India is set to widen its vehicle safety testing regime, with Bharat NCAP, the government’s programme that rates how safely cars protect occupants in crashes, getting a broader version from October 2027, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said at the SIAM annual convention on Thursday.
Gadkari said the next version of Bharat NCAP would examine the “entire chain of crash”, covering not just passenger protection but also crash avoidance, pedestrian safety and post-crash evacuation and care.
At the same time, the government is looking to change driver behaviour through a graded points system for driving licences and vehicle registration certificates, while bringing stricter certification requirements for buses.
“Bharat NCAP is really a very, very success story,” Gadkari said, crediting cooperation between the government and the automobile industry for the programme's progress.
Bharat NCAP 2.0 to widen safety assessment
Gadkari said Bharat NCAP 2.0 is planned to come into effect from October 2027 and will expand the scope of vehicle safety assessments.
“We are going to evaluate the entire chain of crash,” he said.
The framework will look at crash avoidance, passenger protection, pedestrian protection and what happens after a crash, including evacuation and care, according to Gadkari.
He said more than 30 models from 11 companies have already been certified under Bharat NCAP.
Gadkari also highlighted the lower cost of testing under the Indian programme. According to him, Global NCAP testing costs around ₹2.5 crore per model, compared with about ₹60 lakh under Bharat NCAP.
The minister said India records around five lakh road accidents and 1.8 lakh deaths every year, with people in the 18-36 age group accounting for about 66% of fatalities.
“At any cost, we have to reduce the accident numbers,” he said.
Driver behaviour comes under scrutiny
The government is also planning a graded point system for driving licences and vehicle registration certificates, Gadkari said.
Under the proposed framework, points would be deducted for traffic offences. Once a driver crosses a specified threshold, the licence could be suspended or cancelled.
The system could also reward responsible drivers.
“Those who have good points, they will get incentives from insurance companies, from other benefits will be there,” Gadkari said.
The aim, he said, is to encourage responsible driving while penalising habitual offenders.
Govt wants auto industry to help train drivers
Gadkari also called on the automobile industry to support the government's efforts to address the shortage of trained drivers.
Under a policy launched in January 2025, the government plans to establish 1,600 driving training centres. Gadkari said 24 are currently operational and another 112 are in the pipeline.
Around 10 lakh drivers have been trained so far, he said. Once the planned centres are operational, annual training capacity is expected to reach around 1.5 lakh drivers.
Gadkari urged automakers to support driving training centres, vehicle fitness centres and scrapping centres through CSR initiatives or economically viable models, particularly in aspirational districts and backward blocks.
He pointed to the scale of the shortage by citing a Bengaluru bus operator that, according to him, had 1,000 buses lying idle because of a lack of drivers.
Bus safety rules get tougher
Bus safety is another area where the government has tightened its approach.
Gadkari said 3,855 deaths involving buses were recorded in 2024 and made it clear that safety would not be compromised.
A revised bus body code came into effect from September 1, 2025. Earlier, manual bus body builders could register through self-certification. Under the revised system, buses can be registered only after receiving type-approval certification from a testing agency.
A checklist for each individual bus also has to be uploaded on a central portal. Gadkari said registration would not be allowed without physical or video inspection of the checklist.
The changes affect more than 600 manual bus body builders and over 75,000 employees, he said.
“You are making good vehicles, good quality of vehicle,” Gadkari told the industry.
But he stressed that safety standards would not be relaxed.
“I am ready to help you... But I am not going to compromise with this. My duty is to save the life of the people. At any cost, I am not going to compromise,” he said.
