India’s Bharat New Car Assessment Programme has released the results of its maiden crash test, which was conducted on the new Tata Harrier and Safari. Both SUVs have been awarded a 5-star safety rating for adult and child occupant protection. Both SUVs have become two of the first recipients to receive a 5-star rating from India’s safety watchdog. BNCAP says that the SUVs were tested for Frontal, Side, and Pole Side Impact protection.
Announcing the results, Shailesh Chandra, MD, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Ltd and Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Ltd., said, "Bharat-NCAP is a significant step forward as it provides customers with a credible, objective score to evaluate the safety aspects of various vehicles. Informed customers taking optimal decisions will further foster the rising preference for safer vehicles in the country. We acknowledge and appreciate the collaborative efforts of the government, regulatory bodies, and the automotive industry in this pursuit. At Tata Motors, safety is at the core of our DNA and we are honoured to win this maiden Bharat-NCAP certification with an exemplary 5-star rating for two of our vehicles. We remain committed and will continue to work towards improving vehicle safety holistically.”
Also Read: Bharat NCAP Vehicle Safety Programme Launched; Over 30 Models Already Nominated For Testing
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari presenting the certificate to Tata Motors management team
Both the Harrier and the Safari are built on Tata’s OMEGARC architecture, which itself is derived from Land Rover’s D8 Platform. Incidentally, neither of the two cars was crash tested by any NCAP, which did raise questions about their safety standards. However, in October 2023 Tata Motors said that it had nominated the Harrier and Safari for Bharat NCAP crash tests. One of the reasons for this delay, we suspect, was because Tata wanted to further improve the safety standards and equipment on offer before the SUVs were crash-tested. Incidentally, both cars received a major mid-lifecycle facelift earlier this year.
BNCAP says that the SUVs were tested for Frontal, Side, and Pole Side Impact protection
Unlike Global NCAP which only tests the base variant of any car, BNCAP crash-tested the Adventure Plus variants of the Harrier and Safari. However, we must tell you that the updated Harrier and Safari now come with a host of standard safety features like 6 airbags, electronic stability control, and 3-point seatbelts for all occupants. The SUVs also get Isofix, Seatbelts with Retractor, Pretensioner, Load Limiter (RPLL) and anchor pretensioner, and Reinforced cabin structure enhanced to provide symmetric crash performance and side pole impact.
Also Read: Tata Harrier Facelift, Safari Facelift Nominated For Bharat NCAP Crash Tests
While the protection to the driver's chest and legs were marginal and adequate, respectively, overall protection was rated as good
The SUVs scored 30.08 out of 32.00 for adult occupant protection and 44.54 out of 49.00 for child occupant protection. The score in the front offset barrier test (conducted at 64 kmph) was 14.08 out of 16, while the same for the Side movable deformable barrier test (conducted at 50 kmph) was 16 out of 16. The report shows that protection to the driver’s chest area was rated as marginal in the front offset crash test, while the same for the right leg was adequate. Tata does offer knee airbag with the top-spec model. Protection levels during other tests were rated as good overall.
Under child occupant protection, the dynamic score was 23.54 out of 24, the child restraint system installation score was 12 out of 12 and the Vehicle assessment score was 9 out of 13. The provision for CRS is only provided in the second row.
The SUVs scored 30.08 out of 32.00 for adult occupant protection
So far, it was the Global NCAP that was evaluating the safety standards of Indian cars under the #SaferCarsForIndia programme. However, earlier this year the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) launched India’s very own, independent safety performance evaluation protocol. Bharat NCAP crash tests officially came into effect on October 1, 2023.
Presenting the certificate to Tata Motors’ Shailesh Chandra, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, said, “Bharat-NCAP is India’s independent, atmanirbhar voice on vehicle safety. It is benchmarked to the best-in-class global standards and the Bharat-NCAP vehicle rating system is designed to advance road safety and vehicle safety standards beyond mandatory regulations. I’m delighted that the first ever vehicles being certified today with the highest achievable 5-star rating, are both from Tata Motors. I congratulate them on award of this coveted certification with the highest possible ratings and for continuing to enrich their legacy of introducing the safest vehicles on Indian roads.”
Also Read: Maruti Suzuki To Send ‘At Least 3 Models’ For Initial Bharat NCAP Tests
The SUVs scored 44.54 out of 49.00 for child occupant protection
Earlier, Gadkari had said that more than 30 models have already been nominated for BNCAP testing by their respective manufacturers. Some of the other manufacturers that have nominated their cars include Maruti Suzuki India, Hyundai India, and Mahindra & Mahindra.
