Here Are The New Basic Requirements For Securing 3, 4, And 5 Star Safety Ratings In Updated Global NCAP Crash Tests

ESC, side protection system, and pedestrian protection to be mandatory for a 5-star rating

• New global NCAP assessment protocols are now effective till December 2025. 

• Side head protection systems usually refer to the presence of side and curtain airbags. 

• For rating the side head protection system, the cars will need to undergo the side impact crash tests. 

• Tata Nexon, Punch, Mahindra Thar, and XUV700 are some of the models that have gone through the side impact crash tests. 

Global NCAP has introduced its new assessment protocols, effective from July 2022 to December 2025. A new set of testing rules have been added, which need to be passed for securing a 5-star crash test safety rating. With this, the safety watchdog has also made side impact and ESC tests as mandatory protocols. 

Here are the basic requirements for a 5-star rating: 

• ESC (electronic stability control) as standard in all variants of the tested model. If not, the feature should be standard in all units of the car’s best selling variant. With this, the manufacturer should also commit to make it standard across all variants within two years of publication of the safety ratings. 

• A pole side impact test will be mandatorily done on the car. For this test, the car usually needs to have side and curtain airbags. However, GNCAP specifies that the carmaker can use any solution other than an airbag, importantly, ensuring that the system is working properly. 

• Pedestrian protection should be standard for all variants. The car should be designed in a way to lower the intensity of the accident/crash on the affected pedestrian. 

Other parameters like front and rear seat belt reminders and offset and moving deformation barrier tests will also be considered in these crash tests. For reference, a moving deformation barrier (MDB) test refers to side impact test. 

However, even after ticking all these boxes, there are possibilities that a car might still not score 5 stars. The latest example of this is the Kia Carens, which gets six airbags and ESC as standard but scored only 3 stars in the global NCAP crash tests. Its bodyshell integrity was rated unstable and the A-pillar actually came out of shape. So with Union Minister Nitin Gadkari pushing to get six airbags mandatory in India, there are chances of cars not scoring well in these crash tests. 

With these new assessment protocols in play, it’ll be tougher for manufacturers to secure a 5-star rating for their cars. Some of the cars that have gone through the side impact crash tests include the Tata Nexon, Punch, Altroz, Mahindra XUV300, Thar, and XUV700. The last two Mahindra SUVs have also undergone and passed the ESC tests. 

• Mahindra XUV700 Excels At The Global NCAP Pedestrian And ESC Tests
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Meanwhile, the Indian government has approved Bharat NCAP crash test ratings, from April 2023. With this, cars sold in India will now be crash tested in the country itself. Bharat NCAP is likely to include the new protocols that the Global NCAP has introduced.