Bharat NCAP 2.0 to be rolled out from October 2027, says Gadkari

New Delhi: The government is planning to roll out a new version of the Bharat NCAP programme from October 2027, which will assess the complete safety framework and address the severe challenge of road accidents in the country, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday.

Addressing the 66th SIAM Annual Convention 2026, the Minister for Road, Transport and Highways also announced another scheme to control emissions from BS IV-compliant vehicles.

The installation of a rare emission control device reduces PM (particulate matter) and NOx significantly, and the cost of the device is Rs 4,000-5,000.


Also Read: India's car safety testing won't depend on cars alone: Nitin Gadkari

"I am going to announce a new scheme for a rare emission control device. Trials are completed for the device. Emissions after retrofitment on BS 4 vehicles same as BS 6. So this option is there," he said.

Launched in 2023, Bharat NCAP (Bharat New Car Assessment Program) is India's official, independent vehicle safety rating system that crash-tests passenger cars and assigns them a rating from 1 to 5 stars. It evaluates how well cars protect adult and child occupants during collisions.

Highlighting the urgency of addressing India's severe road accident problem, Gadkari said, "We are moving forward with Bharat NCAP 2. This is a very important programme wherein, from October 2027, the entire safety chain will be evaluated. This is very important because road accidents are a big problem... we are number one in the world".

Addressing the gathering, Gadkari said India is the world's third-largest passenger vehicle market. The vehicle testing time and cost in India are significantly lower compared to Rs 2.5 crore globally under NCAP.

Gadkari said despite efforts being taken, the number of accidents and deaths in road mishaps in the country remain high. Every year, five lakh accidents occur, and 1.80 lakh deaths happen.

People dying in road accidents are mostly in the age bracket of 18-36, he said.

This is a very problematic situation for the country. At any cost, these numbers have to be reduced, he said, noting that evaluation of the entire value chain of a vehicle is extremely important in this direction.

"We are going to evaluate the entire value chain of the crash, and in that, the new technologies and those developed by Indian startups we will use them," the minister said.

To improve road safety, Gadkari said the government is also working on a mechanism where people breaking safety rules may get their driving licences cancelled, while responsible driving will get incentives.

Driver behaviour is a big problem. Avoiding a person who is constantly making mistakes would not be appropriate. The ministry is planning to introduce a graded point system in driving licences and vehicle registration certificates, he said.

"This is very important and a good scheme. Every offence will cut points on the driving licence, and after a particular limit, the licence will get suspended or even cancelled further. However, people with good points will get incentives from insurance companies and other benefits," the minister said.

He said there is a need to discourage those whose misbehaviour is responsible for public deaths. PTI