Global NCAP Crash Tests Likely To Commence In India By The End Of 2023

The recent round of Global NCAP safety tests saw good progress from Indian cars on the safety front, with the Honda Jazz, fourth generation Honda City, Renault Kiger, and Nissan Magnite all scoring a strong four stars. Now, reports suggest the Global New Car Assessment Programme (GNCAP) organisation is looking at conducting crash tests in India by late 2023. Keep in mind, this is only for cars sold in India, not for ones tested globally.

Currently, the recent four models tested make a total of 50 models in the country that went through the Global NCAP safety tests under the #SaferCarsForIndia safety test campaign. 15 of them are on sale in the country featuring four and five-star safety ratings. Usually, Indian cars are tested at the ADAC technical centre in Germany, with many manufacturers voluntarily sending them in. That being said, some have to be procured and airlifted to Germany.   

According to reports, David Ward, executive president of the Towards Zero Foundation, which is the main organisation behind the GNCAP tests, thinks that India has a good testing infrastructure currently, unlike back in 2014 when the #SaferCarsForIndia safety test campaign commenced. 

Having NCAP safety tests in India could be a huge boon, as costs required for this testing process would go down, allowing more cars to be tested in the process. Reports suggest it could even encourage localisation of safety components, which in turn should help make cars that much more affordable.

Aside from this, Nitin Gadkari, the Minister of Road Transport & Highways, recently hinted at a press conference about the possibility of an NCAP-like safety rating system for cars in India. MorTH is already planning to have six airbags and front-facing three-point seatbelts as a standard safety feature on all cars. 

Whether Global NCAP does take the plunge in having crash tests done in India, they’ve clarified that they’ve got enough funds to continue crash testing Indian cars till 2025. 

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