Government Introduces Stricter Vehicle Safety Standards Under BNCAP 2.0

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has released a new draft proposal to overhaul the current Bharat NCAP with stricter standards and more assessments.

The upcoming iteration of the Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) will see a significant overhaul with stricter vehicle safety standards. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has released a new draft proposal, and stakeholders are allowed to submit feedback until December 20. Based on standards previously adopted by other NCAP bodies around the world, Bharat NCAP 2.0 will expand the scope of safety assessments by including more parameters and tests, as well as a revised scoring system.

Bharat NCAP 2.0 is expected to expand the scope of safety assessments with more parameters and tests, more mandatory features, and a revised scoring system

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First established in 2023 to evaluate car safety ratings based on crash tests, the current Bharat NCAP edition is due to expire on September 30, 2027. It currently evaluates vehicle safety based on three criteria: Adult Occupant Protection (AOP), Child Occupant Protection (COP) and Safety Assists Technologies (SAT). The new version will not come into effect until the second half of 2027, and as such, we can expect more drafts to come up.

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What are the new safety parameters for Bharat NCAP 2.0?

As per the revised proposal overall safety rating will come from five assessment areas instead of three:

• Safe Driving (10%)
• Accident Avoidance (10%)
• Crash Protection (55%)
• Vulnerable Road User Protection (20%)
• Post-Crash Safety (5%)

These new parameters will replace the current AOP, COP, and SAT criteria under the current framework, with the final star rating to be calculated based on the score each car gets out of 100. The threshold to get a 5-star rating has been raised to 80 points from 70, and there are new features that fall among mandatory inclusions for the same: Electronic Stability Control and curtain airbags. Meanwhile, vehicles with side-facing seats will no longer be considered eligible for a star rating.

New crash tests and assessment areas

With the addition of new parameters, the total number of crash tests will also increase to five:

• 64 kmph frontal impact test with a deformable barrier
• 50 kmph lateral impact with a mobile deformable barrier
• 32 kmph oblique side impact with a rigid pole
• 50 kmph frontal impact with a full-width rigid barrier
• 50 kmph rear impact with a mobile rigid barrier.

Bharat NCAP 2.0 includes pedestrian safety as a parameter for the first time under Vulnerable Road User Protection. Pedestrians are among the most vulnerable to road accidents, and the new assessment will cover impact tests and features designed to increase their safety. This includes adult and child legform impacts against the bumper and headform impacts against the hood and windshield, alongside optional evaluation of the vehicle’s Autonomous Emergency Braking System (AEBS).