China is set to become the first country to issue a ban on retractable or “hidden” door handles on vehicles.
SAFETY RISKS
From 1 January 2027, cars in China must be fitted with door handles that can be mechanically lifted. Additionally, car doors must also be open from either side mechanically.
The flushed door handle feature was made popular by EV maker Tesla and was widely adopted by EV makers in China. Around 60 of China’s top 100 best-selling EVs have this feature.
Though these electric door handles are popular, its design is under scrutiny following several incidents in China, where victims were trapped in their vehicles. Outsiders could not open the doors, preventing rescue.
The fatal incidents involved EVs from local manufacturer, Xiaomi. According to an article by the BBC, the electric door handles failed to operate when the car’s power died.
NEW RULES
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology now require passenger doors to have “a recessed space measuring no smaller than 6cm by 2cm by 2.5cm.” These specific measurements allow easier access to doors to a vehicle’s door handles.
The new requirements also specified that there must be a sign at least 1 cm by 0.7 cm with instructions on how to open the door.
BEYOND CHINA
China’s ban may likely influence other countries to follow suit. In the US, Tesla’s flushed electric door handles are also under scrutiny. In 2024, a Cybertruck crashed into a tree and caught fire. The driver and three passengers could not open the doors when the vehicle caught fire.
“The backup mechanical release for that door was concealed beneath the liner of the map pocket at the bottom of the door – hidden, unlabelled, and impractical to locate or use in the smoke and chaos of a post-crash fire,” said the victim’s family. “As a result, the Cybertruck’s design left Jack and the other occupants with no practical way to escape.”
Due to this, the US’ National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation into Tesla’s door feature.
Around the same time, reports revealed that Europe is also investigating the safety risks of these door handles. The Netherlands Vehicle Authority (RDW) stated that regulations for this feature are in progress. The investigation has become a “key priority” for the Euro New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).
“Doors must always be operable – from the inside by occupants and from the outside by emergency responders – even in the event of a power failure,” the organisation wrote in an email to Bloomberg.
“Where current regulations fall short due to the introduction of new door concepts, this issue is being addressed within the respective committees.”
So far, there is no word if electric door handles are being investigated in Australia or other countries in Asia.
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