Global NCAP testing is the standard protocol followed by car makers to award safety ratings to their models.
In this blog, we shall take a look at the differences between the old and new GNCAP testing protocols. The new testing technique came into effect in July last year (2022). The potential car buyers are looking for safety ratings before making a purchase decision in the last few years. Hence, it becomes critical that the carmakers take into consideration the build quality, active and passive safety features of vehicles during manufacturing. The recent updates in GNCAP testing are geared towards making the process more transparent and effective so that more lives could be saved on the roads. Here are the details of the updates made to the process.
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Old vs New GNCAP Testing Protocol
While the old testing protocol took just the frontal impact into consideration towards the safety ratings of any car, it has changed in the new system. Now, a holistic approach is taken to ensure that enough active and passive safety features are offered to protect passengers during unfortunate incidents. This includes a side impact test and a whole slew of safety equipment in addition to the frontal impact test. According to the new protocol, if a vehicle gets 0 stars in frontal impact testing, the Global NCAP will be under no obligation to perform the side impact test. Moreover, for the side impact tests, child dummies are needed as per the current regulations.
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The adult protection category will now have a maximum of 34 points (16 points for front crash test, 16 points for side impact tests and 2 points for seat belt reminders). To qualify for the last 2 points, cars must have seatbelt reminders for all seats. Furthermore, to perform the full impact test, vehicles must be fitted with some kind of head protection system. By the end of 2023, 50% of the total sales volume must have this feature. This number will be raised to 90% by the end of 2025. Also, ESC is a mandatory requirement to qualify for a full 5-star rating. The new protocols also require a vehicle to be designed according to the UN127 or GTR9 norms for pedestrian protection. Finally, a vehicle must be equipped with a seatbelt reminder to get one point in the overall score.
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What We Think
We appreciate the measures taken by the government to implement the updated Global NCAP protocols for our market. Unfortunately, we lose thousands of lives on the roads each year in car accidents. In most of these cases, the severity of injuries could be vastly reduced. This would have been possible with better safety equipment. Note that the Euro NCAP testing is still considered the top agency in terms of testing the build quality and safety prowess of vehicles. But with time, the Global NCAP procedure will get even more fine-tuned to ensure that only the safest vehicles are allowed to ply on the roads. The next update to the Global NCAP is slated for 2026.
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