Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari has approved the draft notification to introduce Bharat NCAP. This NCAP is equivalent to the other NCAPs which are followed by the respective countries such as Latin NCAP and Australian NCAP to name a few. Under this programme, cars will be subject to crash tests wherein they will be evaluated on the basis of certain crash standards and Indian conditions. Just like other NCAPs, the cars will get a star rating on the basis of their performance. The Bharat NCAP program was announced back in 2016.
The test standards will be in line with global crash test protocols and also take Indian driving conditions under consideration. It will also allow Indian manufacturers to get their vehicles crash tested at their own in-house facility. The programme will also test and rate stars to CNG and electric vehicles. The Bharat NCAP programme will award a single rating for both adult and child protection. This is different from other NCAPs wherein the adult and child protection get separate rating. If everything goes according to the plan, we could see this programme begin from this year.
Official statement
Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari said,” I have now approved the Draft GSR Notification to introduce Bharat NCAP (New Car Assessment Program), wherein automobiles in India shall be accorded Star Ratings based on their performance in Crash Tests. Bharat-NCAP will serve as a consumer-centric platform allowing customers to opt for safer cars based on their star ratings while promoting healthy competition among OEMs in India to manufacture safer vehicles. Star Rating of Indian Cars based on Crash Tests is extremely crucial not only to ensure structural and passenger safety in cars but to also increase the export-worthiness of Indian automobiles. The testing protocol of Bharat NCAP shall be aligned with Global Crash Test Protocols factoring in the existing Indian regulations, allowing OEMs to get their vehicles tested at India’s own in-house testing facilities. Bharat NCAP will prove to be a critical instrument in making our automobile industry Aatmanirbhar with the mission of making India the Number 1 automobile hub in the world.”