Why in news?

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has released a revised draft of the Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (Bharat NCAP), updating the 2023 version that is valid until September 2027.

The new draft significantly broadens the programme’s scope by adding new mandatory crash tests, revised scoring criteria, and expanded assessment verticals.

A major shift in the draft is the inclusion of vulnerable road user (VRU) protection tests, especially for pedestrians, who make up over 20% of road accident fatalities in India. For the first time, vehicles will be evaluated on pedestrian safety features such as impact protection, braking systems, and design elements that reduce injury risks.

Overall, the revised Bharat NCAP aims to enhance road safety by encouraging manufacturers to produce vehicles with higher crashworthiness and better protection for both occupants and pedestrians.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Bharat NCAP: India’s Vehicle Crashworthiness Rating System
• Key Changes Proposed in Bharat NCAP 2.0
• Vulnerable Road User Protection: Key Safety Measures in Bharat NCAP 2.0
• Revised Star Rating System Under Bharat NCAP 2.0

Bharat NCAP: India’s Vehicle Crashworthiness Rating System

• Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (Bharat NCAP) is a voluntary vehicle safety rating system that evaluates cars based on crashworthiness, going beyond basic roadworthiness requirements.
• Cars are tested using India-specific crash protocols, and those performing best receive a five-star safety rating.
• Designed to give Indian consumers clearer safety information, Bharat NCAP aligns with global NCAP models but adapts them to Indian conditions and technologies.
• Manufacturers can voluntarily submit vehicles for testing and use the ratings in marketing.
• The Central Institute of Road Transport (CIRT), Pune, is the authorised agency for issuing Bharat NCAP ratings.

Key Changes Proposed in Bharat NCAP 2.0

• Expanded Safety Assessment Framework
  • Bharat NCAP 2025 broadens its evaluation method.
  • Instead of the earlier three verticals — AOP (Adult Occupant Protection), COP (Child Occupant Protection), and SAT (Safety Assist Technologies) — the new programme rates vehicles across five assessment areas:
    • Safe Driving – 10%
    • Accident Avoidance – 10%
    • Crash Protection – 55%
    • Vulnerable Road User Protection – 20%
    • Post-Crash Safety – 5%
  • This gives a more holistic picture of a vehicle’s overall safety performance.
• More Comprehensive Crash Tests
  • The earlier version required three crash tests.
  • Bharat NCAP 2.0 increases this to five mandatory crash tests:
    • 64 km/h frontal impact against a deformable barrier
    • 50 km/h lateral impact with a mobile deformable barrier
    • 32 km/h oblique side impact against a rigid pole
    • 50 km/h frontal impact against a full-width rigid barrier
    • 50 km/h rear impact against a mobile rigid barrier
  • These tests help assess injury risk in real-world crash scenarios.
• Enhanced Injury Assessment
  • Using Anthropomorphic Test Devices (ATDs) (crash-test dummies), the new draft evaluates injury risk for:
    • Adult occupants
    • Driver, front passenger and rear-seat occupants
    • Child occupants
  • This ensures a more precise measurement of protection across all seating positions.
• Protection for Vulnerable Road Users
  • For the first time, Bharat NCAP incorporates tests to assess:
    • Pedestrian injury risk
    • Cyclist safety measures
  • This addresses India’s high share of pedestrian fatalities.

Vulnerable Road User Protection: Key Safety Measures in Bharat NCAP 2.0

• Bharat NCAP 2025 introduces a dedicated Vulnerable Road User Protection vertical with 20% weightage, assessing how well vehicles protect pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists during crashes.
• Mandatory Impact Tests
  • Pedestrian legform impact on the vehicle bumper
  • Adult headform impact on the bonnet/windshield
  • Child headform impact on the bonnet/windshield
  • These tests evaluate how vehicle design minimizes injury during collisions.
• Optional AEBS Assessments
  • Performance of Autonomous Emergency Braking Systems (AEBS) is assessed for:
    • Child pedestrian detection
    • Adult pedestrian detection
    • Car-to-motorcyclist rear-end scenarios
• Accident-Avoidance Technologies
  • This new vertical focuses on driver-assist technologies that help prevent crashes before they occur.
  • Key Requirements
    • Electronic Stability Control (ESC): Mandatory for eligibility under Bharat NCAP 2.0
      • ESC helps maintain vehicle stability, especially during skids or sudden manoeuvres.
    • AEBS: Optional but encouraged to enhance star ratings
• Post-Crash Safety Measures
  • A new vertical ensures vehicles help protect occupants after a crash.
  • Mandatory Evaluations
    • Energy Management for Fire & Electrical Hazards - Ensures protection from electric shocks, especially in EVs
    • Occupant Extrication Assessment - Checks ease of door opening; Evaluates seatbelt buckle release after collision.
  • These measures ensure emergency responders can rescue occupants quickly.

Revised Star Rating System Under Bharat NCAP 2.0

• Bharat NCAP 2.0 introduces a stricter star-rating structure to enhance vehicle safety standards.
• The thresholds for 4-star and 5-star ratings have been raised to 65 and 80 points, up from 60 and 70 in the 2023 framework.
  • The thresholds for 1-star, 2-star, and 3-star ratings are fixed at 30, 40, and 50 points, respectively.
• A minimum Adult Occupant Protection (AOP) score of 55% within the Crash Protection vertical is mandatory to qualify for 3 stars or above. Falling short results in a 1-star penalty.
• Additional safeguards include:
  • A 5-star vehicle cannot score zero in any assessment vertical; otherwise, its rating is capped at 4 stars.
  • No injury values in the red zone for adult or child ATDs (Anthropomorphic Test Device — commonly known as a crash test dummy) are permitted in a 5-star rating before modifiers are applied.