China is taking a significant step to enhance vehicle safety by prohibiting the use of concealed door handles on electric vehicles (EVs). The ban, set to begin on January 1st of the following year, mandates that all cars sold in China must feature mechanical release door handles both internally and externally, as declared by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
The prohibition specifically targets the practice of embedding door handles that retract to seamlessly blend with vehicle doors, a design notably popularized by Tesla and subsequently adopted by other EV manufacturers. Reports from China Daily revealed that over 60 percent of the top 100 hybrid and electric vehicles sold in China in April 2025 were equipped with concealed handles.
This regulatory action was prompted by safety concerns following incidents where individuals encountered difficulties in opening vehicles with electronically operated door handles during emergencies. One tragic episode involved a fatal Xiaomi SU7 Ultra collision in Chengdu, China, last year, where the electronic door handle system malfunctioned post-impact, trapping the driver inside as the car caught fire.
Tesla, known for its electronic door handles, is also facing safety scrutiny in the US due to instances of individuals being locked inside vehicles. As a response, Tesla is redesigning its door mechanisms to integrate electronic and manual release functions into a single button. A Bloomberg investigation in September last year highlighted over 140 US reports related to Tesla vehicles experiencing door-related issues since 2018.
Source: The Verge