The hidden door handles of electric vehicles are being banned, and the governments of the United States and China have already drafted relevant regulations.

[PCauto] The hidden door handle design has sparked widespread controversy in the global automotive industry in recent years. This design was initially used in the racing field to reduce air resistance and later became a symbol of technological advancement in the era of electric vehicles.

However, as safety issues gradually emerged, regulatory agencies across various countries unanimously imposed restrictions on the design of hidden door handles.

The U.S. NHTSA focuses on post-collision rescue efficiency, Euro NCAP emphasizes overall safety ratings, and China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology addresses the issue systematically through mandatory national standards.

Chinese Government Regulates to Ban Hidden Door Handle Design

In the Chinese market, the safety concerns related to electric vehicle door handles are more prominent. According to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, the penetration rate of electric vehicles reached 45.5% in the first eight months of 2025, with a retail penetration rate of 55.3% in August and an estimated 58% in September.

However, the safety hazards of fully hidden door handle designs have gradually emerged in recent years. Crash tests by CIRI show that vehicles equipped with electronic door handles have a pop-out success rate of only 67% in side collisions, far lower than the 98% of mechanical designs.

Complaints about hidden door handles pinching children's fingers increased by 132% year-on-year in 2024, and the freeze rate in northern winters reached as high as 37%.

Multiple accident cases have highlighted the risks associated with this design. For instance, in a 2024 rear-end collision involving the AITO M7 in Yuncheng, Shanxi, the impact caused a power outage that prevented the door handles from popping out. Similarly, in a March 2025 collision involving the Xiaomi SU7 on a highway, the hidden door handles also failed to operate due to a power failure, complicating rescue efforts.

By September 24, 2025, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) released a draft for public comment on the mandatory national standard "Safety Technical Requirements for Automotive Door Handles," aiming to prohibit fully retractable exterior door handle designs.

The draft requires that each car door must be equipped with an exterior handle that has a mechanical release function and reserves an operation space of no less than 60mm×20mm×25mm for hand use.

The MIIT plans to officially implement this standard on January 1, 2027. Newly certified vehicle models are given a transition period until July 1, 2027, while existing models must comply by July 1, 2028.

Euro NCAP to Reduce Safety Ratings for Cars with Hidden Door Handles

Europe has similarly shown concern over the safety issues of hidden door handle designs. Euro NCAP has started deducting points in safety ratings for vehicles using hidden door handles, directly impacting automakers' crash test results.

Although the European Union has not yet introduced explicit bans, this scoring mechanism has prompted many automakers to reassess their design choices.

Data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association indicates that hidden door handles have a significantly higher failure rate in low-temperature environments compared to traditional designs, especially in Nordic countries.

NHTSA Proposes Requirement to Retain Sufficient Safety Mechanisms for Door Handles

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has recently proposed a draft requiring all vehicles to ensure that doors can be manually opened after a collision.

NHTSA specifically pointed out that hidden door handles may affect emergency rescue efficiency, although it has not explicitly prohibited this design.

NHTSA statistics show that since 2020, accident reports citing rescue delays caused by door handle issues have tripled, with 90% involving hidden designs. This data provides empirical support for regulatory adjustments.

Major Global Automakers Have Begun Adjusting Product Designs to Meet Regulations

Tesla has added an emergency mechanical cable to the Model 3 and Model Y in the European market, Lucid Motors has retained mechanical switches in the Air model, and Chinese brands such as NIO have adopted a semi-hidden design on the ET5.

Geely, as a participant in drafting the standards, has proactively adopted a semi-hidden design with an emergency pull cord solution and has made related safety patents available for the entire industry to share.

In the context of rapid electrification of the global automotive industry, safety is always an unbreachable bottom line. As one of the world's largest electric vehicle market in the world, China's improvement in safety standards not only impacts its domestic industry but also influences global automotive design concepts.