Proposal Would Tie CDMX Verification Holograms to Emissions From 2027
Iniciativa Climática de México wants the Cero, Doble Cero and Exento stickers awarded on emissions from 2027. What would change for drivers and when.
Drivers in Mexico City and the State of Mexico could face new rules for getting the Cero, Doble Cero and Exento verification holograms starting in 2027. A proposal from the think tank Iniciativa Climática de México (ICM) would make each car’s actual emissions count for more when the stickers are handed out, El Financiero reported.
Nothing changes yet. The proposal still has to be reviewed by the authorities, and drivers do not need to do anything or swap their current holograms for now.
What it means for drivers
The holograms decide how often a car can circulate under the Hoy No Circula driving restrictions. A Cero or Doble Cero sticker lets a vehicle move with fewer limits, and an Exento sticker frees it from verification. If the proposal is adopted, some cars that qualify for these stickers today could lose them.
The biggest change would hit the Exento hologram. ICM wants it reserved for vehicles that produce no tailpipe emissions. Under the current rules, cars with combustion engines can also receive it, according to El Financiero.
For other cars, ICM argues that age is a poor guide to how much a vehicle pollutes. A car can keep worn-out emission control equipment and still meet enough criteria to earn a hologram that eases its driving restrictions, the group said.
Three new measures in the vehicle check
ICM wants verification to look beyond the conditions measured in today’s tests. Its proposal adds three parameters:
- Fuel economy, measuring how efficiently each car uses fuel.
- Evaporative emissions, the pollutants released when fuel evaporates.
- Durability of certified emissions, checking that a vehicle keeps its approved emission levels over its useful life.
In a statement, the organization said the program must be updated so it again becomes a tool that helps improve air quality. It tied the change to the right to health and a healthy environment in Article 4 of Mexico’s Constitution.
Why ICM says the rules need updating
The group estimates that about 6.5 million vehicles up to 20 years old circulate in the Valley of Mexico metropolitan area. It says roughly 300 mil (thousand) more vehicles join traffic each year.
Ozone is the other concern. According to ICM’s diagnosis, monthly concentrations of the pollutant have trended upward in monitoring records over recent years. Ozone episodes are the usual trigger for air-quality contingencies in the capital, when driving restrictions are tightened.
What happens next
ICM submitted the update to the Comisión Ambiental de la Megalópolis (CAMe), the environmental commission that coordinates air-quality policy for Mexico City and neighboring states. It recommended that the new criteria take effect during the first half of 2027.
The commission’s authorities still have to review the proposal, and no official change has been approved. Until one is, the current verification program rules remain in force for all vehicles in Mexico City and the State of Mexico.
Source: El Financiero
