5 Best Automotive Christmas Videos in 2023

I tried my version of a Christmas video and got four other friends to bring out their RX8s and an RX-7 for the shoot. Operating on a low budget won't get you very far, though. And regardless of how big of a project you've got in mind, someone out there will do it even better.

For the past week, I have watched over 50 automotive-focused Christmas videos. Most came out in 2023, but I've followed some older ones. I decided to make a list containing the five best ones. Before I get to it, we should look at the factors that define a Christmas video:

• Think of the setting: ideally, there should be snow around; the more, the merrier!
• The character: most will choose Santa, but some will opt for Grinch or even Santa's elves.
• There's the sleigh: this year's theme is adding as many Christmas lights as possible. The tree on top is no longer the main focus point, but it's still lovely. The more cars you bring to the shoot, the better.
• The script: shooting raw action scenes is more accessible than creating a complicated script and can even render better results.

Some videos below also have a vlog element, but the action is so good that I've decided to keep them on the list. It reflects my preferences, and your list might look different. If you want some honorable mentions, I'd go for ABT's "The final bang for Christmas" and Tsuchi's "I Wrapped My RX7 In Christmas Lights!" for obvious reasons. But many other cool cars have had a complete Christmas lights treatment this year, including a 2024 Dark Horse, a Hellcat, and several drift cars.

Santa Claus in an R32 Skyline

It might seem like a simple appetizer next to other videos on this list. But who can resist seeing Santa Claus doing a massive burnout in an epic Nissan Skyline R32? The old man is working on a different sleigh at the beginning of the video. But his phone quickly reminds him to deliver the Christmas presents.

It's not the most complex script you'll see this year. But it's still lovely of the creator to try to raise the stakes by driving up to people with their gifts. I'm sure this video would have attracted some attention without the Christmas element, given this is probably one of the most exciting R32s I've ever seen.

Grinch Steals a Turbo E46

The only video on my list to feature Santa's Nemesis also makes the switch from a Japanese car to a European one. The Italian content creator has had a similar approach to a Christmas movie in 2022, at least from the driving point of view. Who doesn't want to see a turbocharged Bimmer drifting up a mountain road with a camera car recording all the action?

But for 2023, the Grinch has taken over, and he's in the driver's seat. Funny enough, Santa is chilling beside him, but he isn't as happy at the end of the video. So we've got two Christmas characters here, a red "sleigh," a good soundtrack, and a basic but funny script. This video might be more successful than the old one, but we'll have to wait a few more weeks to confirm that.

Rocket Santa

Here's something slightly different for you. I've talked about Robert Maddox and his jet engine adventures before. The RocketMan has been uploading videos like these on YouTube for 16 years now. It's safe to say he's perfectly aware of the risks involved. But at the same time, age is just a number to him, and it doesn't seem he'll stop soon.

He built a rocket-powered sleigh for his 2022 Christmas video, and I knew then and there that it would be challenging for him to match that performance. He opted for a skateboard this year, and it's pretty different. It's still wild to see but not as festive without the snow.

X-mas Lights on My Evo

When I first saw OG Schaefchen's post, I was sure this would be the best Christmas video of 2023. The premise was simple: add a lot of Christmas lights to a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V RS and take it out for a drive. Of course, the driver had to wear the Santa Claus suit before going up the mountain to find a snowy section of the road.

The whole driving sequence is a rally fan's wet dream, and it honestly makes me want to move to some part of the world where it snows most of the year. One of his friends tags along for the fun, and he's driving a more modern Evo with a Christmas tree on top. But the funny thing is, the creator pointed out that he drew inspiration from Alex Choi's antiques.

World's Most Distracting Car

A few months ago, Drake launched his official video for "Another Late Night." In it, you could see Alex Choi's McLaren 720S, and it had a lot of Christmas lights to make it pop. Now, he has upgraded his twin-turbo Lamborghini Huracan to the same look, and it's just a whole new level of madness.

His team installed 30,000 LEDs on the car, and it reminds me of that Christmas movie featuring Matthew Broderick and Danny DeVito. More cars show up later in the video, including a Veilside RX-7! I'm pretty sure this is the best Christmas video in 2023, but if you can find an even better one, I'd love to see that, too!