Cars primarily from Indian, Korean and Japanese companies will be tested in the first phase of Bharat NCAP
Global NCAP has played a key role in spreading awareness about car safety in India. This responsibility will now be handled by Bharat NCAP, which is largely based on Global NCAP. Bharat NCAP is specially tailored for Indian standards. Just like its predecessor, Bharat NCAP will continue to work as a catalyst to improve safety standards of cars manufactured in the country.
Over 3 dozen cars to be tested
While Bharat NCAP was initialized on October 1, the crash tests will commence from December 15. According to a government official, the delay in launching the crash tests is due to the festive season. This is the time when a significant percentage of people take long leaves, resulting in manpower shortage.
In the first phase of Bharat NCAP, more than three dozen cars will be crash tested. These cars are mostly from Indian, Japanese and Korean OEMs. It is to note that Bharat NCAP is not mandatory. It is up to the carmaker to decide if they want any of their models to be tested. Bharat NCAP is not to be confused with India’s mandatory crash test norms that focus exclusively on a car’s structural safety.
Although Bharat NCAP is a voluntary initiative, more than 3 dozen cars have signed up to be crash tested in the first phase itself. This is a clear indication that OEMs are looking to establish their safety credentials. With awareness, an increasing number of users are choosing cars with high safety ratings. This provides the right reasons to OEMs to improve their safety standards.
Bharat NCAP test protocols
Crash test protocols for Bharat NCAP are largely the same as Global NCAP. Cars will be assessed based on three primary protocols – adult occupant protection (AOP), child occupant protection (COP) and safety assist technologies (SAT). OEMs who want their cars to be tested will have to submit their application (Form 70-A) to the designated testing agency. Some of the agencies notified by the central government to conduct Bharat NCAP crash tests include International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT), Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) and Global Automotive Research (GAR).
Points will be awarded to the tested cars as per the Automotive Indian Standard (AIS). Cars will be rated from zero to five stars, based on their performance in the crash tests.
Cars to be tested under Bharat NCAP
While an exact list of models to be tested is not available, OEMs that have signed up include Tata Motors, Maruti Suzuki and Mahindra. Tata Motors was the first OEM to have applied for Bharat NCAP rating. Among Tata cars, newly launched Harrier and Safari facelifts will be the first to take the Bharat NCAP challenge. Harrier and Safari facelifts have already received 5-star rating in Global NCAP crash tests.
Maruti is sending three of their cars, whereas Mahindra has applied with four models. Details about the models to be tested will be revealed in the coming days. Similar to Global NCAP protocols, the testing agencies will choose three units of the base variant of every car that will be tested.
While the response to Bharat NCAP has been quite good, some carmakers may take a bit longer to register. It applies to European carmakers such as Skoda, Volkswagen, Renault and Stellantis Group. Some of these OEMs are yet to take a decision on sending their cars for Bharat NCAP tests. Others stated that their cars are already tested under Global NCAP and there’s no urgent need for another similar test.
