China is leading the fight against hidden car door handles

One of the automotive design elements most closely associated with Tesla is being phased out in China.

Under new safety regulations released Monday by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, all cars sold in the country will be required to include mechanical door release systems. The rules, which take effect on January 1, 2027, effectively ban the hidden, electronically actuated door handles that Tesla popularised and that have since spread across many electric vehicles sold in the Chinese market.

According to the regulation, every door — excluding the tailgate — must be fitted with an externally accessible, mechanically operated door handle. In addition, vehicles must include a mechanical release mechanism on the interior. Bloomberg previously reported on the introduction of the new safety standard.

The move follows a series of high-profile fatal incidents in which occupants were trapped inside vehicles, raising alarms among safety regulators and consumer advocates worldwide. China is the first country to ban hidden electronic door handles at the national level formally.

A Bloomberg investigation published last September highlighted serious concerns with Tesla’s concealed door handles, pointing to multiple crashes in which first responders or occupants were unable to open vehicle doors because the electronic locking systems failed due to insufficient power from the battery. In response, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the United States launched a defect investigation into door handles on certain Tesla Model Y and Tesla Model 3 vehicles.

Although Tesla vehicles are equipped with manual interior door releases, U.S. safety investigators noted that these releases can be difficult for children to reach and that many owners are unaware of their existence. As a result, some U.S. lawmakers have proposed new regulations that would require manual door releases in all newly manufactured vehicles.

In China, fatal crashes — including an incident involving the Xiaomi SU7 — pushed regulators to begin examining changes to EV door handle designs last year.

The regulatory process formally began in May 2025, when the Chinese government convened more than 40 domestic automakers, parts suppliers, and vehicle testing institutions to conduct initial research. According to China’s national standards agency, more than 100 industry experts participated in multiple rounds of discussions to define the framework and draft what ultimately became the Safety Technical Requirements for Automobile Door Handles.

The drafting process included input from dozens of automakers. Chinese manufacturers involved included BYD, Geely Holdings, SAIC, and Xiaomi. Foreign automakers also participated, including General Motors, Ford, Hyundai, Nissan, Porsche, Toyota, and Volkswagen.

Notably, Tesla was not listed as an official “drafter” of the standard, according to information published on the standards agency’s website.