The world’s largest car market, China, has banned all-electric retractable door handles after safety concerns were sparked by incidents involving them Xiaomi SU7 limousine and Tesla Electric Vehicles (EVs).
From January 1, 2027, all new vehicles sold in China weighing less than 3.5 tons must have mechanical exterior and interior door handles. The move came after months of public consultation on the issue.
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said the move was to combat safety issues related to electric retractable door handles, such as: B. Power failure, cold and other scenarios.
In such scenarios, a lack of power means occupants may be unable to exit the vehicle in an emergency and become trapped inside.
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Even after a serious incident, first responders may not be able to reach them without breaking windows, posing another safety risk.
A mechanical handle should, in theory, operate regardless of conditions and power availability, reducing the need for emergency services to use tools to gain access to residents.
The regulations also require sufficient hand space when designing the mechanical handles for operation and specify the positioning of both external and internal mechanical door openers.
Every Tesla currently for sale, including the Model Y SUV, Model 3 sedan and Cybertruck (not available in Australia), has retractable power door handles.
In Australia, both the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y have the safety agency’s highest five-star crash rating ANCAP (Australasian New Car Assessment Program).
Retractable door handles, which have become fashionable on electric vehicles, can also be found on electric vehicles BYD, Mercedes Benz And Zeekr Models – among others – sold here.
ANCAP is assessing the retractable door handle’s capability, including post-crash operation, which it says will be a greater focus given new 2026 protocols that have not yet been fully announced.
The Chinese stance comes after more than a dozen deaths involving Tesla vehicles with retractable door handles Bloombergsparked lawsuits from owners in the United States (USA).
A death in China in 2025 involving a Xiaomi SU7 electric sedan (not sold in Australia), which has retractable door handles but also four emergency releases, was also a factor in the details of the new laws, it said CarNewsChina.
CarNewsChina Existing models will reportedly have 25 months to comply with the new standard, but new vehicles will have 13 months to comply with handle positioning laws after the regulations are implemented, but must meet all other requirements “immediately.”
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