Bharat NCAP vs Global NCAP: Similarities And Differences Explained

The Bharat NCAP rules are in line with the global NCAP; however, there are some India-specific tweaks based on our road and driving conditions

India is taking a big step forward in passenger safety with the introduction of the Bharat NCAP. Now the cars sold in India can be crash tested in the country itself to be awarded a safety rating. However, this rating system remains a voluntary process for manufacturers on top of meeting basic regulatory requirements to be road legal. The Bharat NCAP will be effective from October 2023.

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Till now, the crash-test ratings for made-in-India cars were being awarded by the Global NCAP as part of a program called ‘Safer Cars For India’. After 10 years of sharing safety ratings for new cars sold in India and observing a shift among buyers towards cars with higher ratings, it makes sense that BNCAP used GNCAP standards and protocols to set its own benchmarks.

Which Parameters And Assessments Are Similar?

Both the versions of the NCAP include the following tests:

• Frontal Impact: The front offset barrier tests will be conducted at a speed of 64kmph. Through this, the impact on head, neck, chest, pelvis, and knee regions can be evaluated.
• Side Pole Impact: The side pole impact test is performed at a speed of 29kmph. A car will need to be equipped with six airbags to successfully pass this test.
• Side Barrier: At the speed of 50kmph, a barrier rams into the side of the car, to evaluate the damage to the passengers seated.
• Electronic Stability Control: ESC is an active safety feature which prevents skidding of tyres. The cars will need to be equipped with ESC as standard and there’s a test for that as well.
• Pedestrian Compliant Front Design: The cars are now mandated to have a pedestrian-friendly bumper and bonnet design, which will ensure minimal injury to the pedestrian in case of an accident.

All the cars will need to undergo and successfully pass these tests for higher safety ratings.

The front offset tests will continue to be conducted at a speed of 64kmph. The side barrier test will be performed at 50kmph, while the pole test will be at 29kmph. Similar to the GNCAP rules, the Bharat NCAP will also consider the structural integrity of the car and its safety assist technologies.

To secure over a 3-star safety rating, the cars will need to be equipped with six airbags, electronic stability control, and front-row seat belt reminders. If either of these are missing, certain points can be deducted in the assessment.

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Same Scores And Star Ratings

The scores will also remain the same, ranging from one to five. Here are the minimum scores required for each star rating:

While being in line with the global NCAP procedures, the Bharat NCAP will see some India-specific modifications as well with regards to weightage for individual parameters while deciding the final score.

What’s Different?

Since the Global NCAP is still ahead of the newly introduced Bharat NCAP, there are some safety parameters that are not included by the latter at this point in time.

A key one is the mandate for rear seat belt reminders for higher safety ratings. Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Ministry of Road, Transport, and Highways, had earlier stated that rear seat belt reminders will also be compulsory, following which several manufacturers updated their cars with this feature.

While the tests are largely based on the guidelines of global NCAP, the government has also taken into account Indian driving conditions and roads.

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Ratings Will Be On Show

Lastly, all the Bharat NCAP tested cars will carry a sticker, showing their adult and child safety rating. The model, variant name, and the test year will also be mentioned on the sticker. Unlike PR materials, this sticker is also likely to be applied to the cars that score lower than four stars from BNCAP.

The government plans to keep updating the testing procedures. The crash test agency plans to add rear crash impact protection test and presence of select ADAS features (lane departure warning, brake assist, and autonomous emergency braking) as mandatory for evaluation.

Several manufacturers have already lined up for the Bharat NCAP crash test ratings. This move will also encourage manufacturers to focus on passenger safety, thus keeping road accident fatalities to the minimum. We hope to see several cars to be crash tested once it’s effective from October 2023.