Tesla Is Pushing Owners to Hand Out Candy From the Frunk. A 20-Minute Setup for Halloween Night, Trick or Treat Mode Included
By EV Bandit | Updated October 30, 2026
At a glance. Tesla is promoting Trick or Treat, a setting that plays spooky sounds and lights when visitors approach the car, and has been encouraging owners to decorate their frunks and hand out candy. Halloween is tomorrow night. It works on Hardware 3 cars with the AMD Ryzen processor and on Hardware 4, per Tesla North.
Time: about 20 minutes.
You need: a Tesla that supports Trick or Treat, a bowl or bags of candy, a damp cloth, a frunk liner, a few battery lights, and fresh AAA batteries if you use the lights below.
You need: a Tesla that supports Trick or Treat, a bowl or bags of candy, a damp cloth, a frunk liner, a few battery lights, and fresh AAA batteries if you use the lights below.
Tesla wants your frunk to be the candy station this Halloween, and your car to do the spooky part by itself. Tesla North reports that Tesla posted: “Enable Trick or Treat and your Tesla will play spooky sounds & lights when visitors approach.” Drive Tesla reported that Tesla’s own Halloween events encouraged owners to decorate their frunks and hand out candy to children. Here is how to set it up in an evening.
First, check what your car can do
Per Tesla North, switch it on from the cabin screen: open Toybox, select Halloween Mode, tap Trick or Treat. Tesla North says it works on Hardware 3 cars with the AMD Ryzen processor and on Hardware 4, and does not mention Intel-based cars. Not a Tesla App’s notes on update 2026.38.6 say Intel cars get the Halloween wraps and license plates but not the other Halloween features. We covered that earlier: Intel-based Teslas got no Halloween Mode. The feature arrived with the 2026.38.3 Halloween update that autoevolution reported in early October.
“Trick or treaters beware,” Tesla posted on X, as quoted by Tesla North.
If your car is an Intel model, the frunk station still works; the car just will not do the sound and light routine. A speaker and your own costume can fill that gap.
1. Line the frunk
A bowl of candy and a stream of small hands is a lot of traffic for a carpeted frunk. The 3D liner has a thermoplastic rubber surface and an anti-slip bottom layer, per its listing, and cleans with a damp cloth. It is the one we would use for a 2021–2023 Model 3.
For a 2017–2020 car, take this one. It has a recessed surface that catches sand, mud, snow and dirt, per the listing, which is useful long after Halloween. Pick the variant that matches your year.
One honest gap: both liners are Model 3 only. We do not have a Model Y frunk mat in confirmed stock to feature, so Model Y owners can run the rest of this setup without one.
2. Light the station
These are small battery lights with a carabiner, up to 100 lumens, per the listing, with full-brightness, half-brightness and SOS modes (skip the SOS). Clip one to the candy bag, one to the bowl handle, one to a nearby fence or branch, and use the fourth to mark the walkway. They need three AAA batteries each, which are not included, so buy those today. The listing describes the shade as water resistant ABS, which helps if the weather turns.
Turn on Trick or Treat and set the scene
- Park on level ground, away from traffic, with the frunk end facing the walkway.
- On the screen, open Toybox, then Halloween Mode, then tap Trick or Treat (steps per Tesla North).
- Open the frunk, lay the liner, and set a bowl or bag in it. Keep candy sealed and allergen labels visible.
- Clip the lights, then stand back at the street end, not at the car.
Steps 1, 3 and 4 are our setup advice, not Tesla guidance. Only the Toybox path and the sounds-and-lights behavior come from Tesla via Tesla North.
What this means for owners
It is a small feature and a good excuse to see your neighbors, which is its own kind of marketing for the brand. It is also a reminder that the software features that ship in a Halloween update are tied to the processor in your car. If you are on Intel, the cabin can still be a good Halloween prop; our Intel Halloween piece covers the analog options.
Frequently asked questions
How do I turn on Trick or Treat?
Open Toybox on the cabin screen, select Halloween Mode, then tap Trick or Treat, per Tesla North.
Which Teslas get it?
Per Tesla North, Hardware 3 cars with the AMD Ryzen processor and Hardware 4 cars. Not a Tesla App’s notes on 2026.38.6 say Intel cars get wraps and plates but not the other Halloween features.
What does it do?
Tesla says it will “play spooky sounds & lights when visitors approach.”
Does Tesla really want me to hand out candy from the frunk?
Drive Tesla reported that Tesla’s Halloween events encouraged owners to decorate their front trunks and hand out candy to children.
Will your frunk be open on Halloween night? Show us your setup in the Tesla Model Y Owners group, 170,000 members strong.
Sources
- Tesla North: How to Turn On Tesla’s Trick or Treat Mode Before October 31 (Oct 28, 2026)
- Drive Tesla: Tesla Hosting Electric Summon Halloween Events Across North America This Weekend (Oct 23, 2026)
- autoevolution: Tesla Rolls Out 2026 Halloween Update (Oct 7, 2026)
- Not a Tesla App: 2026.38.6 release notes (Oct 29, 2026)