Hoy No Circula Nov. 7: Hologram 2 and Odd-Plate Hologram 1 Cars Stay Home

The regular Saturday Hoy No Circula (Mexico City’s “no driving today” program) is in force on Saturday, Nov. 7, in Mexico City and the surrounding municipalities of the State of Mexico (Edomex). Every car with a hologram 2 emissions sticker must stay parked, along with hologram 1 cars whose plates end in an odd number and vehicles with plates from outside the area.

No air-quality contingency had been declared as of Friday evening, so the stricter “Doble Hoy No Circula” is not in effect, according to El Financiero and Expansión Política.

Which cars cannot drive on Saturday?

The restriction covers three groups of vehicles, based on the official calendar cited by Expansión Política:

• Cars with hologram 2, whatever the last digit of the plate.
• Cars with hologram 1 and plates ending in 1, 3, 5, 7 or 9.
• Cars with out-of-state (foráneas) plates.

N+ Noticias adds provisional vehicle permits to the list. Nov. 7 is the first Saturday of the month, the outlet noted.

What hours and which areas does it cover?

El Financiero and N+ say the program starts at 5 a.m. and ends at 10 p.m., the same schedule used on weekdays. Expansión Política gives the same start but lists two different end times in its report, 22:00 in one place and 23:00 in another, so reports differ on the closing hour.

It applies in all 16 alcaldías (boroughs) of Mexico City and in 18 Edomex municipalities that form the Valley of Mexico metropolitan area, among them Naucalpan, Tlalnepantla, Ecatepec, Nezahualcóyotl, Huixquilucan, Atizapán de Zaragoza, Chalco, Ixtapaluca and Tecámac. Expansión Política says the program also runs Monday through Saturday in Toluca and Santiago Tianquistenco, with limits on hologram 1 and 2 cars.

Who is exempt?

El Financiero lists a long set of exemptions. The ones most residents will care about:

• Cars with hologram 0 or 00, unless a contingency is declared and the Megalopolis Environmental Commission (CAMe) orders specific limits.
• Electric and fuel-cell cars, plus plug-in, range-extender and standard hybrids.
• Motorcycles.
• Vehicles with disability plates, or with a special permit while carrying people with disabilities.
• Cars with antique or classic plates issued by the Mexico City government.
• Out-of-area cars holding a Pase Turístico Metropolitano or Pase Turístico Paisano during the official periods.

According to El Financiero, cars registered in other Mexican states or abroad generally do not have to carry a verification hologram or follow Hoy No Circula, unless the owner lives permanently in the metro area. That point matters for newcomers driving a car with US plates; the other two outlets list out-of-area plates as restricted, so reports differ.

What does it cost to break the rule?

N+ Noticias describes a fine range of 20 to 30 Unidades de Medida y Actualización (UMA, the reference unit Mexico uses to set fines), or 2,346.20 to 3,519.30 pesos. The car can also be towed to the impound lot (corralón), which adds towing and storage charges.

What does this mean for weekend plans?

Drivers with a restricted car lose the use of it for most of Saturday across the whole metro area, including trips between Mexico City and Edomex suburbs. Owners of hologram 0 and 00 cars, hybrids and EVs can drive normally as long as no contingency is called.

Could a contingency still be declared?

N+ Noticias reported on Friday that the Air and Health Index rated air quality as bad at six monitoring stations, all in Mexico City, because of PM10 and PM2.5 particles; levels at the rest ranged from acceptable to good. The outlet said conditions existed for a contingency, though none had been ordered. If CAMe activates one, the Doble Hoy No Circula would also take hologram 0 and 00 cars off the road. Expansión Política said CAMe had no plans for the extraordinary measure on Saturday.

Sources: El Financiero, Expansión Política, N+ Noticias