Citing safety concerns, all new electric cars in China will no longer be allowed to feature Tesla-style retractable door handles starting January 1st 2027.
The move comes as scrutiny is growing in the US over Tesla’s own electric and emergency door mechanisms.
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced that, under the upcoming rules, all vehicles under 3.5 tons must include an interior and exterior manual release for all doors.
This is to ensure that all doors can easily be opened even if there is an electronic failure in the car.
Tesla probed after crashes
At least 15 people are thought to have died so far due to being trapped in their Tesla EVs after a crash prevented the electric release of the car’s doors.
The US auto safety regulator recently opened an investigation into Tesla’s Model 3 vehicles over its emergency door release mechanism, citing ease-of-use and accessibility concerns.
The probe began after Georgia driver Kevin Clouse was forced to smash the window of his Tesla Model 3 to escape the burning vehicle after a collision.
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Driven out of China?
The ban will hit Tesla particularly hard in China, the world’s largest EV market, since every Tesla vehicle features retractable handles.
It also comes at a time when China’s homegrown giant BYD is widely expected to overtake Tesla as world’s biggest EV seller in 2025.
BYD reported it had sold 2.1 million EVs across 2025 to November, while Tesla is projected to sell 1.7 million by the year’s end.
Aided by generous state subsidies and support, BYD has fast become one of the world’s largest automakers.
Weak demand back home has also forced it to look overseas, building a factory in Hungary to dodge steep EU tariffs.
Only time will tell whether Tesla can get a handle on its door issues or it risks being driven out of the market by BYD.
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