Bharat NCAP 2.0 Set to Transform Car Safety Standards in India from 2027
Bharat NCAP 2.0 Set to Transform Car Safety Standards in India from 2027
India is preparing to raise the bar for vehicle safety with the introduction of Bharat NCAP 2.0, a comprehensive new car safety rating system designed to give consumers clearer and more realistic insights into how safe a vehicle truly is. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has released the draft rules under AIS-197 (Revision 1), marking a significant shift from traditional crash protection tests to a broader evaluation that reflects real-world road conditions. These updated safety regulations are expected to come into effect from October 2027.
The previous safety rating system in India primarily focused on protecting adult and child occupants and evaluating a few basic features. Bharat NCAP 2.0 expands this framework by rating vehicles across five distinct safety pillars, giving a more complete picture of a car’s overall safety. The five pillars include crash protection, which carries the highest weight at 55 percent, protection of vulnerable road users at 20 percent, safe driving and accident avoidance at 10 percent each, and post-crash safety at 5 percent. This approach ensures that cars are evaluated not just on their ability to protect passengers during a crash but also on their capacity to prevent accidents and safeguard all road users, including pedestrians and cyclists.
Under the new system, certain features are now mandatory for a vehicle to receive a safety rating. Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and curtain airbags are required, while vehicles with side-facing seats will not be eligible for any star rating. Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) will remain optional but will still be included in the crash tests to assess its effectiveness.
The crash testing procedure itself has been significantly upgraded. Cars will undergo five standardized tests, all conducted on the base variant of the model. These include a 64 km/h offset frontal crash, a 50 km/h full-width frontal crash, a 50 km/h mobile lateral barrier crash, a 32 km/h pole side impact crash, and a 50 km/h rear mobile rigid impact crash. The addition of full-width frontal and rear impact tests is designed to better reflect the conditions of real-world accidents, giving consumers a more accurate understanding of how a car would perform in everyday road scenarios.
The 5-star rating criteria have also been made more stringent. Between 2027 and 2029, vehicles will need to achieve a minimum of 70 points to earn a 5-star rating, which will increase to 80 points between 2029 and 2031. In addition, a minimum score must be achieved in each of the five safety pillars, ensuring that no aspect of safety is neglected. This change will encourage manufacturers to adopt stronger structural designs and integrate advanced safety technologies across their vehicle lineups.
For consumers, Bharat NCAP 2.0 promises clearer and more realistic safety ratings that take into account real-world accident scenarios, making it easier to compare vehicles and make informed decisions. For manufacturers, the new rules will drive the adoption of advanced active and passive safety technologies, with stricter benchmarks to meet in order to achieve high safety ratings.
The current safety regulations are set to expire on 30 September 2027, paving the way for Bharat NCAP 2.0 to be implemented from October 2027. The draft rules are currently open for public comments, allowing stakeholders and citizens to provide feedback before the system is finalized.
