Bharat NCAP norms set to come into effect from October 1, 2023, says a ministry official

The Bharat New Car Assessment Programme crash test norms are set to come into effect from October 1, 2023, Mahmood Ahmed, additional secretary, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH), informed Autocar Professional. This comes at a time of growing consciousness on safety norms, with homegrown brands like the Tata and Mahindra scoring 5 stars on the global NCAP ratings. Just yesterday, Volkswagen-owned Skoda Auto India conducted a survey which showed that nine out of 10 customers wanted all cars in India to have a safety rating. All these factors collectively underscore the importance of the Bharat NCAP ratings, which will be aligned with the global benchmark testing protocols.

Ahmed stated that the Ministry has finalised the draft notification, with the process for rolling out the norms starting tomorrow, July 1, 2023.

"We have set the stage for the implementation of the BNCAP norms by finalising the draft notification, which will be put up for mandatory review on July 1, for 30 days,” Ahmed stated.

The Additional Secretary of MoRTH further added that through a consultative window, the government, "Will invite feedback from various OEMs, and minor changes, if required, will be tweaked during this period, which will end on August 31, 2023, and facilitate the operationalisation of norms." 

When asked if there are larger challenges sighted by stakeholders, he said that should there be valid issues raised by stakeholders, "the government is open to reconsidering the date of implementation beyond October 1 to accommodate the challenges and give further time for its implementation."

Nitin Gadkari, the Minister of Road Transport and Highways in India had earlier stated that BNCAP will allow Indian manufacturers to get their vehicles tested at the country's in-house testing facilities and also increase the export-worthiness of Indian automobiles.
When BNCAP ratings are implemented, OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) will be required to have in-built safety measures, and consumers will be able to choose safer vehicles. The government has aligned Bharat NCAP's testing protocol with global crash-test protocols, and the new standards will feature star ratings ranging from 1 to 5 stars on their website.

Understanding BNCAP parameters

The parameters finalised by the government include various factors, like an assessment of the car's pedestrian-friendly design, the structural safety of the car, the provision of active and passive safety assist technologies, and the safety of adult and child occupants on the vehicle, which will be used to determine the rating.

While the BNCAP ratings will be voluntary, to begin with, OEMs will be encouraged to share samples for testing, or the testing agency will have the liberty to pick up vehicles from the showrooms as well.

The minimum classification for cars for BNCAP

According to ministry sources, the ratings will be enforced for vehicles with type approval for carrying passengers up to eight seats, in addition to driver's seats with a gross vehicle weight of less than 3.5 tonnes manufactured or imported in the country.

The new policy will also benefit local automakers since they will no longer have to ship their samples abroad for testing and star grading, which is an expensive process.

BNCAP will also test CNG and electric cars

In terms of testing, Bharat NCAP will not be limited to passive safety tests and testing internal combustion-engined vehicles, but will also test and rate CNG and electric vehicles based on their crash performance. 

Also, unlike other NCAP formats, which award separate star ratings for adult and child protection, BNCAP is likely to get a single unified rating for adult and child protection.

How ARAI is gearing up for the testing norms 

The Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), which is the testing agency for BNCAP, is also gearing up for the testing with the norms coming into play. 

"We have fully equipped laboratories in Pune and Chakan, that have conducted over 800 pre-NCAP crash tests, ARAI is fully geared up to execute international levels of tests that are particularly relevant in the Indian scenario," said a senior officer from the testing agency involved in the BNCAP process.

ARAI officials also stated that testing will not be limited to passive safety tests. "CNG vehicles will fall under the purview of Bharat NCAP and will be rated based on their crash performance." Abhay Mannikar, Senior Deputy Director, ARAI stated. In an earlier interview with Autocar Professional, Mannikar stated, "In India, we will be developing BNCAP ratings for CNG and EV vehicles, which are not the focus of Global NCAP." We will address this gap in Bharat NCAP because it is more of a local issue than a global one.”

Also read: 'Bharat NCAP can afford to be more adventurous': David Ward, Executive President, Towards Zero Foundation