China to Ban Hidden Car Door Handles Over Safety Risks

China will prohibit the use of concealed, or “hidden”, car door handles on vehicles sold in the country, introducing mandatory mechanical release requirements in a move that makes it the first nation to formally phase out the design over safety concerns. The new rules, announced by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), respond to a series of fatal accidents and growing regulatory scrutiny of door systems that rely primarily on electronic operation.

Under the updated automotive safety technical requirements, all passenger vehicles sold in China will be required to have clearly visible and mechanically operable door handles on both the exterior and interior of every door, excluding the trunk. The ministry said the changes are intended to address “the inconvenience of operating exterior door handles and their inability to open after an accident,” adding that the regulations aim to “improve the level of automotive safety design.”

The policy targets flush-mounted, electrically actuated handles that sit level with the door panel and are typically activated by a key fob, smartphone, or touch mechanism. The design was popularized globally by Tesla, beginning with the Model S in 2012, and has since been widely adopted by Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers, including Xiaomi and Aion. While proponents argue that concealed handles reduce aerodynamic drag and marginally improve efficiency, regulators say such systems are vulnerable to failure in crashes involving power loss.

MIIT stated that “every car door should be equipped with both exterior and interior handles,” and that “mechanical release designs will be mandatory, with innovations such as electrical handles remaining optional.” The rules specify where exterior handles must be located and how they should function to ensure that doors can be opened after an accident. Interior handles must also be “clearly visible from the corresponding occupant’s position,” according to the ministry.

The regulations set detailed technical thresholds for manual operation. Vehicles must provide a hand-operable space measuring at least 6 cm by 2 cm by 2.5 cm to allow occupants or rescuers to mechanically release the door. Inside the vehicle, signage must indicate how doors can be opened manually in an emergency.

New vehicle models launched in China will be required to comply with the standards starting Jan. 1, 2027. Models that have already received approval will be granted a transition period and must be brought into compliance by Jan. 1, 2029, the ministry said. Other guidance indicates that some vehicles in the final stages of development or launch may be given a grace period of up to two years to redesign door systems.

The regulatory action follows several high-profile incidents in which concealed door handles were cited as a contributing factor to fatalities. Chinese state media reported that in October, the driver of a Xiaomi SU7 Ultra sedan died after a crash when passersby were unable to open the vehicle’s door to pull him from the car before it caught fire. Xiaomi has not publicly commented on the incident and did not respond to media requests following the announcement of the new rules.

Concerns about similar designs have also surfaced outside China. In the United States, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last year opened a defect investigation into emergency door release controls on the Tesla Model 3 sedan. 

MIIT said the new requirements were introduced to reduce the risk of occupants becoming trapped following collisions, fires, or electrical failures. Officials noted that sleek, electrically dependent handles can lose operability when a vehicle’s power supply is disrupted, preventing both passengers and first responders from opening doors quickly.

Despite the safety concerns, concealed handles have become common across China’s fast-growing electric vehicle market. State media have reported that the design appears in about 60% of the top 100 bestselling new energy vehicles in the country, a category that includes both battery-electric and hybrid models.