China has officially drawn a hard line on one of the most recognizable design elements in modern EVs — retractable, electronic door handles. Starting January 1, 2027, new vehicles sold in China will no longer be allowed to rely solely on Tesla-style flush door handles, forcing automakers to rethink a design trend that once symbolized futuristic minimalism.
According to a new report from Autoblog, Chinese regulators are moving ahead with rules that require all vehicles under 3.5 tons to feature mechanical emergency door releases for both interior and exterior handles. The goal is simple: if a crash, fire, or power failure disables electronics, occupants and first responders must still be able to open doors manually.
Retractable door handles have become especially popular among EV makers, with Tesla leading the charge across its entire lineup. They look sleek, reduce aerodynamic drag, and help vehicles stand out visually. But safety concerns have steadily piled up. Regulators argue that purely electronic systems can fail at the worst possible moment, turning a basic action into a dangerous obstacle.
While most EVs, including all Teslas, already include mechanical emergency releases inside the cabin, those systems have drawn criticism for being difficult to find, poorly labeled, or awkward to use under stress. Cold-weather failures, delayed handle deployment, and even pinched fingers have all added to growing frustration among owners.
Tesla, unsurprisingly, finds itself under the brightest spotlight. All of its vehicles use electronically actuated, flush-mounted handles, and there have been multiple documented cases where occupants struggled to exit after crashes due to power loss. In some incidents, people reportedly had to smash windows to escape. The company’s minimalist design philosophy has long been polarizing, and this new regulation adds fresh pressure.
The move in China also echoes scrutiny elsewhere. In the U.S., the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently opened a defect investigation into more than 170,000 Tesla Model 3 sedans over concerns that manual door releases may not be easily identifiable during an emergency. Tesla vehicles built at Gigafactory Shanghai at least have clear markings on the interior emergency door latches. However, that’s not the case for those produced at Tesla’s factories outside China.
Tesla has already acknowledged the issue, with design chief Franz von Holzhausen previously confirming the company is working on a new handle design that combines electronic and mechanical releases into a single control. China’s new regulations make that redesign less of a choice and more of a requirement.
In many ways, retractable door handles are starting to feel like the pop-up headlights of the EV era — flashy, futuristic, and ultimately undone by safety realities. With China being the world’s largest EV market, automakers won’t have much choice. Either redesign the handles, or risk being locked out of a massive market.
