China bans hidden electric door handles for electric cars

China is banning Tesla-style hidden door handles in electric cars to address safety concerns regarding people trapped inside their cars. The ban will come into effect on January 1 next year, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology advertisementIt will require all vehicles sold in China to have mechanical door handles inside and out.

The ban specifically targets hidden handles that retract flush with the car’s doors, a design popularized by Tesla and since adopted by other electric vehicle makers. according to China Dailymore than 60 percent of the top 100 hybrid and electric vehicles sold in China in April 2025 feature hidden handles.

China proposed these new rules in December last year, following a series of reports in which people found it difficult to open vehicles with electronically operated door handles during emergency situations. One notable incident was A Fatal collision of Xiaomi SU7 Ultra In Chengdu, China last year, the electronic door handle system malfunctioned after a collision, trapping the driver inside as the car burst into flames.

Tesla’s electronic door handles are also located underneath Safety investigations in the United States To lock people inside the car, they are Being redesigned To combine electronic and manual door release mechanisms in one button. Investigation by Bloomberg In September last year, it found more than 140 US reports related to Tesla doors malfunctioning since 2018.