China's authorities issue standard for retractable car door handles

Design China's Authorities Issue Standard for Retractable Vehicle Door Handles

2026-02-04 From Thomas Günnel Thomas Günnel | Translated by AI 2 min Reading Time

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A standard for retractable vehicle door handles comes into force in China. Among other things, it regulates installation locations and operating instructions for interior and exterior handles.

The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has developed binding standards for retractable vehicle door handles.(Image: BYD) — The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has developed binding standards for retractable vehicle door handles.
(Image: BYD)

The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has adopted a binding national standard for vehicle door handles. It will come into force on January 1, 2027. This was reported by the news site Car News China. It will then be mandatory for all passenger cars and light commercial vehicles to be equipped with mechanically unlockable door handles. These must be able to be opened in emergency situations, for example if electronic systems fail or after an accident. The ministry recommends the specifications for other vehicle types.

The new standard stipulates that every door, with the exception of the tailgate, must have a mechanically unlockable exterior door handle. According to the news page, the handles must be located in the designated shadow areas on the door surface or on the adjacent door frame.

In addition, the handles must provide sufficient space for manual operation in all states to enable mechanical unlocking in emergencies—for example after a restraint system has been triggered or if the battery overheats.

Standards for Interior And Exterior Handles

Standardized performance criteria apply to exterior door handles, including electrically operated systems. Accordingly, vehicles with electric unlocking mechanisms must have independent mechanical connections that can withstand forces of at least 500 Newtons—without breaking or coming loose.

Each car must also have a manually operated surface measuring at least 2.4 × 0.8 × 1.0 inches on the outside for opening the door. According to Car News China, every interior side door must have at least one mechanical unlocking handle. In addition, each interior door handle must be able to open the corresponding door independently.

Installation Instructions for Interior Door Handle

The standard defines precise installation zones for at least one interior door handle. This must be clearly visible from the seat, may be a maximum of 11.8 inches from the edge of the door and must be aligned vertically to the seat reference point.

The regulation also specifies permanently legible, high-contrast graphic symbols of at least 3.9 × 2.8 inches for interior handles. Operating instructions must be displayed in the immediate vicinity: in Chinese or pictorially, with a minimum font height of six millimetres.

Technical tests must confirm that turn handles can withstand at least 300 Newtons without structural failure, push-button handles at least 500 Newtons. All handles must be able to open the door after the test.

Standard Comes into Force in Stages

The "GB 48001-2026" standard is to be implemented in stages. For vehicles that still require a new type approval, the standard will apply to most requirements from January 2027. From January 2028, all requirements must be met. Vehicles with existing type approvals must be fully compliant with the standard from January 2029.

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Date: 08.12.2025

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