Gadkari launches Bharat NCAP for crash tests of cars to help buyers make safer choice

Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari launched the Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (Bharat NCAP) today aimed to enhance road safety by improving vehicle safety standards for up to 3.5-tonne vehicles in India the base variants of which will now be put through crash tests.

Consumers can take an informed decision by making a comparative assessment on car performance under crash test conditions.

Addressing the gathering at an event in New Delhi, Gadkari said this is a landmark step towards empowering our consumers to make a better choice for buying safer cars.

NCAP brings the opportunity to the OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) to manufacture vehicles of global safety standards. The program will be anchored by Central Institute of Road Transport (CIRT) and will begin from 1st Oct 2023 and will be based on Automotive Industry Standard (AIS) 197.

The minister said BHARAT NCAP will also greatly improve the safety and quality of vehicles in India, while simultaneously promoting a healthy competition among manufacturers to make safer vehicles. The new safety regime under BHARAT NCAP and AIS-197 is a mutual win-win for manufacturers and consumers and an instrumental step towards safeguarding lives of our citizens and making our Automobile Industry the number one auto manufacturing hub in the world, he added.

The program is applicable to type approved motor vehicles of M1 category less than 3.5T GVW which includes cars and SUVs. This is a voluntary program in which the base variants of a given model will be tested.

In official parlance M1 category refers to a motor vehicle used for the carriage of passengers, comprising not more than eight seats in addition to the driver’s seat.

The program aims to create an ecosystem of competitive safety enhancements leading to increased awareness among consumers. This program has been evolved based on stakeholder consultations, the minister added.