The Complete Rules for the Punch Buggy Car Game

A great way to liven up a long or boring car ride is to play Punch Buggy. Punch Buggy, also called Slug Bug and Punch Bug, is a fun game about spotting cars, specifically VW Beetles, and slugging your friends when you do. We’ll tell you all the rules you need to know, including bonus rules and variations, plus other fun car games to keep your next road trip exciting.

How to Play Slug Bug

Keep an eye out for Volkswagen Beetles when you’re riding in a car. Remember that this game is for passengers only.
Call out “Punch Buggy!” or "Slug bug!" and gently punch the person next to you in the upper arm. You can also call out the color of the Beetle when you spot it.
Say “No punch-backs!” when you call a Beetle. Otherwise, the person you punch can hit you right back.

Section 1 of 4:

Basic Rules of Punch Buggy

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Stay on the lookout for Volkswagen Beetles while you’re on the road. While you’re riding in a car, like on a road trip, keep your eyes focused on the other cars on the road. The aim of the game is to spot a Volkswagen Beetle, or “bug.” It can be an old or new version, but it has to be a VW Beetle, and no other model.^{[1]
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Research source} A VW Beetle is a small car with a rounded top.
- The VW Beetle must be driving on the road. Parked Beetles don’t count (unless all the players agree they do).
- This game is for passengers only—it’s dangerous for the driver to play.
- Remember, you're looking for traditional Volkswagen Beetles. This does not include all Volkswagen cars. For example, a Volkswagen Bus would not count.
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Yell “Punch Buggy” and slug the person next to you if you spot a Beetle. Once you spot a Beetle, claim it by saying, “Punch Buggy!” or “Slug bug!” Then, give someone next to you a light punch on the upper arm or shoulder. When you hit them, don’t be too aggressive. And be ready to point out the Beetle you spotted to back yourself up.^{[2]
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Research source} Be sure to punch someone within 5 seconds of spotting the Beetle—no “storing up” punches or torturing someone by faking them out.
- You can call out the color, as well, like, “Yellow Punch Buggy!” This isn’t required, but it helps the other person spot the car so they know you aren't lying.
- Usually, Volkswagen dealerships don’t count—the Beetle has to be “in the wild.”
- Remember, never punch the driver! That’s seriously dangerous.
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Keep score on your phone or a pad of paper. Each proper identification of a bug gives you 1 point. However, each time you are mistaken, you lose 1 point. Many people keep track of their points to see who won at the end of the car trip. Keep a tally on your phone’s notes app, on a pad of paper, or just in your mind. ^{[3]
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- Usually, a game lasts for as long as the car ride, but feel free to keep a running score across multiple rides for a more continuous game.
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Be careful and considerate while you play. Since Punch Buggy involves hitting people, it’s important to stay safe to avoid accidents. For example, don’t hit people much younger than you. Instead, flick them or just tap them on the shoulder. Only play the game with people who want to play and who are willing to hit and get hit back. Otherwise, it won’t be very fun for anyone, including yourself.
- Don’t hit anyone too hard! Hit lighter, especially if other players ask you to.
- Stop playing immediately if someone asks, and don’t punch anyone who says they don’t want to play.

Section 2 of 4:

Bonus Punch Buggy Rules

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Say “No-punch backs!” to protect yourself from revenge punches. Some people play Punch Buggy with the “No punch-backs” rule. With this rule, when you call out a Punch Buggy and hit someone, you also say, “No punch-backs!” If you forget to say it, the person you punched gets to punch you back for free, without having to spot a Beetle.^{[4]
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- For example, you’d say, “Blue Punch Buggie, no punch-backs!”
- Decide on whether or not you’ll play with this rule before you start. If you decide not to, then nobody can punch each other back.
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Call a time-out to take a quick break. Pause or stop the game if you feel overwhelmed. All you need to do is ask for a time-out. Just say "time-out!" and explain why you need a break, if you want to. The game will not resume until you say “time in.” Be careful, though! You can’t just call a time-out whenever you don’t want to get hit, then time in whenever you spot a Beetle—that’s not fair, and other players can deduct points if you do it.
- Make sure everyone knows about time-outs at the beginning of the game, and decide how many points are deducted for abusing time-outs before you play. Five points is pretty standard.
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Punch twice if someone calls out a car that’s already been called. A car that’s already been called out by another player can’t be called out again. If it is called out, the first person who spotted it gets to punch the person who tried to spot it afterward, and they get 2 hits, not just 1! Another option is to deduct 5 points from anyone who calls out a car that’s already been called.
- It’s up to you to prove that the Beetle hasn’t already been called out. One way to do this is by comparing the license plates or bumper stickers.
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Call the same Beetles only after you park your own car. A VW bug that has been seen before can be called as long as your own car has been parked between the calls. Otherwise, you might use up every Beetle in your town and not be able to call any again. Just keep in mind that you own car has to be parked and stopped for the Beetles to “refresh.” Drive-throughs or stop lights don’t count as “parked.”
- Or, put a different limit on it, like you can only call copies after 24 hours.

Section 3 of 4:

Punch Buggy Variations

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Play without punches for a more relaxed game. Spotting Beetles is fun, but sometimes getting punched isn’t as fun. For a more chilled-out game, go no-contact. The rules are exactly the same as the punching version of the game, but no punching or touching is allowed.^{[5]
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Research source} The other player can choose to acknowledge the call by saying something like “I see it,” or simply “okay.” Keep track of the points on a notepad.
- This version of the game is ideal when there are only two people in the car.
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Include other cars to make the game more exciting. Beetles are classic, but letting players call out other cars makes the game more competitive and frantic. It also helps if there aren’t enough VW Beetles on the road. Change the rules to allow a VW car, or add other iconic car models to the rules, like Broncos, Jeeps, or any kind of convertible.
- VW Beetles aren’t currently in production, so it’s getting harder and harder to spot them on the road. Adding other cars to the mix helps.
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Create exemptions from the game. For a trickier game, create rules beforehand that make people safe from punches if they meet a certain condition. For example, for the first sighting, it can be decided that anyone wearing black socks is exempt from a punch. Change the rule as the game progresses for each sighting.
- Other exemptions might be things like: anyone wearing a hat can choose a punch to skip, or Beetles of a certain color are off-limits.

Section 4 of 4:

Similar Games

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License Plate Alphabet License Plate Alphabet is a classic road trip game. Players try to form the entire alphabet by spotting the letters in order on the license plates of other cars. The first player to make it to Z wins!^{[6]
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- For example, you start by trying to find the letter A on a license plate, then B, then C, going in order.
- You can’t say something like, “I just found L, and K was on that last one back there.” It has to be in order!
- For even more car games, check out our huge List of Road Trip Games.
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Padiddle Padiddle is similar to Punch Buggy, but without the punching. Players try to spot cars that have either a broken headlight or a taillight. When they spot one, they call out “Padiddle!” and describe the car. Each padiddle gets you 1 point, and the player with the most points at the end of the game wins.
- Padiddle is easiest to play at night, when you can see the lights of other cars.
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Cows on My Side If you’re driving somewhere with a lot of livestock, this is the game for you! It’s simple: Every time you see a cow on your side of the road, shout, “Cows on my side!” Every time you call it, you get 1 point, and whoever has the most points at the end of the trip wins.
- If you spot cows on someone else’s side, call “Cows on your side!” before them to steal their point.
- You can only call it once every 30 seconds. This is so that you can’t just call it a dozen times for 1 group of cows.
- Play the game with other roadside spottings, like cemeteries or gas stations, if cows aren’t very common in your area.
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The Price of Gas is Right Just like the classic game show The Price is Right, this game is about guessing the correct number. Before you head out, each person guesses what gas will cost per gallon at the next gas station you see. Whoever guesses closest gets a point, and whoever has the most points at the end of the trip wins.
- Make a new guess after each gas station.

Community Q&A

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How much force is allowed to be used when playing the punch buggy game?

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As much as the passengers want. You should factor in who you are playing the game with, and make sure that you do not punch hard enough to hurt them.

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Can I punch twice if it is a convertible?

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If the top is down, a slap is permitted. Otherwise it's just one punch. This rule is always dependent on the age of the players.

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Am I exempt from being punched because I own a punch buggy?

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No because no matter what, you are still eligible to be punched unless you don't want to play.

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Tips

Remember that Punch Buggy is a game. Try not to get so competitive that the game isn't fun anymore.

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Some players say that the bug must be driving on the road and that parked bugs do not count as sightings.

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Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

When seeing multiple bugs tell the other person, so when you punch them more than once they’re not confused.
If you’re playing with someone young don’t punch them very hard. Do more of a playful punch.
If you don't want to hurt anyone, tap them on the shoulder instead.

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