WHAT IS GLOBAL NCAP CAR SAFETY RATINGS

If you are willing to buy a car, what factor do you think is important, safety, that’s right?

Safety is a main concern and crucial as well while purchasing a vehicle. Because, it safeguards your family, friends, passengers, driver, and even you while running a car on the road. It protects you from getting harm in unpleasant situations like accidents, crashes, or any such sudden events.

To help you out while finalizing your car, here we brought to you an advanced technique of safety rating. Let’s dive into its details.

 

What is NCAP Rating?

NCAP rating full form is New Car Assessment Programs, in simple terms; you can call it a star rating system. If a car has got 5 stars then it indicates excellent safety performance, whereas, a lower rating signifies poor performance in safety.

Furthermore, technically, NCAP is a system that came into existence to evaluate safety in a car. The evaluation can take place relying on the factors such as occupant protection and crash worthiness. The system has contemporary features like airbags, crash sensors, and reinforced frames. All these aspects in cars NCAP rating is having tremendous significance that contributes to providing best security to the persons in a car while driving.

Let’s understand star ratings in cars with an example.

1 star

2 star

3 star

4 star

5 star

If a Maruti Suzuki is rated 5 stars by the Global NCAP system, then it is taken into account as one of the safest cars. So, the rating system operates under the NCAP arrangement.

In a nutshell, the NCAP rating system delivers a standardized and sophisticated measure to enhance a car's performance, reduce air pollution, and diminish the crashes on road. We hope you must have got the fundamentals of what is NCAP rating. Now let’s study how cars get evaluated with the help of NCAP rating.

 

How Cars are Assessed for NCAP Rating

Cars are assessed for NCAP rating on the basis of certain elements. An assessment process includes crash testing and the safety features evolution along with the integrated technology analysis. Here is the bifurcation of factors that are considered to survey cars for NCAP rating.

1) Crash Test

It’s a forbidding test that NCAP conducts. It is to examine how well a car protects its owner and other occupants sitting in the car through various types of collisions.

Frontal Crash Test, side impact, and pole side impact test are the collision types that assess structural integrity of a car and safety systems as well.

2) Pedestrian Protection Test

The techniques needed to control a car must be examined so that pedestrians shouldn't be injured while driving a car or in an accident. In this, how does a car bumper impact an adult or child when they sit in a car and experience a risk in misfortune circumstances.

3) Child Protection Test

Sitting arrangements for children are examined to confirm safety in both frontal and side impacts.  Injury risks for kids are measured with dummies representation. If cars are evaluated with all these tests, it gains a 5 star rating. It’s beneficial to take out car insurance.

 

Importance of NCAP Rating for New Cars

People are very excited when buying a new car. You must agree with the fact that most people get attracted by its color and shape. Instead, focus should be on its functioning. While buying a car, there are some more important points that can always prove beneficial to study and make a decision. For expensive cars, NCAP rating is one of the notable aspects.

It delivers the customers a trustworthy indicator to understand vehicle safety. So, let’s know how NCAP rating is a key element while purchasing a car.

a) Certify Passenger’s Safety

If a vehicle has better protection systems then its NCAP rating is higher for sure and vice versa. For all occupants in the car, safety can be determined through NCAP ratings. Buyers first make sure that the car has been examined for crash or not. Also, they confirmed the design and mechanics so that they don’t have to face any kind of loss during the risky event.

b) Encourage Manufactures

Automobiles are an industry of manufacturing vehicle bodies. Security of the external body of the car or any such vehicle is as important as human health. So the NCAP rating was established to encourage automobile engineers or manufacturers to build strong and stiff material. It helps buyers to not to compromise the cost of the car.

For this, advanced and modern safety technologies like Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) or Electronic Stability Control, airbags can integrate within the vehicle. All these features play a key role for preventing accidents.

c) Family Passengers Safety

If a whole family is traveling in a car including a child, then your vehicle has to be made perfectly safe and secure. If you verify a vehicle with a higher NCAP rating, then it's one of the most safe and secured vehicles for children. So, all in all, NCAP rating also motivates families to select a car with children's safety.

d) Enhance brand reputation and resale value

The outer part of the car is made up of good quality materials for long lasting use. Hence, it has a big brand value. If you are buying a car with a good NCAP rating, you can get the fancy price on reselling it in future. The NCAP rating system accurately measures everything in a car. So, it has more importance.

 

Euro NCAP vs. Global NCAP

The Swedish Road Administration has created a Euro NCAP to assess new cars, whereas, Global NCAP is released in the UK market. So, both the Euro and Global NCAP are two leading car safety assessments programs. Both the programs involve more or less similar protocols of NCAP.

Euro NCAP:

•  Mainly, it functions in Europe. It establishes the higher safety standards for cars and other vehicles in European countries.
• A comprehensive package of techniques to provide security is more advanced. Also, it focuses on speed control, pedestrian safety, and other assisting safety systems.
•  Euro NCAP strongly supports Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) like Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB). 
•  Euro NCAP evaluates pedestrian and child occupant security ratings.
• The assessment process of Euro NCAP involves tests for full frontal, front offset, side impact and side pole.
•  Euro NCAP consistently works to enhance evaluation in the context of vehicle safety.

Global NCAP:

• As per the name suggests, Global NCAP is a program that is applicable to all over the globe.  It mainly covers India, Africa, and Latin America.
• Global NCAP functions with various protocols of car safety regulations in different regions.
• Global NCAP only concentrates on airbags and seatbelt reminders.
• Global NCAP also follows the techniques to assess child safety, but sometimes it lacks the ability to examine for pedestrian protection in cars.
•  Global NCAP inspects cars based on only the front and crash test.
•  Global NCAP keeps updating their rules periodically and has great scope to improve. 

From all these differentiating points between the Euro NCAP and Global NCAP, you must have got that Euro NCAP is a forward movement to scrutinize the vehicles and replace them with present-day safety technologies. Both the programs do well and deliver 5-star ratings to the car buyers. 

 

How to Check a Car’s NCAP Rating

Do you want to know how safe your car is?

If you have plans to buy a car or to verify your car’s rating, you need to follow some trustworthy websites.

• Visit the Euro NCAP website: Explore euroncap.com which is an official web portal for checking a car's NCAP rating. Here, you can search safety ratings for most of the car model’s ratings within Europe. You just have to enter the car’s model and year of launch.
• Global NCAP website: As we have studied in the earlier section, Global NCAP is a program that assesses the vehicles sold globally or outside Europe, you are allowed to verify the ratings if you are buying it in Asia, Latin America, or Africa.
• Manufacturer’s website: Some manufacturers of cars showcase NCAP rating on their authorized websites.
•  Car Review sites: There are certain online platforms like Car wow, Consumer reports, Edmunds, and many others which are considered the best sites to share a car's NCAP ratings. Bharat NCAP is a site where you can get an appropriate car’s NCAP rating sold in India. It shows unbiased reviews and surely helps to make a decision.
•  Physical Dealership: Physical dealership is an actual act when you go to a dealer and ask for the car’s details. They have the complete safety information of a car that includes NCAP score.

9/10 sweater cars in India have to go through multiple tests. All mentioned websites where you navigate a car's NCAP rating, provide accurate information. As all the sites have assessed the car’s performance on the basis of crash drive test. 

 

Final Thoughts

When you go to buy a car, the first thing that should be focused is safety. Right? You need to decide which car to purchase by considering the safety of the car, the driver, and the passengers sitting in the car. Traffic rules for cars also matter. In this whole scenario, you can compare NCAP ratings of multiple cars and buy the car that is best in terms of safety. So, ultimately, NCAP ratings help buyers in decision making. 

In summary, NCAP ratings deliver the vital insights into a car’s safety, assisting buyers to make a firm choice. Also, it inspires manufacturers to enhance or prioritize the design and production in the context of safety. So, are you going to check your car’s NCAP rating?  

 

FAQs on Global NCAP Car Rating

What is the full form of NCAP?

NCAP is the brief form for New Car Assessment Program.

How are NCAP safety ratings determined?

A series of tests like crash test, front-on, side impact, side-pole crash is conducted to ensure the car's performance. The test examines car safety for passengers, pedestrians, and cyclists.

Which is better: Euro NCAP or Global NCAP?

Both the programs are better with slight differences in their assessment tests.

What does the front safety rating in NCAP signify?

Front safety rating indicates how much injury can harm driver and occupants sitting in the front in a head-on collision.

Which variant of the car is used in the crash test of Global NCAP?

Variety of cars have been tested with Global NCAP as-

• Tata Harrier - 5 star Global NCAP
• Tata Safari - 5 star Global NCAP
• Volkswagen Taigun- 5 star Global NCAP
• Hyundai Verna-  5 star Global NCAP
• Skoda Kushaq- 5 star Global NCAP

According to Global NCAP, which is the safest car in India?

Contrary to the Global NCAP, the Tata Harrier is the safest car in India.

Can I rely solely on Global NCAP ratings when buying a car?

No. Notwithstanding the fact that Global NCAP is an excellent rating system for car safety, it should not be the sole criteria when buying a car. The reason for this limitation is testing conditions and regional differences.