'Bharat NCAP': India Launches Indigenous Car Crash Test Programme

In a significant development, India has launched its own vehicle safety rating system today (22 August).

Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari launched the Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (Bharat NCAP) today in New Delhi.

The Bharat NCAP, India's own vehicle safety rating system, aims to enhance road safety by elevating vehicle safety standards for up to 3.5-tonne vehicles in India.

Addressing the gathering at the event, Gadkari said that the launch of Bharat NCAP is a landmark step towards empowering Indian consumers for being able to make a better choice for buying safer cars.

The minister said that the Bharat NCAP will also greatly push the safety and quality of the vehicles in India, while simultaneously promoting a healthy competition among OEMs to manufacture safer vehicles.

He said the new safety regime under BHARAT NCAP and AIS-197 is a mutual win-win for manufacturers and consumers and an instrumental step towards safeguarding lives of Indian citizens and making the local automobile industry the number one auto manufacturing hub in the world.

According to a statement from the Road Transport Ministry, the programme is applicable to type approved motor vehicles of M1 category less than 3.5T gross vehicle weight (GVW).

This is a voluntary programme in which the base variants of  a given model shall be tested, the ministry said.

This programme will commence from 1 October 2023 and will be based on Automotive Industry Standard (AIS) 197.

The Bharat NCAP programme aims to create ecosystem of competitive safety enhancements leading to increased awareness among consumers, the ministry said.

Consumers can take an informed decision by making a comparative assessment on vehicle performance under crash test conditions, it added.

"NCAP brings the opportunity to the OEMs to manufacture vehicles of global safety standards," the ministry said.

The programme, which has been evolved based on stakeholder suggestions, will be anchored by the Central Institute of Road Transport (CIRT), according to the ministry.