Fully hidden door handles are set to become a thing of the past. On September 24, the First Department of the Equipment Industry under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) publicly invited feedback on the mandatory national standard for "Safety Technical Requirements for Automobile Door Handles," along with amendments to three other mandatory national standards. The most significant alteration in the "Safety Technical Requirements for Automobile Door Handles" is the explicit prohibition of "fully hidden" exterior door handles, a feature that has recently drawn considerable attention within the automotive industry.

Within these "safety technical requirements," the draft meticulously outlines the technical specifications for both exterior and interior door handles. The criteria for exterior door handles are as follows:

Each door (excluding the tailgate) must be fitted with an exterior door handle that incorporates a mechanical release function. The system's design should guarantee that, in the event of accidents such as the activation of irreversible restraint devices or thermal events in the power battery, non-collision side doors can be opened using the exterior door handle without the need for tools. Secondly, the exterior door handle should be positioned within or near the shadow area of the door or door frame. Thirdly, the exterior door handle of each door, regardless of its state, should provide a hand-operation space relative to the body surface that measures no less than 60 mm × 20 mm × 25 mm.

For interior door handles, each door (excluding the tailgate) should be equipped with an interior door handle that features a mechanical release function. When tested according to the prescribed method, it should be capable of releasing the door lock and opening the door using the interior door handle with a mechanical release function, without the assistance of external tools. If an electric interior door handle is installed, it must also be accompanied by an interior door handle with a mechanical release function, serving as a mechanical emergency interior door handle. Additionally, the draft mandates that interior door handles with a mechanical release function should be easily identifiable by occupants inside the vehicle, with specific provisions provided.

This implies that under no circumstances should the door handle be concealed. In essence, any form of fully hidden door handle currently available on the market will be prohibited, and only semi-hidden door handles and traditional old-style door handles will comply with the technical standards. Furthermore, the draft introduces new tests for door handles, such as requiring tests for interior door handles with a mechanical release function in scenarios where the locking device is locked and the vehicle's low-voltage system is powered off. This is a novel addition.

Regarding the revision of door handle standards, an official explained, "This document introduces relevant requirements for the post-accident functionality, placement location, and hand-operation space of automobile exterior door handles, thereby enhancing the ease of rescue operations."

The standard drafting group recommends that the implementation date for the "safety technical requirements" standard be set for January 1, 2027. The group also proposes establishing a transition period. For new vehicle models seeking type approval, starting from the implementation date of the standard, they should comply with all requirements except for "the exterior door handle of each door should have a hand-operation space relative to the body surface that measures no less than 60 mm × 20 mm × 25 mm in any state"; beginning from the 7th month after the implementation date (July 1, 2027), they should adhere to all requirements specified in the standard. For vehicle models that have already obtained type approval, the standard drafting group suggests that starting from the 19th month after the implementation date (July 1, 2028), they should meet all requirements outlined in the standard.

It is reported that the deadline for soliciting feedback on the "safety technical requirements" standard is November 22, 2025, and the formal standard is anticipated to be released within this year. According to a previous report by Mingjing Pro, in early September, several automakers received notifications from relevant departments and had already revised their design plans internally.