China Bans Flush and Power Door Handles on Cars Starting in 2027

China just announced it's banning flush and power-operated door handles on cars starting in 2027. The new rules cover both interior and exterior handles on all new passenger and light commercial vehicles. The government's concerned about safety after several high-profile accidents where people got trapped inside cars.

What's Getting Banned

Flush exterior door handles - the kind that sit flat with the body and pop out when you unlock the car - are out. They've gotten popular on EVs in recent years because they look sleek and help with aerodynamics. But emergency responders have had trouble getting into crashed cars because they can't figure out how to open the doors.

Power-operated interior handles are also getting banned unless they have proper mechanical backup releases. Teslas and several other cars use these, and people have gotten stuck inside when the power cuts out.

The new rules require actual mechanical handles that can withstand certain forces. Inside the car, there has to be an emergency manual release that's easy to find and use, with clear instructions nearby showing how it works.

Why This Happened

A bunch of fatal crashes in China involved cars with these fancy door handles. One crash in 2025 involving a Xiaomi SU7 killed three university students and got regulators looking hard at both the semi-autonomous driving tech and the powered doors.

Emergency crews kept showing up to accidents and couldn't get people out because the handles were either hidden or didn't work without power. That's a huge problem when every second counts.

Who's Affected

Pretty much everyone using this tech in China. BYD, Ford, Hyundai, Kia, Tesla, MG, Zeekr, Chery, Deepal, Leapmotor, Volvo, Land Rover - the list goes on. All of them will need to redesign their door handles for the Chinese market.

Cars already approved for launch get a two-year grace period to fix things. Everything else needs to comply by January 1, 2027.

China's the first country to actually ban this stuff. Australia's government mentioned last year that the UN is looking into similar safety regulations, which could eventually affect Europe and other markets too. But for now, it's just China pulling the trigger.

Guess those pop-out handles looked cool while they lasted.