China has announced a ban on Tesla-style concealed door handles on electric vehicles, citing safety concerns about people getting trapped inside their cars. This new regulation will come into effect on January 1st of next year, as per the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s announcement. The mandate will require all electric vehicles sold in China to have mechanical release door handles both on the inside and outside.
The ban specifically targets hidden handles that retract to sit flush with vehicle doors, a design popularized by Tesla and adopted by other electric vehicle manufacturers. According to China Daily, more than 60 percent of the top 100 hybrid and electric vehicles sold in China in April 2025 featured these hidden handles.
The decision to implement these new rules stemmed from incidents where individuals struggled to open vehicles with electronically operated door handles during emergencies. One notable case was a fatal collision involving a Xiaomi SU7 Ultra in Chengdu, China, last year. In this tragic event, the electronic door handle system malfunctioned after impact, trapping the driver inside the vehicle as it caught fire.
Tesla’s electronic door handles have also come under scrutiny in the US, with a safety investigation initiated for locking people inside the vehicle. The company is currently redesigning the door handles to integrate electronic and manual release mechanisms into a single button. A Bloomberg investigation in September last year revealed over 140 US reports related to Tesla’s doors getting stuck since 2018.
These developments underscore the importance of prioritizing safety in electric vehicle design, particularly concerning door handles. By mandating mechanical release handles on all electric vehicles sold in China, the government aims to enhance passenger safety and prevent potential accidents caused by door handle malfunctions.