The second Saturday of the month of November arrives. Once again we face the restrictive measures of Hoy No Circula on Saturday. As happens periodically, the obligations to keep certain vehicles parked remain in force to avoid financial penalties if yours is affected by these provisions.
What is the reason behind this system? This is the Hoy No Circula program, an initiative promoted by the CDMX Environment Secretariat (SEDEMA) aimed at improving the quality of the air that the capital’s residents breathe. How exactly does it operate? What points are essential for any vehicle owner?
The fundamental principle is that by reducing the number of vehicles traveling on the roads, air pollution levels in the region are inevitably reduced.
Although these measures may be uncomfortable for drivers, the objective is clear: parking the car as a measure of collective environmental protection. Naturally, this restriction applies only in specific areas. In which places does this regulation apply? In all of the 16 municipalities that make up Mexico City, added to the peripheral municipalities of the State of Mexico that appear in this list:
• 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?
Considering the above, what are the specific limitations? Why do Saturdays involve specific additional considerations? Indeed, different restrictions are implemented on weekend days.
To determine the restrictive measures and their application mechanism, these are based on the hologram assigned to each vehicle, an element that determines its travel capacity. There are cars that must remain idle every Saturday, while others rotate their restriction.
In conclusion, these restriction modalities are presented:
• Cars that enjoy free circulation every Saturday
• Cars forced to rest on all Saturdays
• Cars that alternate restrictions, resting alternate weeks
It should be noted that these limitations do not apply 24 hours a day. Its validity is limited between 5:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.. That is, after dusk it is possible to circulate without any restrictions.
What happens if your car is in this restricted category? So the alternative is to stay at home if you want to avoid economic consequences. To do this, it is essential to clearly identify which vehicles can move and which remain immobile.
In this way, the owners of Hologram 2 are forced to leave their units at rest every Saturday, without the possibility of movement. The situation is different for those with hologram 0 and 00, who enjoy total freedom of movement during any Saturday, without restriction.
On the contrary, those who have hologram 1 must carefully evaluate whether they can travel. The answer depends entirely on the phase of the month we are in. Since we are on the fourth Saturday of the month of November, in the Saturday November 8, 2025 Drivers of cars with hologram 1 whose license plates have an even number ending are prevented from driving.
In the next week, corresponding to the first day of May, owners of vehicles with hologram 1 whose license plate ends in an odd number will be forced to keep their vehicles parked. However, there are certain categories of vehicles that are completely exempt from these restrictions:
• Those that operate using electric propulsion, gaseous fuel or hybrid technology
• Those who carry accreditation for people with reduced mobility
• All those linked to the provision of urban passenger transport services (including the funeral branch)
• Those intended for the transport of minors of school age or passengers in general
• Those assigned to public safety and emergency management duties
In case of violation of these regulations, a penalty equivalent to 20 and 30 times the Measurement and Update Unit (UMA) is imposed, a figure that ranges between 1,924.40 pesos and 2,886.60 pesos.
Photo | Sebastian Olivos
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