Car door handles used to be one of the most reliable, straightforward points of contact in the entire driving experience. Pull the handle, the door opens ... end of story. But nowadays? The humble door handle has become a maddening, confusing, often disappointing puzzle for drivers everywhere.
The golden era for door handles probably peaked in the late 1980s with the Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC a hefty, mechanical beast that felt buttery smooth and unbelievably durable. Even today, very few door handles match the solid feel of that classic design, except perhaps the robust push-button type on the Mercedes G-Class. These handles, they gave a reassuring handshake, setting the tone before you were even behind the wheel.
Fast forward to the 2000s, and we lived comfortably with ‘grabby’ bar or loop-style handles, handles that stood proud on the door with a recess behind them for your hand. These were popularized by German brands and favored by emergency services for how easily they could be gripped and used in crises. A perfect mix of functionality and reliability.
But then came a torrent of change and confusion. Designs shifted to ‘flappy’ handles, ‘spindly’ flat handles that flip up awkwardly (Kia EV6, Nissan GT-R), and the rise of electronic or hidden handles. Some cars now have no physical handles at all just hand-shaped cavities with microswitches, like the Volkswagen ID 7 or BMW i7, turning simple door opening into an electronic guessing game. Others tuck their release buttons away in aero scoops or door mirrors, requiring a degree in usability physics to operate.
The worst offenders? Fully motorized handles that sometimes refuse to operate in the wet or cold, as one unlucky driver learned the hard way waiting for a crowbar to open their Range Rover Evoque. A frustrating afternoon stemming from a ‘fancy’ feature touted for its sleekness but failing when it counted.
So why the madness? Why mess with something so simple that worked perfectly? Innovations like these might be motivated by aesthetics, aerodynamics, or failed attempts at innovation but they often sacrifice one of the most visceral, satisfying human interactions with a car.
If there’s hope, it lies in makers starting to listen especially to emergency services, who value quick, reliable access over gimmicks.
Until then, the car door handle remains a surprisingly maddening mystery on modern vehicles, a case where less really was more.
