Bharat NCAP 2.0: New Safety Rules, Crash Tests & Stricter Star Ratings Explained

Bharat NCAP 2.0 Latest 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.

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.

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Key Changes Proposed in Bharat NCAP 2.0

• 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.

Source: IE | NDTV