China's 7-million-vehicle door-escape recall: what UK Leapmotor and XPeng owners need to know

On 21 August 2026, China's SAMR (State Administration for Market Regulation) published a wave of coordinated recall filings covering more than 7 million vehicles across 10 automakers. The driver was a new Chinese safety regulation, GB 48001-2026, which mandates that interior emergency door release handles must be clearly distinguishable from surrounding trim — a requirement designed to ensure occupants can escape after a crash where power is lost and powered windows and door handles stop working. The physical recalls take effect from 22 August 2026 for most brands, with Tesla's remediation scheduled for 25 September 2026. Among the brands named are Tesla (2.97 million China-market vehicles), Leapmotor, XPeng, Xiaomi, Zeekr, Chery, Geely, Dongfeng, BAIC BluePark, and FAW. The remedy across most brands is a combination of warning labels and, where technically feasible, an OTA software update that changes how powered windows behave after a collision — to help occupants break the door seal and exit.

Leapmotor is one of the more prominent names on the SAMR filing, with 371,200 vehicles recalled across two China-market models: the C11 SUV (322,575 units) and the C01 saloon (48,625 units). Both receive warning labels on the interior emergency release plus an OTA update that modifies window control behaviour to help occupants escape after a power-loss event. Here is the important clarification for UK buyers: the C11 and C01 are China-only platforms. Leapmotor's UK range is the T03, B10, C10 (BEV and REEV), and B05 — none of which appear on the SAMR recall list. Euro NCAP and DVSA have not issued any recall notice for Leapmotor models sold in Britain. That said, UK buyers should read the section below on practical checks: the underlying safety habit — knowing where your door's emergency release is and how to use it — applies to every EV regardless of market.

XPeng's SAMR filing covers 264,842 vehicles across three models: the G6 (134,588 units), P7+ (94,688 units), and X9 (35,566 units). The remedy for XPeng is warning labels only — there is no OTA window update included in the filing, unlike Leapmotor. The G6 is the model name used by XPeng in the UK as well. However, UK-specification G6 vehicles are built and tested to comply with EU and UK type-approval regulations, which differ from China's domestic standards. No DVSA recall notice has been issued for the XPeng G6 in the UK as of 22 August 2026. UK buyers should be aware that XPeng has not publicly confirmed whether UK-market G6 vehicles share the same door-handle trim design as the recalled China batch. If you own a UK XPeng G6, locate and test your interior emergency door release handle as a precaution — the mechanism is always present in every modern EV; knowing where it is costs nothing.

This recall is a useful prompt for all EV owners to make a one-minute check that costs nothing and could matter in the worst case. In any EV, if the 12V system fails after a collision, powered windows and powered door handles may stop working. Every modern EV sold in the UK is legally required to have a mechanical emergency release inside each door — but the location and visibility vary. Find yours now. Sit in each seat, locate the orange, red, or otherwise colour-coded mechanical pull tab or lever, and confirm you could reach it in the dark with one hand. This applies to BYD, MG, Leapmotor, XPeng, Smart, and every other brand sold in the UK — not just the brands named in the China recall. BYD, it is worth noting, is not on the SAMR list published on 21 August 2026. UK buyers can check DVSA's public recall database at gov.uk for any active recalls on their specific vehicle registration.