The draft Bharat New Car Assessment Program (Bharat NCAP) rules introduced by the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) take a leaf out of Euro NCAP norms and give 20% weightage to vulnerable road user protection.
As per the draft rules, vehicle models will be evaluated under 5 different verticals namely: Safe Driving, Crash Avoidance, Crash Protection, Vulnerable Road User Protection and Post-Crash Safety.
Crash Protection: 55%
Vulnerable Road User protection: 20%
Safe Driving: 10%
Accident Avoidance: 10%
Post-Crash Protection: 5%
The inclusion of vulnerable road user protection for overall car safety ratings is a welcome step as 65% of 1.72 lakh fatalities from car crashes in India include pedestrians, cyclists and two-wheeler riders, says Piyush Tiwari, founder and CEO of SaveLIFE Foundation.
“A large number of fatalities and injuries that take place on Indian roads can be addressed through a series of interventions and vehicular safety is one of them. If we see what is happening globally, we are seeing that a majority of car manufacturers globally are aligning with VRU protection standards, simply because at the speed of 30 kmph, a vehicle hitting a pedestrian or a VRU can cause a serious injury or fatality. From that perspective, it is a very welcome step, where India is aligning with the global benchmarks,” Tiwari adds.
“Even as we create better helmet compliance for two-wheelers, we have to make sure that car safety systems also account for vulnerabilities that exist on the road,” he says.
The ministry is seeking comments on the draft rules by December 20, 2025, as it looks to bring in a more comprehensive and globally aligned safety rating framework.
Cars seeking a star rating under the revised system must now be equipped with Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and side or curtain airbags as standard—features that were previously absent from the mandatory list. Vehicle manufacturer can choose to offer Autonomous Emergency Braking System (AEBS) voluntarily.
As per the draft rules, five-star ratings will need at least 70 points from 2027-29 and 80 points from 2029-31.
If implemented, the new rules would push manufacturers to introduce higher levels of standard safety equipment, especially in entry-level and mass-market models — a segment where India has historically lagged behind global safety benchmarks. For consumers, the star ratings could become more meaningful and comparable to international NCAP scores.
To be clear, Bharat NCAP is a voluntary programme and not a mandatory one. The first phase of Bharat NCAP, implemented from October 2023, is valid till September 2027.
While BNCAP ratings are not mandatory, Tewari of SaveLIFE Foundation believes that market forces are now putting the safety imperative on car manufacturers. “An entry-level car of one of India’s most popular manufacturers now carries multiple airbags and safety systems. They have reengineered the body. Even though it is not mandatory, the fact that some people who initiated this have forced others to follow suit,” he says.
