Chinese authorities have banned the use of hidden electronically operated door handles on electric vehicles, citing safety concerns. China has become the first country to officially abandon such designs, which were previously popularized by manufacturers including Tesla, the BBC’s Russian Service reports.
The stricter requirements come amid heightened regulatory scrutiny of electric vehicle safety following a series of serious and fatal incidents worldwide. In China, at least two fatal traffic accidents involving Xiaomi electric vehicles have been recorded, where preliminary findings suggest that electrical system failures may have prevented doors from being opened in time.
According to Chinese state media, under the new rules vehicles will be approved for sale only if they are equipped with a mechanical method of opening doors, both from inside the cabin and from outside. Fully electronic or so-called “invisible” door handles without mechanical backup are no longer permitted.
The new regulations were announced by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Monday and will come into force on January 1, 2027.
Under the requirements, each passenger door — excluding the trunk — must feature an external recess providing access to a mechanical opening mechanism. Inside the vehicle, clear markings must indicate how doors can be opened mechanically from within.
Models that have already received regulatory approval and are preparing to enter the market will be granted a transitional period of up to two years to modify their designs.
Hidden electronic door handles first appeared in 2012 on the Tesla Model S and later became popular among Chinese automakers focused on high-tech and minimalist design.
In China’s new energy vehicle (NEV) market, such handles became widespread. According to China Daily, around 60% of the top 100 best-selling NEV models are equipped with them.
Although the new requirements apply only to vehicles sold in China, analysts believe Beijing’s decision could have broader implications for the global automotive industry. China is increasingly positioning itself as a developer of international standards for electric vehicles.
“Companies such as Tesla, Kia, and other automakers selling vehicles across multiple regions will have to decide whether to make changes only for the Chinese market or to implement them globally,” Tu Le, founder of Sino Auto Insights, told AFP.
In the United States, regulators are already examining potential issues related to Tesla’s door handle design, while European authorities are also considering introducing their own safety requirements.
In November, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched an investigation into Tesla’s electronic door handles following reports of sudden failures that left children trapped inside vehicles.
According to the NHTSA, nine complaints were filed concerning door handles on the 2021 Tesla Model Y, one of the company’s key models. In four cases, vehicle owners were forced to break a window in order to open the door.
