- Applicable for cars with up to eight passengers

- To result in price hike of cars

In a recently issued notice, it has been confirmed that all the new cars manufactured and sold from 1 October, 2022 will have to be equipped with six airbags. This development was recently confirmed by Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways. The draft notification was made in January 2022 that proposed a mandate of six airbags for motor vehicles carrying up to eight passengers.

The new rule will apply to the M1 category of vehicles with a seating capacity of eight passengers. They will be equipped with dual front airbags and side curtain airbags to ensure maximum safety for all the passengers.

With the introduction of the new mandate, carmakers are also expected to hike the prices of the models by Rs 30,000 to Rs 50,000. It is to be noted that several carmakers, especially on the budget end do not offer more than two airbags in their cars. The addition of six airbags will also result in better crash test safety ratings for the cars.