The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has unveiled a significant upgrade to India's vehicle safety assessment program with the revised draft of Bharat New Car Assessment Program (Bharat NCAP) 2.0. This updated framework expands safety evaluations beyond current standards and introduces crucial protections for vulnerable road users.
What Makes Bharat NCAP Different?
Unlike basic roadworthiness requirements that vehicles must meet before hitting Indian roads, Bharat NCAP focuses specifically on crashworthiness - how well a vehicle protects occupants during actual collisions. The program, first implemented in October 2023, provides consumers with clear star ratings based on comprehensive crash testing.
While the original Bharat NCAP remains valid until September 30, 2027, the new draft proposes substantial enhancements that will take vehicle safety assessment to the next level. The Central Institute of Road Transport in Pune serves as the designated agency for issuing these crucial safety ratings.
Key Changes in Bharat NCAP 2.0
The updated program expands the assessment framework from three to five critical areas. The overall vehicle rating will now comprise Safe Driving (10%), Accident Avoidance (10%), Crash Protection (55%), Vulnerable Road User Protection (20%) and Post-Crash Safety (5%).
Significantly, the number of mandatory crash tests under crash protection increases from three to five assessments. These include frontal impact tests at 64 km/h against deformable barriers, lateral impacts at 50 km/h, oblique side impacts at 32 km/h against rigid poles, full-width frontal impacts, and rear impact tests.
During these rigorous tests, authorities use Anthropomorphic Test Devices to evaluate potential injuries to adult drivers, passengers, and child occupants across different seating positions.
Protecting India's Most Vulnerable Road Users
One of the most crucial additions in Bharat NCAP 2.0 is the Vulnerable Road User Protection vertical with 20% weightage. This addresses the alarming statistic that pedestrians account for over 20% of total fatalities in Indian road accidents.
The new assessment includes mandatory impact tests specifically designed to evaluate pedestrian safety. These comprise Pedestrian Legform Impacts against bumpers, along with Adult and Child headform impacts against engine hood areas and windshields.
The draft also introduces optional assessments of Autonomous Emergency Braking Systems concerning child pedestrians, adult pedestrians, and car-to-motorcyclist scenarios. However, the document clearly states that such autonomous technologies may not prevent all accidents and are evaluated only under standard test conditions.
Enhanced Accident Avoidance and Post-Crash Safety
The Accident Avoidance assessment area focuses on technologies that help drivers prevent collisions autonomously. Electronic Stability Control System becomes mandatory for eligibility in the star rating program, while vehicle manufacturers can voluntarily offer Autonomous Emergency Braking Systems.
The Post-Crash Safety vertical addresses consequences after accidents with mandatory assessment of Energy Management for Fire and Electrical Hazards, along with Occupant Extrication evaluating door opening forces and buckle release mechanisms.
Stricter Star Rating Criteria
The 2025 draft raises the bar for achieving top safety ratings. The weightage for 4-star and 5-star ratings increases to 65 and 80 points respectively, up from 60 and 70 points in the 2023 framework.
For 1-star, 2-star and 3-star ratings, the weightage points remain at 30, 40 and 50 respectively. However, achieving 3-star and above ratings now requires that the Adult Occupant Protection score constitutes at least 55% of the total Crash Protection Vertical score. Failure to meet this requirement results in a 1-star penalty.
Additionally, a 5-star rated vehicle cannot have any single assessment vertical resulting in a 'zero' score, which would restrict the rating to 4 stars. Furthermore, 5-star vehicles cannot display any injury values in the 'red' color zone for adult and child occupants across respective crash tests before modifiers are applied.
Several vehicles have already received 5-star ratings under the current system, including Tata Harrier, Tata Safari, Mahindra XUV 3XO, and Hyundai Tucson. The government has set December 20, 2025, as the deadline for comments on these revised rules before final implementation.
