Sorry Tesla: hidden car door handles to be banned in China over safety fears

Retractable and flush-fitting door handles will be banned in China from the beginning of next year. The move has been prompted by safety concerns over occupants not being able to exit a vehicle in an emergency.

Unfortunately, these concerns have very much already materialised, with Tesla being the subject of several lawsuits in the U.S. At the time of writing, the country’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is supplying details for Bloomberg’s ongoing investigation into the deaths of at least 15 people in vehicles from the brand where electrically operated doors didn’t open after crashes. 

Such incidents aren’t exclusive to America, either; car maker Xiaomi came under scrutiny in China last year after a driver died as a result of not being able to exit his SU7 following a crash. 

The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MITT) announced in September 2025 that it had conducted research into the safety of electrically operated door handles on over 230 models, and after a public consultation, the Government has now stepped in with a ban. 

The new rules, set to come into force on 1 January 2027, specifically state that vehicles weighing less than 3.5 tonnes must be equipped with physical interior and exterior car door handles that include a mechanical emergency opening function. This is to avoid the possibility of door handles losing power, thereby trapping occupants inside or stopping emergency services entering the vehicle in the event of a collision. 

MITT has issued technical requirements for door handles, stating cars “shall have at least one mechanically released interior door handle. The interior door handle shall be easily identifiable by occupants”. 

The requirements also state that “when the exterior door handle is in any position, there should be sufficient hand operating space relative to the vehicle body surface for operating the mechanical release function”. Plus, the handle must be mounted no more than 300mm from the door’s edge.

The ban on electric door handles and flush-fitting handles could have a knock-on effect outside the Chinese market, which is the largest in the world. Designing and manufacturing cars with two different sets of door handles, which car makers would have to do to comply with the Chinese regulations, is a cost that many may not want to absorb. 

Retractable, electrically operated door handles are nowadays commonplace in the automotive world. While they were first popularised by Tesla models and high-end Aston Martins, they are now used by Mercedes, Porsche, DS and many more European marques. Furthermore, given that they are proven to lower cars’ drag coefficients, this style of handle has become even more popular on electric cars. 

Every Tesla model currently on sale features them, but the firm’s Chief Designer, Franz von Holzhausen, said in 2025 that the American firm would have a solution for the upcoming ban.

When the regulations come into force next year, they will apply to brand-new vehicles. Cars already in production will have a further 25 months to comply with the new rules.

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