China has banned hidden door handles on electric vehicles (EVs), becoming the first country to ban the controversial design popularised by multi-billionaire Elon Musk's Tesla.

This comes as EVs are facing scrutiny from safety watchdogs worldwide after several deadly incidents, including two fatal crashes in China involving Xiaomi EVs, in which power failures are suspected to have prevented doors from opening.

Under the new regulations, cars will be allowed for sale only if they have a mechanical release on both the inside and outside of their doors, according to state media.

The new rules are due to take effect on 1 January 2027.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology rules require that the outside of every passenger door, except the boot, have a recessed space measuring at least 6cm (2 in) by 2cm by 2.5cm to allow access to the handle.

Inside the car, there must be signs measuring at least 1cm by 0.7cm to show how to open the door.

Cars that have already been approved by authorities and are in the final stages of entering the Chinese market will have another two years to update their designs.

Hidden handles are widespread in China's new energy vehicle (NEV) market, which includes EVs, hybrid vehicles, and fuel cell vehicles.

They feature in about 60% of the top 100 best-selling NEVs, according to data cited by government-controlled newspaper China Daily.

Although the measures will apply only to EVs sold in the Chinese market, the country's significant presence in the global automotive industry means the move is likely to have an impact worldwide.

Tesla's door handles are already being investigated by US safety regulators and authorities in Europe are considering their own rules.

In November, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation into Tesla's electric door handles, following reports that they suddenly stopped working, leaving children trapped in cars.

The NHTSA said it had received nine complaints about the handles on Tesla's 2021 Model Y, the company's flagship model.

In four cases, the car owners broke the window to resolve the issue.