6 of the best Halloween car campaigns

Which manufacturers hit the nail on the head with their Halloween campaigns and which were just... Witchful thinking? 

Right, now we've got the terrible puns out of the way, let's get on with it. 

Our favourite brands and manufacturers outdo themselves every year when creatively celebrating holidays and special occasions through eye-catching advertising. 

Halloween is no exception and car brands use it as an opportunity to scare, poke fun of or even rile up the competition. We’ve had a look through the archives of Halloweens-past and dug up some of our favourites from across the globe. 

From the informative, to the funny, to the downright scandalous, we've gathered six of the best Halloween car campaigns for your viewing pleasure.

BMW USA

"Now every car can dress up as its favourite superhero." 

The rivalry between BMW and Mercedes-Benz is well known. 

Rather than ignore it, BMW decided to embrace it with this clever ad in which they 'dress' a Mercedes up as its favourite superhero... AKA, the BMW. However, it didn't go completely in their favour. Daimler came back with a biting remark. Something along the lines of "scary costume... especially that radiator grille!"

Ouch! 

Mercedes-Benz

"Unofficial servicing can be dangerous"

Whilst perhaps not as witty as the previous campaign, we love this ad brought out by Mercedes-Benz. 

It was part of a series of images that transformed everyday tools into scary shadows, highlighting the perils of bypassing main dealers and authentic parts when servicing.

Plus, they speak with credibility. 

There are always perils associated with non-approved servicing. They can actually increase repair costs and ultimately worsen the deprecation value of the vehicle. This is why we recommend to all our customers that they use approved manufacturer servicing and parts for their car lease. 

It means that your manufacturer warranty remains valid, and you'll avoid extra fees at the end of your lease term.

Read more about our vehicle maintenance packages - it's the easiest way to keep your vehicle serviced at approved garages for a set monthly fee (saving you a lot of hassle). 

SKODA

"The moment has come to face the monster"

SKODA came up with this spooky graphic a few years ago, and behind it was a serious message. Their focus was to help those suffering with amaxaphobia - the fear of being in, or riding in, a vehicle. 

Just another reason why SKODA are one of our favourite - and most sensible - manufacturers! 

SEE ALSO: Drive with us: Test driving the Skoda Kamiq

Honda

"Cavernous!"

What better way to show off the boot capacity of one of your cars than with a load of bats and an apt play on words? 

As you know by now, even the most questionable puns get our vote.

We know the Honda Fit in the UK as the trusty Honda Jazz, and the stats speak for themselves: this not-so-compact hatchback offers 1614L of boot space with the seats down.

So, if a cavernous boot is on your wishlist for your next lease car, don't hide from our latest Honda Jazz lease deals. Now, it's not quite the Batmobile, but it is a more affordable option, we're sure.

Batman mask not included. 

MINI

"BOO!"

Nothing is more uncomplicated than a MINI hatchback with a sheet over it saying ‘BOO’. 

Simple, and we love it.

This Halloween ad was produced as a part of a series of similar visuals that also included an orange backlit MINI with the phrase "Save a pumpkin, carve the road." Combined, this campaign sought to play on the visceral reactions shared between Halloween frights and test-driving your perfect car.

'Goosebumps' and 'chills' were certainly relevant to our own MINI test drives...  

SEE ALSO: Our review of the Mini Cooper S Hatchback 

Greenpeace (VW)

"Trick. No Treat."

So, this one is not technically an ad created by VW themselves, but it certainly got a lot of attention. 

In terms of controversy, this tops the lot. This ad from Greenpeace came out after THAT emission scandal. And well, whilst we won’t pass comment on the technicalities, we feel its creativity bags its place on our top list.

Anyone up for some light pumpkin carving?

So these were some of our favourite Halloween ads of years gone by. 

Did any jump out at you? 

Okay, that really was the last pun, we promise. 

Happy Halloween! And we can't wait to see what our beloved manufacturers come up with next...