Bharat NCAP vs Global NCAP: Similarities and differences explained

Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday officially launched the Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (Bharat NCAP), which is slated to be enforced across the country from October 1, 2023. This is going to be India's first-ever indigenous car crash safety program. This makes India the fifth country in the world to have such a program after the US, China, Japan and South Korea.

With the launch of the Bharat NCAP, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) hopes the safety of the cars manufactured and sold in India will be improved, resulting in minimised fatalities and severe injuries in road accidents. The Bharat NCAP or BNCAP comes as a major step to improve the safety of passenger cars in the country, considering the fact that India is one of the countries where fatalities and critical injuries because of road accidents are alarmingly high. On a positive note, more than 30 car models from different manufacturers have already been offered for testing and evaluation under this new protocol.

A World Bank study has stated that road crashes cost the Indian economy three to five per cent of the country's GDP every year. Everyone killed, injured, or disabled by road accidents has a network of others, including family and friends, who are deeply affected. The new step to test and evaluate vehicular safety in the country is expected to improve the situation by increasing awareness about safer cars and compelling the manufacturers to make their vehicles safer, believes the Indian government. Also, the government hopes that the BNCAP will enhance the export-worthiness of Indian cars to the global market.

The much-hyped Bharat NCAP aims to enable Indian auto manufacturers to get their vehicles tested and evaluated on a scale of five-star rating following the Automotive Industry Standard (AIS) 197. The BNCAP is claimed to have been developed following the testing and evaluation protocols of Global NCAP and Euro NCAP. However, the testing and evaluation protocol has been developed keeping the Indian perspective in focus rather than blindly following the Global NCAP and Euro NCAP. Though it is similar to the Global NCAP, Bharat NCAP takes into account the existing Indian driving conditions and regulations.

Bharat NCAP vs Global NCAP: Similarities and differences

Private vs public

The Global NCAP, which is considered the apex among all the NCAPs, is a private company. It is funded by different charities and car companies. The Bharat NCAP is a government-run agency that will be run by the Indian government.

Safety rating categories

In Global NCAP crash tests, a car must get a minimum of 34 points, including 16 points for the front crash test, 16 for the side impact, and two points for seatbelt reminders. Only then the car gets a five-star safety rating for adult occupant protection. However, in Bharat NCAP, cars will receive a five-star rating by securing at least 27 points in adult occupant protection and 41 points in the child occupant protection category. This means a specific car being tested by Bharat NCAP and receiving a five-star may not receive the same rating by Global NCAP in its own crash test.

Types of crash testing

When it comes to crash testing methods, the Bharat NCAP protocols have been designed in line with the Global NCAP. There will be three different tests including offset deformable barrier frontal impact test, side impact test and pole side impact test to determine the crashworthiness of the vehicles. Besides this, the Bharat NCAP may also mandate the installation of safety features such as six airbags, three-point seatbelts for all passengers, electronic stability control (ESC), improved emergency braking systems, etc.

Testing speed

In the Global NCAP crash tests, a frontal offset test is performed at a speed of 102 kmph, where the vehicle moves towards a deformable. In this, the test car and the deformable barrier are kept at 40 per cent overlap to simulate an accident between two vehicles at 80 kmph. There are other tests too to assess the side impact. For Bharat NCAP, the frontal crash test will be conducted at a speed of 64 kmph, while the side and pole side impact tests will be performed at 50 kmph and 29 kmph, respectively. This means the testing speeds in the Bharat NCAP protocol for various impact assessment categories are lower than in Global NCAP.

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