Tesla Rolls Out 2025 Holiday Update: Here’s All the New Features

Tesla’s annual Holiday Update is beginning to reach vehicles, bringing a long list of new features centered on navigation, customization, entertainment, and safety. This year’s release touches almost every part of the in-car experience, from voice controls to the Toybox.

One of the biggest additions is Grok’s new ability to handle navigation commands. Drivers can ask Grok to add or edit destinations, making it more of a hands-free travel assistant. Tesla is also introducing a Photobooth mode that lets owners take selfies from inside the car and decorate them with filters and stickers.

Several quality-of-life updates are included as well. Dog Mode now shows periodic cabin snapshots on the iPhone Lock Screen, Dashcam clips display more driving data, and a chime sounds if the car detects a phone left behind. Navigation adds support for HOV routing and new ways to organize destinations. A 3D Supercharger site map is also rolling out at select pilot locations.

The update keeps Tesla’s tradition of holiday fun, too. Santa Mode gets new visuals, a refreshed Light Show is available, and vehicles can now be customized with new digital wraps, license plates, and window tints.

Tesla is also adding a new arcade title: a SpaceX docking simulator based on real astronaut interfaces. This looks pretty rad.

Below is the full list of what’s new in the 2025 Holiday Release. You have to really tip your hat to Tesla engineers for coming up with all these great new features every year, on time and this year it seems early.

All New Changes in the Tesla 2025 Holiday Update

• Grok can now add and edit navigation destinations when set to Assistant mode.

• New Tesla Photobooth lets you take selfies in the car with filters, stickers, emojis, and sharing tools.

• Dog Mode adds Live Activity on iPhone with periodic cabin snapshots plus battery, temperature, and climate updates.

• Dashcam Viewer now shows extra details including speed, steering-wheel angle, and self-driving state.

• Santa Mode gains new snowmen, trees, snow effects, and a festive lock chime.

• New Light Show called Jingle Rush, with the ability to schedule shows, sync multiple cars, control interior lights, and make longer custom shows.

• Custom vehicle wraps, tints, and license plates for your Tesla avatar, with USB support for your own designs.

• Navigation lets you reorder favorites, set Home and Work by dropping a pin, and view suggested destinations based on recent trips.

• 3D Supercharger site maps available at select locations, showing layout and real-time stall status when you arrive.

• Automatic routing for HOV/carpool lanes, based on eligibility, time, location, passenger count, and restrictions.

• New Phone Left Behind chime if a device is left on the charger or in the cabin with no occupants detected; UWB required for phone key detection.

• Charge limits can now be saved per location and automatically applied next time you charge there.

• New SpaceX ISS Docking Simulator in Tesla Arcade, with controls inspired by NASA astronaut interfaces.

• Wireless charging pads can now be toggled on or off in the car’s settings (varies by model).

• Spotify improvements: add tracks to queue from search and scroll long playlists, albums, and libraries smoothly without paging.

• Rave Cave gains rainbow lighting effects that sync to music beats.

• New Tron-inspired Light Cycle lock sound added to Boombox.

For Apple users, you can now add a lockscreen widget for Dog Mode, letting you see what Fido is up to in the car. This is really cool for dog owners out there. You can always keep track of your dog while you’re popping into the grocery store.