China is leading the fight against hidden car door handles

A design feature that has become synonymous with Tesla has been banned in China.

Under new safety rules published by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Monday, cars sold in the country must have mechanical releases on their door handles. The new rules, which will take effect on January 1, 2027, will ban the electronically operated hidden door handles popularized by Tesla — and now found on many other electric cars in China.

The new rule states that every door (except the tailgate) must be equipped with a mechanically released exterior door handle. Vehicles must also have a mechanical release on the interior of the vehicle. Bloomberg previously reported on the new safety policy.

Several high-profile fatal accidents in which passengers became trapped in their cars have raised concerns among safety regulators and safety advocates globally. China is the first country to issue the ban.

A Bloomberg investigation last September revealed problems with hidden door handles in Tesla vehicles, citing several incidents in which first responders or passengers were unable to open the doors because the electronic door locks did not get enough power from the car’s battery system to operate properly. The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration then opened an investigation into defective door handles on certain Tesla Model Y and Model 3 models. While Tesla has manual releases inside its cars, federal investigators have noted that the releases may be difficult for children to reach, and many owners are unaware they exist. Some US lawmakers have proposed regulation that would require manual door opening in all new vehicles.

Fatal accidents in China, including the crash of a Xiaomi SU7 electric sedan, prompted regulators there to propose changes to electric car door handles last year.

The Chinese government began the process in May 2025 with more than 40 domestic automakers, parts suppliers and testing institutions participating in the initial research. More than 100 industry experts held multiple rounds of discussions to define the standard framework and form a draft standard for what will become the safety technical requirements base for automobile door handles, according to the Chinese government’s standards agency.

This included dozens of automakers, including Chinese companies such as BYD, Geely Holdings, SAIC, and Xiaomi, as well as foreign automakers, including General Motors, Ford, Hyundai, Nissan, Porsche, Toyota, and Volkswagen. However, Tesla is not listed as an official “manufacturer,” according to information posted on the standards agency’s website.