Bharat NCAP to start testing cars from December 15. Expected models to go first

Bharat NCAP, India's new vehicle testing agency, is all set to start operations from Friday, December 15. The agency, set up in lines of the Global NCAP, will put the first set of vehicles to test from this date. The agency was officially launched back in August as India's own new vehicle assessment programme. India is the fifth country in the world after the United States, China, South Korea and Japan to have its indigenous car crash test facility. Earlier, cars made in India were tested by Global NCAP.

Bharat NCAP's official website has gone live with dummy tests. However, some of the images used on the website offers hint at which cars in India are expected to be put through the crash tests first. Carmakers like Hyundai Motor have already confirmed sending their cars to be tested by Bharat NCAP. The Korean auto giant had said that it will be sending three cars to Bharat NCAP for crash tests. This means the Exter SUV and the upcoming new Creta SUV are probably the first two cars from Hyundai stable to be crash-tested by Global NCAP. Hyundai's Verna was the last car to be tested by Global NCAP. Check out the list of safest cars in India tested by the global agency so far.

Among other carmakers, Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors and Mahindra are expected to send as many as 10 models for testing. Kia too is expected to send the Seltos and new Sonet, its two flagship SUVs, to the agency for testing.

Earlier, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has said that the Bharat NCAP will award five-star rating to cars which come with six airbags. India currently has rule making at least two airbags mandatory in all cars. These two airbags, meant for the driver and front-seat passenger, are used mostly in smaller cars which lack space to pack in more airbags for rear passengers.

Bharat NCAP will conduct a series of crash tests which will include front impact, side pole impact, side barrier impact, Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Pedestrian Safety Compliance, and more. The program plans to add rear crash protection and Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) with Lane Departure Warning at a later stage.

The cars will need to secure a minimum score of 27 points in Adult Occupant Protection (AOP) and 41 points in Child Occupant Protection (COP) to get a five-star safety rating. For a minimum of three-star safety rating, the cars need to be equipped with six airbags, ESC, pedestrian protection compliant front design and seatbelt reminder for front seats. Over 30 models are already lined up for testing under the Bharat NCAP.