Bharat NCAP: India’s Indigenous Car Crash Testing Programme

Subject : Schemes

Introduction

Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (Bharat NCAP): India’s own car crash testing program.
Modeled after the Global New Car Assessment Programme (Global NCAP) of the Towards Zero Foundation, a U.K.-registered charity.
Aims to test and rate the safety of car models in crashes.
Cheaper testing compared to abroad; cost under Bharat NCAP: Rs 60 lakh vs. Rs 2.5 crore.

Program Details and Scope

Applicable to passenger vehicles with up to eight seats, excluding the driver’s seat.
Maximum gross vehicle weight: 3,500 kg.
Based on the forthcoming Automotive Industry Standard 197, which outlines testing protocols.
Manufacturers have offered 30 models for testing, names undisclosed.
Participation is voluntary, except for certain cases like base variants of popular models (minimum sales of 30,000 units) or Ministry-recommended models for testing based on market feedback or for public safety.

Rating Criteria

Vehicles are assigned a star rating from one to five stars.
Evaluation based on three parameters:
- Adult occupant protection
- Child occupant protection
- Safety assist technologies in the car

Testing Procedures

Testing includes three types of evaluations:
- Frontal offset test: Vehicle driven at 64 kmph with 40% overlap into a deformable barrier.
- Side impact test: Collision at 50 kmph.
- Pole-side impact test: The car crashed into a rigid pole sideways at 29 kmph.

Process of Obtaining Star Ratings

The manufacturer nominates a vehicle model for testing.
Bharat NCAP representatives visit the manufacturing facility or dealer outlet.
The base variant is selected through random sampling and sent to a testing center in coordination with the Central Institute of Road Transport.
Test results are compiled and approved by the Bharat NCAP Standing Committee.
Ratings are published on the Bharat NCAP website, a certificate issued by CIRT.