Bharat NCAP 2.0 Proposal Brings Wider Crash Tests and More Rigid Safety Scores

Bharat NCAP 2.0 has been introduced by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) through draft rules under AIS-197 (Revision 1). The updated safety program sets a broader and clearer assessment system so buyers can understand how well a car can protect them in real-world crashes. The new proposal replaces the earlier focus on only adult and child safety and basic safety tech. It builds a wider framework that checks many more parts of vehicle safety

What Bharat NCAP 2.0 Brings For Future Ratings

MoRTH has laid out a full five-pillar rating that uses a 100-point scale. This gives a more complete picture of a car’s performance in different crash and safety situations. The scoring is split into five key areas:

• Crash Protection – 55 percent of the total rating
• Vulnerable Road-User Protection – 20 percent
• Safe Driving – 10 percent
• Accident Avoidance – 10 percent
• Post-Crash Safety – 5 percent

These pillars show that the program is no longer about only how well the front passengers are protected. It now checks how the car protects pedestrians, how the tech helps avoid crashes, and how safe the car remains after an accident

MoRTH has also listed some safety features that must be present if a model wants a star rating.

• Electronic Stability Control (ESC) will be mandatory
• Curtain airbags will also be compulsory
• Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) will stay optional

Any vehicle with side-facing seats will not be allowed to receive any rating under the new system

The draft states that between 2027 and 2029 a car will need 70 points to earn a 5-star score. Between 2029 and 2031, this limit will go up to 80 points. Minimum marks will also be needed in each of the five pillars. This means a model cannot score high in just one area and still achieve a strong overall rating

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New Crash Test Protocol Under Bharat NCAP 2.0

Under the updated program, the crash tests will expand from the earlier three tests to five separate crash checks. These will all be done on the base variant of the model

The five crash tests include:

1. 64 km/h offset frontal impact
2. 50 km/h full-width frontal impact
3. 50 km/h mobile lateral barrier impact
4. 32 km/h oblique pole side impact
5. 50 km/h mobile rigid rear impact

The full-width frontal test and the new rear-impact test have been added because they can show how a car performs in common real-world crashes such as head-on hits or rear-end collisions. These two tests bring results that match everyday road accidents more closely

Bharat NCAP 2.0 Rollout And Timeline

MoRTH has opened the draft for comments from all stakeholders. The plan is for Bharat NCAP 2.0 to fully replace the current rules on October 2027. The present guidelines will stay in place until September 20, 2027, after which the new rules will come into effect

What The Updated Framework Means For Buyers And Carmakers

For buyers, Bharat NCAP 2.0 will make safety ratings easier to understand. The ratings will show not just crash strength but also how well the car avoids accidents and protects people outside the vehicle. This helps buyers compare cars better and choose safer models

For carmakers, the new norms raise the bar. To get higher star scores, companies will need to improve both active safety tech and passive safety systems. The tougher scoring and added crash tests will push manufacturers to include more advanced features as standard equipment

With these updates, Bharat NCAP 2.0 aims to make Indian roads safer and ensure that cars sold in the country meet stronger global-level safety levels

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