Vehicle customisation has evolved into one of the defining pillars of the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) experience, transforming cars, motorcycles, aircraft, and watercraft from purely functional traversal tools into instruments of player expression, status signalling, and economic activity. Beginning with the modest TransFender and Wheel Arch Angels shops in GTA: San Andreas (2004), the system matured dramatically with the introduction of Los Santos Customs (LSC) in Grand Theft Auto V (2013), which became a centrepiece of both the single-player experience and the long-running Grand Theft Auto Online live service (Rockstar Games, 2013). As Grand Theft Auto VI approaches its November 2026 release, expectations for next-generation customisation systems are high, informed by over a decade of GTA Online iteration and the franchise's broader move toward systemic, persistent player-owned content (Wikipedia, 2026a).
Los Santos Customs is a vehicle customisation and repair chain that replaces the Pay 'n' Spray establishments of earlier 3D-era titles, simultaneously fulfilling the wanted-level evasion function while massively expanding the depth of modification options available (GTA Wiki, 2026). Modelled on the real-world West Coast Customs of Los Angeles — popularised by MTV's Pimp My Ride — LSC operates four physical garages across San Andreas state, including locations on Carcer Way in Burton, Popular Street in La Mesa, Greenwich Parkway near Los Santos International Airport, and a Harmony branch in Blaine County that Franklin Clinton can optionally purchase for US$349,000 in the story mode (GTA Wiki, 2026).
The modification taxonomy at LSC is segmented into aesthetic and performance categories. Aesthetic options include primary, secondary, pearlescent, and metallic paint finishes, matte and chrome layers, custom plates, tinted windows, neon underglow, body kits, spoilers, bull bars, fender flares, custom wheels with adjustable tyre smoke colour, and interior trim (GTA Wiki, 2026). Performance modifications encompass engine tuning across four tiers (EMS upgrades), brake upgrades, transmission improvements, suspension lowering kits, armour plating in five levels, bulletproof tyres, explosives, and turbo tuning, all of which directly affect vehicle handling, acceleration, top speed, and survivability in combat (Rockstar Games, 2013). Companion functionality is provided through the iFruit mobile application, which lets players queue modifications remotely so cars are ready when they arrive at a garage (GTA Wiki, 2026).
In GTA Online, LSC's role expanded materially with the introduction of personal garages, vehicle insurance, and a stratified ecosystem of specialised customisation venues. The Bikers update (2016), Import/Export (2016), Arena War (2018), and Los Santos Tuners (2021) DLCs added bespoke workshops — including Benny's Original Motor Works for lowriders, the Mobile Operations Center, Avenger and Terrorbyte vehicle workshops, the Arena Workshop for weaponised conversions, and the LS Car Meet for tuner-specific upgrades — creating a layered economy in which specific cosmetic and performance items are gated behind property ownership and reputation systems (Wikipedia, 2026b). Vehicle customisation thereby functions as both a sink for in-game currency (and Shark Card microtransactions) and a social signalling layer within lobbies and car meets.
Although Rockstar Games has not released detailed gameplay footage of vehicle customisation in Grand Theft Auto VI, several reasonable expectations can be derived from the franchise's trajectory, the leaked September 2022 development footage, and the Florida-inspired Leonida setting (Wikipedia, 2026a). The Vice City and Leonida Keys environments — based on Miami, the Everglades, and the Florida Keys — naturally evoke regional vehicle subcultures: lowriders, donk-style cars on oversized wheels, modified imports, airboats, jet skis, and offshore powerboats, all of which represent fertile ground for an expanded customisation suite (Wikipedia, 2026a). The second trailer released in May 2025 confirmed boats, off-road vehicles, and a wider water-vehicle ecosystem, suggesting marine customisation may receive parity with road vehicles for the first time in the series (Wikipedia, 2026a).
Industry commentary anticipates deeper systemic integration: persistent vehicle damage states, more granular paint and livery editors (potentially with player-uploaded decals), real-time fluid dynamics affecting handling, and tighter coupling between customisation and online progression in the planned online mode reported by Schreier (2022). Given Rockstar's stated commitment to avoiding the developer crunch of past releases and to building a continually evolving online platform, customisation is likely to be designed as a multi-year content vector rather than a launch-only feature (Wikipedia, 2026a).
From a simple respray booth in 2004 to the multi-layered LSC ecosystem of GTA Online, vehicle customisation has become inseparable from the Grand Theft Auto identity. GTA VI is positioned to extend this lineage into a Floridian context with broader vehicle classes, deeper personalisation, and tighter online integration, building on the proven economic and social functions established over the past decade.
GTA Wiki (2026) Los Santos Customs. Available at: https://gta.fandom.com/wiki/Los_Santos_Customs (Accessed: 14 May 2026).
Rockstar Games (2013) Grand Theft Auto V. New York: Take-Two Interactive.
Schreier, J. (2022) 'Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto VI faces years of work to deliver on hype', Bloomberg, 28 July.
Wikipedia (2026a) Grand Theft Auto VI. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto_VI (Accessed: 14 May 2026).
Wikipedia (2026b) Grand Theft Auto Online. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto_Online (Accessed: 14 May 2026).
Wikipedia (2026c) Grand Theft Auto V. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto_V (Accessed: 14 May 2026).