Car accidents can be scary and stressful situations, but thanks to Tesla’s advanced technology, retrieving important data for insurance claims and police reports has become much easier. Recently, a Tesla owner shared their experience with receiving their Vehicle Data Report from Tesla after an accident, and it’s a data geek’s dream.
Videos and Hundreds of Data Entries
The report includes footage from the left pillar camera, front fish-eye camera, and a wealth of other data that measures over 250 data points. This includes charts and tables for areas of impact, accelerator and brake position, steering angle and torque, and driver log data, to name a few.
This level of detailed data can be incredibly helpful in determining fault and liability in an accident. In the case of the Reddit user who shared their experience, the footage was not needed to prove the other driver was at fault, but it was appreciated by the police, nonetheless.
The report also includes safety score data from every drive since the safety score was introduced, information on every charge done (at home, Superchargers and elsewhere), every purchase made from Tesla, and even customer relationship management data from when the owner contacted Tesla or vice versa.
Quick Insurance Process
What’s more impressive is the speed at which Tesla provided the report. The owner received the report only seven days after requesting it, which they assume is auto-generated. In addition to the data report, the owner shared their positive experience with Tesla Insurance. They received the payout before the police report was completed and had their replacement car within two weeks.
Tesla is setting a new standard in the automotive industry regarding data accessibility and transparency. Tesla owners have access to an unprecedented amount of data about their vehicles, which can be incredibly helpful in various situations. The Vehicle Data Report is just one example of Tesla’s commitment to providing its customers with a top-notch experience.
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The era of the hidden door handle - a signature of Tesla’s minimalist aesthetic and aerodynamic obsession - appears to be drawing to a close. China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has released detailed regulatory sheets outlining strict new safety requirements for vehicle entry systems.
Coinciding with a new federal investigation under the NHTSA in the United States, this global regulatory movement effectively begins a new mandate: the mechanism for opening a car door in an emergency must be obvious, mechanical, and accessible without any special knowledge.
For Tesla, this likely means a forced evolution of one of its most iconic design features.
China’s New Standard
The door handle requirements are outlined in the new “Safety Technical Requirements for Car Door Handles” draft document, which was released by MIIT on December 16th, 2025. While technically a domestic standard for the Chinese market, the sheer size of Tesla’s manufacturing footprint at Giga Shanghai means these rules will almost certainly have a global impact on production and design, especially since Tesla is also coming under scrutiny from NHTSA.
The detailed sheets are explicit in their intent to eliminate ambiguity during emergencies. The draft stipulates that vehicle doors must be equipped with a mechanical release door handle that serves as a fail-safe in the event of electronic power loss. Crucially, Chinese regulators also focused on the accessibility of these mechanisms, stating that they must be clearly identifiable and operate within a defined physical space that allows for easy manipulation.
In short, that enables anyone - even someone unfamiliar with a particular vehicle - to open a door in an emergency, which can currently be a challenge. Even years into Tesla selling some of the best-selling vehicles in the world, people often still poke and prod at the Model 3 and Model Y’s hidden exterior door handles, not knowing how to properly open them.
Interior Emergency Egress
These regulations directly challenge Tesla’s current design philosophy and require major changes to vehicle interiors. The Model 3 and Model Y are among the most egregious offenders, with emergency mechanical releases hidden under compartments or door trims on the rear doors. The Model X, by and far, is the worst - requiring partial disassembly of the speakers to get to the Falcon Wing Door emergency release.
The investigation was triggered by reports of occupants being trapped in vehicles during low-voltage power failures, unable to locate the emergency release in a safe and timely fashion. The convergence of these two regulatory actions - proactive standards in China and reactive investigations in the US - creates a scenario where maintaining the status quo is no longer a viable legal or ethical strategy for Tesla.
The likely path forward is the unification of the electronic and mechanical latches into a single interface. Currently, a Tesla door handle or interior button sends an electronic signal to the door actuator. If that fails, the user must know where to pull the separate manual door release.
Tesla’s redesign will likely focus on a change in which the primary handle serves both the mechanical and electronic releases. In this one-button solution, the first portion of handle travel would trigger the electronic switch. If the car has power, the door pops open effortlessly.
However, if power is lost, continuing to pull the same handle deeper would engage the manual mechanical release, physically unlatching the door.
Solving for the Panic Factor
The progressive latch design has already been adopted by other manufacturers, and it would satisfy the new Chinese regulatory mandates for a clearly identifiable mechanical release while also preserving the clean, simplified Tesla interior.
More importantly, it also solves the panic factor. In an emergency, muscle memory dictates that a passenger will pull the handle harder if the door doesn’t open. By aligning the mechanical fail-safe with this instinctive action, Tesla can eliminate the need for obscure manual releases buried under trim parts.
The Exterior Solution
The Chinese regulations also propose greater changes to the exterior of Tesla vehicles. For over a decade, flush door handles have been a design signature, essential for reducing drag and maximizing range. However, the new regulations regarding accessibility and operational space directly conflict with the flush design.
In a severe accident involving power loss, the current exterior door handles on the Model 3 and Model Y are still operable, however, on the Model S, they may remain retracted and inoperable. The existing handle design is non-intuitive to untrained bystanders or first responders and can be challenging to use.
Tesla may need to adjust its design decisions for the Model S, in particular, to meet the requirements, but we expect that the Model 3 and Model Y will have a similar one-motion simplicity for electronic-to-mechanical release in the future.
Global Design Changes
While the Chinese regulations are still in early draft stages, the clock is ticking. It is likely that we will see these new designs arrive sometime in late 2026 or early 2027, as the regulatory standards appear to dictate late 2027 as the requirement date.
Since Tesla prioritizes manufacturing efficiency, it is unlikely to build a China-compliant door and a US-compliant door; instead, a single design meeting a safer, stricter standard will likely become the global default.
For years, MotorTrend has been one of the loudest critics of Tesla’s FSD efforts. Just last year, the publication famously awarded its inaugural “Best Tech” award for driver assistance to General Motors’ Super Cruise, citing Tesla’s erratic behavior as “scary.”
That included incidents involving Autopilot and FSD, with phantom braking and inconsistency cited as reasons to strip it of the crown.
In its 2026 Best Tech Awards, MotorTrend has now named FSD (Supervised) the winner of its Best Driver Assistance System award, stating that with the release of FSD V14, the software has fundamentally changed the landscape of autonomy.
From Critic to Acolyte
The most striking part of the review is the tonal shift from the editors. In their new verdict, they openly addressed their previous skepticism:
“How do we explain our abrupt U-turn in selecting Tesla FSD as our 2026 winner? Simply put, the latest iteration of FSD, version 14 (v14), is vastly improved over the system (v12) we tested in 2025. It’s crucial to note that although it remains far from perfect, the majority of the flaws we noted in earlier versions of FSD have largely been addressed, while its features and capabilities have only improved.”
The editors noted that while last year’s decision to choose Super Cruise was easy given Tesla’s unpredictability, this year’s decision was equally easy in the other direction.
“Tesla FSD (Supervised) really is that good, and for now at least, it’s the best advanced driver assistance system on the market.”
Why FSD Won
According to the review, the victory comes down to three main factors, where Tesla has simply outpaced the rest of the industry.
The first is geographic freedom. Unlike GM’s Super Cruise or Ford’s Blue Cruise, which are geo-fenced to pre-mapped highways, FSD simply operates everywhere. MotorTrend praised its abilities to handle city streets, traffic circles, and complex intersections that other systems simply don’t even allow.
The editorial team also highlighted FSD v14 as a major turning point in the experience. The last version they tested was v12, and the new end-to-end neural net behavior was staggeringly smooth. That applied to both highways and city streets, even in high-stress locations like unprotected left turns.
Finally, they acknowledged that while the upfront and monthly prices were high, features like Auto Park and the seamless transition from city to highway and back justify the premium Tesla charges.
Tesla FSD (Supervised) really is that good
The Verdict
While MotorTrend was careful to remind its readers that FSD is still Supervised and requires a vigilant driver, the conclusion was definitive. After logging thousands of miles in testing, the editors were satisfied that the previous flaws they found were effectively solved.
For Tesla, which has battled skepticism from the traditional auto press for a decade, this award represents a turning point: the moment mainstream media begin to praise and recognize Tesla’s efforts. This alone could help Tesla sell hundreds of thousands of additional vehicles.
