Global regulation against hidden door handles: Tesla and industry face urgent redesign

China has become the first country to ban the use of hidden door handles in electric vehicles, signaling an international shift toward prioritizing safety over design. The move, announced in early February, is not isolated: U.S. regulators are investigating fatal cases, Europe is preparing new standards, and China’s decision forces the entire industry to reevaluate a technological choice that promised efficiency but introduced risks.

The Chinese ban marks the end of a questionable safety consensus regarding door handles

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology established strict rules: each door must have a mechanical release handle with an operational space of at least 60mm×20mm×25mm, ensuring manual opening in emergencies. The regulation ignores aesthetic commitments and mandates a return to functionality as the top priority.

The decision is not arbitrary. The Wisconsin case revealed real dangers: after a frontal collision, a Tesla Model S handle failed, leaving five passengers trapped until they burned alive while rescuers couldn’t open the door. This was not an isolated accident but a demonstration of a systemic problem.

Safety data expose the failure of hidden handles in critical situations

Tests conducted by Zhongbaoyan show alarming disparities: hidden handles have a success rate of only 67% after side collisions, while traditional mechanical handles reach 98%. The 31 percentage point difference represents the difference between life and death in crucial moments.

Wei Jianjun, president of Great Wall Motors, was direct: the reduction of aerodynamic drag with hidden handles is “practically irrelevant,” while the design adds 8 kilograms to the vehicle’s weight and creates sealing issues. In low-temperature regions, handle freezing is common, making them inaccessible without manual intervention using hot water or hairdryers.

Modification costs force urgent restructuring in the industry

For Tesla, the impact is immediate: virtually all models sold in China use hidden handles. Correcting this will require structural revisions of doors, redesign of electrical circuits, and new molds—an expensive operation estimated between 4 to 6 million yuan just for the four-door system.

The problem is not limited to one manufacturer. About 60% of the top 100 best-selling models worldwide adopt the hidden handle design. Wenjie M7 and Zeekr have already implemented urgent semi-hidden modifications, fearing they won’t meet the 2027 deadline. According to internal GAC sources, the entire correction process is costly and time-consuming—small manufacturers may be eliminated by their inability to afford structural rework and renewed crash tests.

What will change in the market by 2027

The Chinese ban has sparked global concerns. European regulators are monitoring the development of new standards, and American media recognize that China’s safety criteria are about to lead the world in transportation. Meanwhile, Tesla faces compensation lawsuits in the U.S.; families of victims are claiming billions in damages over the Wisconsin case, and the company must now reconcile with new regulatory requirements.

The true meaning of this decision is clear: technology that exists solely for appearance, without functional benefits justifying its risks, has no place in transportation vehicles. The door handle, seemingly insignificant, is the mechanism that saves lives in critical moments—its reliability is non-negotiable, regardless of aesthetics.