China says no to Tesla-like door handles

A once-popular design choice introduced by Tesla is now viewed as a safety flaw in electric vehicles. That’s why China wants it gone by 2027.

Starting in 2027, electric vehicles in China will no longer be equipped with retractable door handles.

Many electric vehicles feature retractable door handles, a design first introduced in Tesla cars. It allows car manufacturers to provide the vehicles with a minimalistic and clean look.

However, the futuristic design has raised safety concerns. China will ban retractable EV door handles from January 1st, 2027, meaning that no new cars will be sold with them.

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has issued a draft of rules stipulating that cars weighing less than 3.5 tons must have interior and exterior handles with a mechanical emergency release.

The new safety rules were issued on Monday, February 2nd, 2026.

While the rules will take effect starting next year, Bloomberg reports that cars that have already been approved and are in the final stages of launch have until January 2029 to change their designs.

It’s not yet clear how significant an impact these rules may have or how much they may cost manufacturers, with one Chinese EV manufacturer predicting it could cost more than 100 million yuan, or $14.4 million per model.

Regarding the prevalence of retractable handles in Chinese EVs, China Daily notes that in April, around 60% of the top 100-selling new-energy vehicles had hidden handles.

The reason behind the new rules is related to user safety, as it has been reported that in the event of a crash or other accident, passengers inside would be trapped, since the wiring or battery is disabled, and thus the door can’t be opened manually.

While some electric vehicles already feature mechanical releases, some users report that they still struggle to locate or utilize them, especially in extreme situations, notes Autoblog.

Tesla, which popularized this type of door handle for electric vehicles, isn’t the only car brand to use this design. Among others are also Mercedes-Benz, BYD, Rivian, BMW, and more.

However, Tesla has already been in the spotlight for its door handles, which have caused people to be trapped inside and even resulted in deaths after passengers couldn’t open the doors.

It has been previously reported that Tesla is already considering redesigning its door handles by combining the electronic and manual door-release mechanisms.

While Tesla has been a trend setter of retractable handle design, with more regulators flagging it as a safety concern, the company, as well as other EV car manufacturers, may soon have to rethink their design choices.

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