The weekend arrives again with the activation of the vehicle restriction program that Mexico City implements every Saturday. Today No Circula on Saturdays implies a different operational complexity than that applied on weekdays, since the restriction criteria constantly vary depending on specific factors that can change our availability of mobility from one week to the next.
In general terms, this is an environmental policy measure promoted by the CDMX Environment Secretariat (SEDEMA) with the objective of reducing air pollution levels in the region. The strategy requires motorists to know exactly what the applicable requirements and restrictions are, under what criteria they operate and what consequences arise from non-compliance. Only in this way is it possible to avoid administrative penalties that could result in unexpected expenses.
This program is executed in the territory of the sixteen municipalities that make up Mexico City, as well as in the adjacent municipalities of the State of Mexico that make up the metropolitan area:
• Atizapan of Zaragoza
• Coacalco de Berriozábal
• Cuautitlan
• Cuautitlán Izcalli
• Chalco
• Chicoloapan
• Chimalhuacan
• Ecatepec de Morelos
• Huixquilucan
• Ixtapaluca
• Peace
• Naucalpan de Juárez
• Nezahualcoyotl
• Nicolas Romero
• Tecámac
• cover of Baz
• Tultitlan
• Chalco Valley
What cars and license plates does Hoy No Circula Saturday affect?
The implementation of the Saturday restriction program does not uniformly affect all vehicles circulating in the area. On the contrary, it generates clear differentiations according to specific characteristics of the car, particularly considering the assigned environmental hologram and the numerical series of its license plate.
The system works fundamentally from the environmental hologram and the final digits of the license plate. Although in principle it would seem like a simplified scheme, the reality is that the Saturday Hoy No Circula presents additional complexities that differentiate it from the weekday restriction program.
Under the Saturday restrictions scheme, three different modalities operate:
• Vehicles authorized to operate without limitation on any Saturday
• Vehicles subject to permanent restriction on all Saturdays
• Vehicles subject to alternating restriction in successive weeks
The validity of these restrictive measures is limited to the period included between 05:00 and 22:00. During night hours, the restriction system is suspended, allowing circulation without regard to license plates or vehicle classification.
In order to correctly anticipate restrictions, it is essential to accurately identify two components: the environmental hologram number assigned to the vehicle and the terminal digits of the license plate.
Those owners whose vehicle displays a classification 2 hologram face a situation of constant restriction: their cars remain immobilized on all Saturdays of the month. On the contrary, owners of vehicles identified with a 0 or 00 hologram do not experience any limitations and enjoy freedom of movement every Saturday without exception.
Drivers of vehicles classified as hologram 1 find themselves in a dynamic situation. These cars operate under a weekly alternation scheme, with their restriction conditions changing from one Saturday to the next.
On the day of Saturday November 1, 2025which corresponds to the first Saturday of the month of November, vehicles classified with hologram 1 whose license plates end in an even number are under circulation restriction. Subsequently, on the following Saturday, when we have entered the fifth Saturday of the month of May, the vehicles with hologram 1 and license plate ending in an odd number will be the ones that must keep their units parked.
There are, however, specific categories of vehicles that are completely exempt from these limitations and can move freely:
• Automobiles powered by electric energy, compressed natural gas or hybrid propulsion systems
• Vehicles provided with official reduced mobility documentation
• Units intended for urban public transportation service, including funeral services
• Units dedicated to the transportation of minors in an educational context or to passenger transportation services
• Vehicles assigned to public security agencies or civil protection entities
Failure to comply with these provisions carries quantifiable financial consequences. The administrative penalty is established between 20 and 30 times the value of the Measurement and Update Unit (UMA), which translates into a range of 1,924.40 pesos as a minimum to 2,886.60 pesos as a maximum penalty.
Photo | Glauber Sampaio
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