Why in news?

Bharat NCAP 2.0 is the proposed upgraded version of India's vehicle safety rating program, released as a draft by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) in November 2025, with implementation planned from October 2027 after the current protocol expires.​
 
Key points

• Bharat NCAP 2.0 is the upgraded version of the Indian New Car Assessment Program aimed at enhancing vehicle safety standards.
• It uses a 100-point rating system distributed across five pillars: Crash Protection (55%), Vulnerable Road User Protection (20%), Safe Driving (10%), Accident Avoidance (10%), and Post-Crash Safety (5%).
• The program includes five crash test scenarios: 64 km/h offset frontal, 50 km/h full-width frontal, 50 km/h mobile lateral barrier side impact, 32 km/h oblique pole side impact, and 50 km/h mobile rigid rear impact.
• Safety features such as Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and curtain airbags are mandatory for vehicles to be rated, while autonomous emergency braking is optional.
• Vehicles with side-facing seats are excluded from Bharat NCAP ratings.
• The star rating thresholds are stricter, with the current 5-star requirement of 70 points increasing to 80 points by the period 2029-31.
• Bharat NCAP 2.0 aims to better protect not only vehicle occupants but also vulnerable road users like pedestrians and improve post-crash safety.
• The program is expected to be implemented by October 2027, with public consultation ongoing until December 2025.

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