The Global NCAP (GNCAP) releases a new set of crash test ratings periodically. Each time the results are discussed to death by those who closely follow the ratings. However, I noticed that there are some points related to crash tests that often get ignored. These discussions are going to gain even more fervor with the launch of the Bharat NCAP.
As someone who works in the field of automotive safety and crash research, I have had some exposure to NCAP procedures and how they represent real-world crashes. Based on my experience I want to highlight some points that don’t get mentioned along with the ratings and often get missed in most NCAP-related discussions.
Disclaimer: My goal is not to criticize BharatNCAP or GNCAP or any crash testing agency. They are doing their bit with their limited capability and funding. I am just highlighting some points that NCAP tests usually do not mention, but points that most car buyers are not aware of.
Things NCAP ratings do not tell you
Here are some things that an NCAP rating does not tell you, but all car buyers must know:
The most important point: NCAP ratings apply only to restrained occupants.
An obvious point but ignored by many. The NCAP rating is only applicable if all occupants in the car are restrained i.e. adults in seat belts and children in appropriate child seats. The rating effectively drops to zero even if one occupant is not restrained. Do not expect the same car to save you if you are not belted.
NCAP crash tests only cover a fraction of Indian crashes
NCAP crash tests are not expected to represent each and every type of crash test in the country. With that said, current NCAP crash tests only cover a fraction of Indian crashes!
NCAP crash tests are designed to represent the most common crash types that occur in Western countries. The most widely used crash tests (front moderate overlap or side impact tests) are meant to emulate car-to-car crashes. In India, we have minimal car-to-car crashes. Most of our cars are more likely to hit fixed rigid objects or heavy vehicles or two-wheelers or rollover. In fact, research on Indian crash data states shows that the frontal impact test may only represent about 20% of Indian car crashes.
NCAP ratings are not transferable to all crash scenarios
A common misconception held by many is that NCAP performance is transferable to all crash types. For example, a car that scores 5 stars on the frontal/side impact tests will do good in all crashes. However, that may not be the case.
The 5-star rating applies strictly only to that particular crash type. The same car cannot be expected to get similar performance in, say, rollovers or crashing into a small curb. This is because each crash type engages different car components. Frontal impacts require stronger longitudinal/cross members and rollovers require thicker pillars. Crashworthiness or build quality may change for different crash types.
Car makers are expected to provide similar performance to all cars sold but there have been instances of car makers ‘gaming’ the tests. The Toyota side-impact test fiasco in ASEAN countries is a glaring example of this practice. In another instance, many US car makers were caught reinforcing the driver side to pass the IIHS small overlap test, leaving the passenger side exposed. IIHS then resorted to testing both sides.
I am not saying that all car companies will do this, but it’s better to err on the side of caution.
NCAP Rating needs to be compared within the segment
NCAP ratings are only to be used to compare performance across a segment, for example between two compact sedans or between two compact SUVs.
Never assume that a 5-star rated hatchback will perform better than a 2-star rated large SUV just because of the ratings. In real-world crashes, mass matters much more than crash test ratings.
NCAP rating assumes crash compatibility.
A corollary to the above point. Crash tests simulate a crash where a vehicle impacts another vehicle similar to itself in terms of mass. A 5-star small SUV will not give the same performance when it hits a larger SUV, truck, or object.
NCAP ratings apply only up to the test speed.
All crashes are governed by the laws of physics. Kinetic energy is proportional to the square of speed i.e. doubling the speed quadruples the energy.
Frontal impacts are tested at 64kmph and side around 30kmph. These speeds are decided as per the most common impact speeds seen in crash data from Western countries. Don’t expect the same performance even at speeds 10kmph higher than the test speeds. It is possible for a frontal impact at 80kmph to kill belted occupants or a side impact at 50kmph to split the car into two.
NCAP ratings apply only to the occupants seated in the tests
Every crash test is conducted with a fixed number of occupants in the car. For e.g. The Global NCAP crash test has two front occupants in the front row and two children (in child seats) seated in the rear. Whereas the EuroNCAP crash test also includes rear occupants.
The crash test rating applies only to the occupants present in the vehicle at the time of testing. The same Global NCAP score may not apply to occupants present in the rear seat at the time of the crash. This is because rear seats in most cars do not have some safety features such as seat belt pretensioners. This gap in performance was pointed out by the IIHS tests for rear occupants in small cars.
The crash test dummies do not represent every driver/occupant
The Hybrid III dummies are currently used in most crash tests across the world. The Hybrid III 50th percentile male dummy is placed in the front seats of the Global NCAP tests. This dummy is said to represent 50% males.
However, if you look closely, you may notice that the claim may not be true for India. The Hybrid III male dummy stands at 5’9″ tall and weighs 77kg. That is much larger than an average Indian male. Thus, the performance shown by the dummy may not apply to every Indian driver, maybe not even 50%. The female Hybrid III, at 5′ and 50kg may represent Indian women though.
Another point to note is that the dummies are made to sit perfectly in the seat. The average car occupant does not sit like that. Even a slight change in posture e.g. sleeping, bending over to check the phone, etc. may affect the performance in real life.
Lower NCAP rating can be for reasons beyond the crash test performance
Always check the report to understand why a car has received a lower NCAP rating. It may happen that a car has done well in the tests but was deducted ratings for not having ESC or some other features across all variants.
NCAP ratings expire
Crash test protocols are revised every 4-5 years and cars need to be re-tested under the new protocols. The same car which scored 4/5 stars in the older protocol may not even score 3 stars in the newer one.
Some testing agencies such as the EuroNCAP clearly mention if their rating has expired. Even though Global NCAP may not show it on its website, its crash test ratings expire after 4 years. However, some manufacturers might still display expired ratings in their adverts. Always double-check when the car was crash tested and see if the ratings apply.
Pay even closer attention to child safety ratings
Child safety ratings are only applicable if the child is seated in an appropriate child seat. Not on the lap or even in a seat belt.
Another area that NCAPs don’t go into detail about is that the child safety rating is also child seat specific i.e. it only applies if the child is seated in the brand/model used in the tests or recommended by NCAP. Not for all child seats.
Let’s take a recent example. The 5-star child safety rating that the VW/Skoda vehicles received was using the Britax Dualflix (~$400) child seat. This seat is not even available in India and VW/Skoda sells itas rebranded accessory for INR 64000!
Except for the older Wagon-R crash test (which used Luster child seats), none of the manufacturers (Indians included) have tested their cars using locally sold brands such as Luvlap, R for Rabbit, Mothercare, etc. They always use the expensive Britax seats that are not available in India.
Check out this article if you want to learn about the importance of child seats.
It’s time for the Bharat NCAP to keep the ball rolling
The Global NCAP has set the ball rolling by increasing awareness of car safety ratings in India. They may not be perfect, but GNCAP ratings are the best reference we have right now for car safety ratings.
Now it is the Indian government’s job to use the Bharat NCAP to test all cars as the NHTSA does. My only wish is that the Bharat NCAP conducts tests using our own crash data instead of copying tests from Western countries. Otherwise, the Bharat NCAP will fail and we may soon have belted occupants dying in 5-star-rated cars.
Hopefully, this long post has provided a better understanding of the NCAP ratings and their limitations. Let me know if you have any other questions in the comments below.
Last Updated on August 22, 2023 by RSG