Bharat NCAP To Introduce ADAS Testing In Vehicle Crash Assessments By October 2027

The Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (Bharat NCAP) will expand its safety test parameters to include Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) features by October 2027. Ujjwala Karle, Deputy Director and Head of the Technology Group & Digital Twin Lab at the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), shared the update during the ADAS Show in Bengaluru.

Bharat NCAP was introduced in India on October 1, 2023, as a voluntary program to evaluate the safety of vehicles sold in the country. The program currently assesses cars based on three key criteria:

• Adult Occupant Protection
• Child Occupant Protection
• Safety Assist Technologies, including automatic braking and lane assistance

ADAS is a driver assistance technology that uses cameras, sensors and radar to help reduce accident risks. Many Indian automakers, including Tata Motors and Mahindra, have started offering ADAS-equipped vehicles. Most of these vehicles feature Level-2 ADAS, which includes functions such as adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assistance, emergency braking, and blind spot monitoring. The induction of ADAS will expand these evaluations to measure how effectively these features contribute to overall vehicle safety.

Bharat NCAP was introduced on October 1,2023 by MoRTH for safety assessment of Indian cars based on various parameters. It is aligned with global benchmark testing protocols. Till date Bharat NCAP has tested 14 vehicles. Several vehicles, such as the Mahindra Thar Roxxx, XEV 9e, BE 6, Tata Curvv, Curvv EV, Punch EV and Skoda Kushaq, have received five-star safety ratings.

Bharat NCAP frontal offset impact test is performed at 64 kmph while the side impact test is performed at 50 kmph & the pole side impact test is performed at 29 kmph.