The new law which takes effect on January 1, 2027, will have the design feature popularized by Tesla, and now used by countless other EVs and even hybrids, outlawed. Models that have already been approved by the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will have until January 1, 2029 to change their designs.

About 60 percent of the top 100-selling New Energy Vehicles in China feature the soon-to-be-banned design including the Tesla Model 3 and Y, the BMW iX3, Ford Mustang Mach-E, and more.

The new safety rules are very specific: on the door’s exterior, there must be a recessed space measuring at least 60 mm by 20 mm for a hand to grasp a handle. Inside, cars must have signage at least 10 mm by 7 mm indicating how to open the door. The regulation also delineates where the handles and signs should be placed.

However, the new rules mean existing safety features, including mechanical pull-cables and back-up door batteries that allow for opening even when other power is lost, will be rendered redundant. In other markets, some models combine electric and manual systems in the same handle, allowing people to open a door with a hard yank, which foreign automakers argue is more intuitive in an emergency situation.

China’s examination of standards began in July 2024. However, it wasn’t until June 2025 when the issue caught the public’s attention when two fatal crashes involving the Xiaomi YU7 caused fatalities as passengers were trapped in their cars due to issues opening doors. This accelerated the push to regulate hidden, flushed, or electronically actuated door handles.

While the new regulations will only so far impact EVs sold in China, the country’s influence on the global automotive industry means it could resonate elsewhere.

For example, Tesla’s doors are already the target of a safety probe in the U.S., while European regulators are considering imposing their own rules.

Tesla, for its part, has pledged to make necessary changes for China. Tesla is considering programming the locks to open automatically when the battery’s voltage is low.

Aside from the new door handle rule, China’s Ministry of Public Security also plans to limit how quickly cars can accelerate from a standstill, and authorities are ramping up their oversight of advanced driver-assistance systems.