Bharat NCAP: Nitin Gadkari Approves Draft Notification For India’s Own Automobile Crash Tests

Bharat-NCAP will be a consumer centric platform that will offer customers the option to choose safer cars based on star ratings, promote healthy competition amongst automakers in India, Gadkari said

Nitin Gadkari said that Bharat-NCAP’s testing protocol shall be aligned to global crash test protocols and allow automakers to get vehicles tested at India’s own in-house testing facilities.

Source : PTI

Union for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Friday said the new car assessment programme – Bharat NCAP or Bharat New Car Assessment Program (BNCAP) – proposes a mechanism wherein automobiles in India shall be accorded ‘Star Ratings’ based upon their performance in crash tests, the PTI reported.

The minister on Friday confirmed the development in a series of tweets.

I have now approved the Draft GSR Notification to introduce Bharat NCAP (New Car Assessment Program), wherein automobiles in India shall be accorded Star Ratings based upon their performance in Crash Tests. @PMOIndia

— Nitin Gadkari (@nitin_gadkari) June 24, 2022

He explained that Bharat-NCAP will be a consumer centric platform that will offer customers the option to choose safer cars based on star ratings, promote healthy competition amongst automakers in India to manufacture safer vehicles and incorporate higher safety levels in new car models with regard to various identified parameters.

"I have now approved the draft GSR notification to introduce Bharat NCAP (New Car Assessment Program), wherein automobiles in India shall be accorded Star Ratings based upon their performance in crash tests," he said, while added, “Star rating of Indian cars based on crash tests is extremely crucial not only to ensure structural and passenger safety in cars, but to also increase the export-worthiness of Indian automobiles.”

Gadkari explained that Bharat-NCAP’s testing protocol shall be aligned to global crash test protocols and allow automakers to get vehicles tested at India’s own in-house testing facilities.

Gadkari said towards the end of his Twitter thread, “Bharat NCAP will prove to be a critical instrument in making our automobile industry 'aatmanirbhar' with the mission of making India the number one automobile hub in the world.”

Gadkari also apprised Parliament in March this year about Bharat-NCAP. He said in a written reply, “The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is working on a proposal in consultation with the stakeholders to formulate a plan which would test and assess the star rating of a car under the Bharat New Car Assessment Program.”