China to ban hidden car door handles on all EVs over crash safety concerns

Source: The Guardian

China to ban hidden car door handles on all EVs over crash safety concerns

Sleek car doors reduce vehicle drag but are prone to losing operability in the event of a crash, officials say

Alastair McCready in Taipei
Tue 3 Feb 2026 05.27 GMT
Last modified on Tue 3 Feb 2026 20.46 GMT


China to ban hidden car door handles on all EVs over crash safety concerns
Sleek car doors reduce vehicle drag but are prone to losing operability in the event of a crash, officials say

Alastair McCready in Taipei
Tue 3 Feb 2026 05.27 GMT
Last modified on Tue 3 Feb 2026 20.46 GMT

China will soon ban concealed door handles on electric vehicles (EVs), becoming the first country to do so after several deadly incidents triggered global scrutiny of the controversial design first popularised by Tesla.

According to regulations announced on Monday by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, cars sold in China will now be required to have a mechanical release on both the inside and outside of every door except the boot.

The new regulations will “improve the level of automotive safety design”, it said.

Due to take effect on 1 January next year, the regulations stipulate every car should provide hand-operable space measuring at least 6cm by 2cm by 2.5cm in order to manually release the door. Within the vehicle, there must also be signs showing occupants how to open the door.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/feb/03/china-to-ban-hidden-car-door-handles-evs