DIY Guide for Christmas Lights on Your Car

If you've ever dreamed of transforming your car into a rolling light show for the holidays, this guide will walk you through how to do it, based on our experience with our Huracan STO. Whether you’re driving a sedan, truck, or a supercar, this DIY Christmas light installation should work across the board.

In our video tutorial (linked above), we use Twinkly Dots — small, flat, flexible light strands perfect for car surfaces. Each Twinkly Dots box that we used includes 400 lights across 65 feet, split into two 32.5-foot strands. We used five boxes (2,000 total lights) but recommend seven or eight boxes for denser, more intricate displays.

Step-by-Step Recap:

📌 1. Select and Order Lights + Tape: We chose Twinkly Dots for their flexibility and taped them down using Scotch Transparent Tape, which performed best on a PPF (paint protection film) surface. Avoid using the included adhesive pads unless you know they won’t damage your paint.

📌 2. Determine Power Source: We powered the lights using a 12V outlet in the frunk with a 500-watt inverter, upgraded from an initial 375W. If your car doesn’t have a built-in 12V outlet, use an external battery and inverter combo.

📌 3. Tape Lights to the Car and Test: Be generous with tape and leave slack at door openings. Organize each light strand to ensure its plug runs back to a central location where power and controllers are installed.

📌 4. Map Lights & Set Up on Network: After installation, connect each strand to the Twinkly app and add them to a group. Crucial tip: choose “Group Type: Join” to sync the lights. This will allow coordinated light animations across the whole car. You can also map more than the suggested 4 angles to improve the light choreography.

📌 5. Begin Programming & Have Fun: Once your lights are grouped, start customizing shows directly from the app. For mobile changes while driving, use one phone as a hotspot and another as your controller. Both must be on the same network for the app to communicate with the lights.

Now get ready to spread some rolling holiday cheer!