In past few years, Tata Motors has set the benchmark for safety in the Indian automotive sector. Almost, every Tata car from Hatchbacks to SUV’s has achieved the epitome of safety with their excellent crash test ratings, earlier with the Global New Car Assessment Programme (GNCAP) and now with the emergence of India’s own New Car Assessment Programme, the Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (BNCAP) or the Bharat New Vehicle Safety Assessment Programme (BNVSAP).
Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (BNCAP) facilitated their initial crash tests on Dec 15, 2023, in which the first two cars to be crash tested were also Tata, the Tata mid-size SUV’s duo ( Harrier and Safari Facelift ). Based on OMEGA ARC (Optimal Modular Efficient Global Advanced Architecture), derived from Landrover’s D8 platform, both the mid-size SUV’s went through their first safety crash tests after receiving a makeover and ending up with 5 Stars safety ratings. Both, Harrier and Safari Facelift, obtained 30.08 out of 32.00 points for adult’s occupant protection and 44.54 out of 49.00 points for child occupant protection category.
As per reports, two more Tata cars recently underwent, safety crash tests under Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (BNCAP), which are no other than the two of most selling EV’s in India, the Punch.ev and Nexon.ev. Both the cars share distinct underpinnings. Where Nexon.ev is based on its ICE counterpart’s X1 platform, there the Punch.ev is underpinned by Gen-2 Advanced Connected Tech Intelligent Electric Vehicle (Acti.ev) Architecture.
Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (BNCAP) has termed both the Tata sub-4 metre SUV’s , as India’s safest electrical vehicles till date as the punch.ev and Nexon.ev ended up, achieving 5 Stars safety crash test ratings. The micro SUV, Punch.ev scored 31.46 out of 32.00 points for adult’s occupant protection and 45.00 points out of 49.00 for child’s occupant protection category.
Regarding Tata’s sub compact SUV Nexon.ev’s scores, it obtained 29.86 points out of 32.00 for adult occupant protection and 44.95 points out of 49.00 in child occupant protection. Both, Punch.ev and Nexon.ev were tried under multiple assessments, which included frontal offset deformable barrier test and side movable deformable barrier test. In these tests, both the Tata EV’s received a score of 14.26 and 15.60 points out of 16.00 respectively.
The Punch.ev and Nexon.ev, also holds a safety rating of 5 Stars in Global New Car Assessment Programme (GNCAP) and so their conventional engine versions. Repeating the scores at Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (BNCAP), both the cars have re-defined their safety standards setting an example for the Indian automotive industry.