Bharat NCAP officially launched to promote road safety and automotive standards

Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, unveiled the much-anticipated Bharat New Automobile Assessment Programme (Bharat NCAP) on Tuesday, which will serve as India's indigenous automobile crash test program to improve road safety and automotive standards. The Bharat NCAP, which will be implemented across the country in October 2023, would become India the world's fifth country to have such an indigenous automobile crash test program, following the United States, China, Japan, and South Korea.

The tests will be performed on a volunteer basis by Bharat NCAP. Vehicles in the M1 category, which can seat eight people minus the driver, will be qualified for these tests. The vehicle weight limit is 3,500kg.

Instead of evaluating the top-spec cars with all of the safety features, the tests will be performed on vehicles with total sales of 30,000 units in the preceding calendar year.

Bharat NCAP is designed to improve Indian automobiles' worldwide market position and increase the country's export potential. This is projected to reduce traffic-related fatalities and injuries across India. Carmakers such as Maruti Suzuki, Mahindra, and Toyota have already hailed this scheme as a major step forward for the indigenous car sector.

To qualify for the Bharat NCAP evaluation and receive a three-star grade or above, the vehicles must include electronic stability control (ESC) as standard equipment. For many tests, the Bharat NCAP is based on the revised Global NCAP protocols and the Euro NCAP, which have been the industry standard for many years.

The results of the test will be gathered and shared with the automobile manufacturer before being approved by the Bharat NCAP standing committee. Following approval by the standing committee, Bharat NCAP will publish the star ratings and crash test data of that specific vehicle, and the certificate will be given by the Central Institute of Road Transport (CIRT).

The Bharat NCAP ratings will assist customers to make educated purchasing decisions because the published scores will be displayed on the vehicle in the form of a sticker, similar to the energy efficiency ratings on home appliances. Over 30 models from various companies have already been lined up to have their vehicles tested and assessed by Bharat NCAP.

Rahul Bharti, Executive Officer of corporate affairs, Maruti Suzuki said "Any car that is launched in India follows the mandatory safety standards set by the government. For consumers seeking extra safety information, the Bharat NCAP system is an authentic and objective rating system to empower the customer to make an informed choice. Maruti Suzuki welcomes this initiative of the Government and will offer at least 3 models for BNCAP testing in the first lot itself. At the same time, we would request all users to fasten seatbelts whether in the front or rear seats as that is the most critical factor in keeping passengers safe."