho Ho, not funny.” That one is a variation of Santa Mode, and Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer will be played instead.

ToyBox

The third way to activate Santa Mode is to head over to the ToyBox app in your Tesla. You can then tap on the Santa Mode panel and turn it on by enabling ‘Jingle All the Way.’ That’s the equivalent of running the “Ho Ho Ho” voice command, so you’ll hear Run Rudolph Run cycle through once upon touching the button. Unfortunately, it’s rather loud, and you can’t control the volume, so you’ll need to wait for it to finish playing or turn off Santa Mode completely.

Spread Cheer

You can also spread some cheer with your Cybertruck. You’ll need to be in Park before enabling this option. It will play the Santa Mode music you’ve selected through the vehicle’s external speaker known as the Pedestrian Warning Speaker (PWS). You’ll need to toggle on Spread Cheer before enabling Santa Mode, as the song stops after its first cycle. Due to updated NHTSA regulations, Spread Cheer no longer works while driving.

If you’d like to see all the features of Santa Mode on other Teslas, be sure to check out our regular Santa Mode guide.

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Tesla FSD in Europe: June Update

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The road to bringing FSD to Europe has been a long and complex one and filled with regulatory and bureaucratic hurdles. Elon Musk, as well as other members of Tesla’s AI team, have previously voiced their grievances with the regulatory approval process on X.

However, it appears that there is finally some progress in getting things moving with recent changes to upcoming autonomy regulations, but the process still seems slow.

Waiting on the Dutch

Elon commented on X recently, stating that Tesla is waiting for approval from Dutch authorities and then the EU to start rolling out FSD in Europe. Tesla is focusing on acquiring approvals from the Dutch transportation authority, which will provide them with the platform they need to gain broader acceptance in Europe. Outside of the Netherlands, Tesla is also conducting testing in Norway, which provides a couple of avenues for them to obtain national-level approval.

The frustration has been ongoing, with multiple committee meetings bringing up autonomy regulation but always pulling back at the last second before approving anything. The last meeting on Regulation 157, which governs Automated Lane Keeping Systems, concluded with authorities from the UK and Spain requesting additional time to analyze the data before reaching a conclusion.

Tesla, as well as Elon, have motioned several times for owners to reach out to their elected representatives to move the process forward, as it seems that Tesla’s own efforts are being stymied. 

This can seem odd, especially since Tesla has previously demoed FSD working exceptionally smoothly on European roads - and just did it again in Rome when they shared the video below on X.

FSD Supervised testing in Rome, Italy

Pending regulatory approval pic.twitter.com/TXh3uQIfrx

— Tesla Europe & Middle East (@teslaeurope) June 12, 2025

DCAS Phase 3

While the approval process has been slow, Kees Roelandschap pointed out that there may be a different regulatory step that could allow FSD to gain a foothold in Europe.

According to Kees, the European Commission is now taking a new approach to approving ADAS systems under the new DCAS Phase 3 regulations. The Commission is now seeking data from systems currently operational in the United States that can perform System-Initiated Maneuvers and don’t require hands-on intervention for every request.

This is key because those are two of the core functionalities that make FSD so usable, and it also means that there may not be a need to wait years for proper regulations to be written from scratch. Now, the Commission will be looking at real-world data based on existing, deployed technology, which could speed up the process immensely.

What This Means

This new, data-driven regulatory approach could be the path for Tesla to reach its previous target of September for European FSD. While the cogs of bureaucracy are ever slow, sometimes all it takes is a little data to have them turn a bit faster in this case.

Alongside specific countries granting approval for limited field testing with employees, there is some light at the end of the tunnel for FSD in Europe, and hopes are that a release will occur by the end of 2025. With Europe now looking to North America for how FSD is performing, Tesla’s Robotaxi results could also play a role.

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Tesla Launches 'TeslaVision' Contest With Big Prizes — See Last Year’s Winner [VIDEO]

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Tesla’s marketing has always been relatively unconventional, relying on word-of-mouth rather than traditional advertising. The passion of the owner’s community is always massive, but it is especially high now with the launch of the Robotaxi network just around the corner.

Tesla is now tapping into that spring of fan creativity and announced the TeslaVision video contest, with some seriously impressive prizes up for grabs.

Announcing the TeslaVision fan video showcase

Tesla owners & supporters have always been able to see our products & mission for what they truly are.

Your word of mouth has made Tesla what it is today.

The OGs will remember that in 2017, we held our first video contest. 8 years… pic.twitter.com/6pPpkqmqOH

— Tesla (@Tesla) June 10, 2025

The Contest

The core of the contest is simple. Create a video that shows how your Tesla gives you more in life. Tesla is looking for submissions that highlight themes of freedom, safety, fun, and convenience.

Prizes

The prizes definitely make this contest worth entering if you’re good with a camera and have some basic video editing abilities.

For North America, the prizes include a brand new Model Y AWD Long Range, alongside an all-expenses-paid trip to Austin for a tour of Giga Texas. The grand prize winner will also be able to custom order their Model Y, allowing them to select their preferred wheels and color.

The two runners-up won’t get a Model Y, but they’ll also enjoy an all-expenses-paid trip to Giga Texas for a tour of the factory.

The travel and tour include lodging in Austin for 2 nights, as well as economy-class round-trip tickets from anywhere in North America. Tesla will also provide a vehicle for use during the trip.

Hopefully, these winners will also have the opportunity to experience the Robotaxi network while they’re in Austin, as it’s expected to be opened to the public later this month.

Project Loveday

For long-time followers of Tesla, this contest may feel familiar. The contest is a direct throwback to the 2017 Project Loveday contest, which was inspired by a letter to Tesla from a 10-year-old aspiring marketer. That contest was won by MKBHD, with his submission below:

How to Enter

If you’re ready to start filming, here are the key pieces of information you’ll need to know:

• Video must be 90 seconds or less

• Video must be uploaded to YouTube with a public URL

• Make a post on X and Instagram tagging “@Tesla” and include the words “TeslaVision contest” in the post.

• Provide links to both social media posts in your submission to Tesla’s form

• Provide your personal details in the form

• You have until July 17th, 2025, or until Tesla receives 10,000 entries, whichever comes first.

You can find the official submission form and all region-specific details on Tesla's website.

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