Bharat NCAP 2.0: Why inclusion of vulnerable road user protection is significant

The draft Bharat New Car Assessment Program (Bharat NCAP) rules brought by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) takes a leaf from the Euro NCAP norms and gives 20% weightage to protection of vulnerable road users.

According to the draft rules, vehicle models will be evaluated under 5 different sectors: safe driving, collision avoidance, collision protection, protection of vulnerable road users, and post-collision safety.

Fault protection: 55%
Protection of vulnerable road users: 20%
Safe driving: 10%
Accident avoidance: 10%
Protection after collision: 5%

The inclusion of protection of vulnerable road users in overall car safety rankings is a welcome move, as 65% of the 1.72 lakh car accident deaths in India involve pedestrians, cyclists and two-wheelers, says Piyush Tiwari, founder and CEO, SaveLIFE Foundation.

“A large number of deaths and injuries occurring on Indian roads can be addressed through a series of interventions and vehicle safety is one of them. If we see what is happening globally, we see that the majority of car manufacturers globally are in line with VRU protection norms, simply because at 30 kmph, a vehicle hitting a pedestrian or VRU can cause serious injury or death. From this perspective, it is a very welcome step, as India is in line with the world,” adds Tiwari.

“Even as we work to improve helmet compliance for two-wheelers, we have to ensure that vehicle safety systems also take into account vulnerabilities on the road,” he says.

The Department is seeking comments on the draft rules by December 20, 2025, as it looks to develop a more comprehensive, globally harmonized framework for safety classification.

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. A vehicle manufacturer can choose to voluntarily offer an autonomous emergency braking system (AEBS).

According to the draft rules, five-star ratings will need to be at least 70 points from 2027-2029 and 80 points from 2029-2031.

If implemented, the new rules will push manufacturers to offer higher levels of standard safety equipment, especially in entry-level and mass-market models – a segment where India has historically lagged behind global safety standards. For consumers, star ratings could become more important and comparable to international NCAP scores.

To be clear, Bharat NCAP is a voluntary program and not mandatory. The first phase of Bharat NCAP, implemented from October 2023, is valid until September 2027.

While BNCAP ratings are not mandatory, SaveLIFE’s Tiwari believes market forces are now putting the safety imperative on carmakers. “The entry-level car of one of India’s most popular manufacturers now carries multiple airbags and multiple safety systems. They have re-engineered the body. Although it is not mandatory, the fact that some people started it has forced others to follow suit,” he says.