Which days can't you drive under Hoy No Circula?
The programme limits driving to cut pollution, "whatever the origin of the plates", in the words of the 2014 decree published in the Gaceta Oficial on 19 June 2014, which SEDEMA's programme page still links as the programme's legal basis. Both links are archived copies; the programme page is quoted as published on 13 January 2026. Two things on the car decide your days: the hologram sticker from emissions testing and the last digit of the plate.
| Last plate digit | Sticker colour | Restricted weekday |
|---|---|---|
| 5 or 6 | Yellow | Monday |
| 7 or 8 | Pink | Tuesday |
| 3 or 4 | Red | Wednesday |
| 1 or 2 | Green | Thursday |
| 9 or 0 | Blue | Friday |
The hologram then sets how much of that applies:
| Hologram or plate type | Restriction, 05:00 to 22:00 |
|---|---|
| EXENTO, 00 or 0 | None, except during declared air-quality contingencies |
| 1 | Its weekday, plus two Saturdays a month: odd digits on the 1st and 3rd, even digits on the 2nd and 4th |
| 2 | Its weekday, plus every Saturday |
| Other states outside the scheme, foreign plates, or no hologram | Its weekday, every Saturday, and every weekday from 05:00 to 11:00 |
SEDEMA's list of exemptions, as published on 13 January 2026, adds that a 00 hologram exempts the car for two years and a 0 for six months. It also exempts electric vehicles and petrol-electric hybrids. The decree lets the environmental authority suspend the programme on holidays and in holiday periods, but only by public notice.
Does Hoy No Circula apply to rental cars in Mexico City?
Which rules apply depends on where the car was rented. Enterprise México's FAQ flags this directly. If you rent outside Mexico City and the State of Mexico and plan to drive into the capital, it asks you to contact the company first to avoid traffic restrictions.
| Your rental | What to expect | Before you drive |
|---|---|---|
| Picked up in Mexico City, 00 or 0 hologram | Free to drive daily | Confirm the sticker is on the windscreen |
| Picked up in Mexico City, hologram 1 or 2 | One weekday off, plus some or all Saturdays | Match the plate digit to the table |
| Picked up in Cancun or another state outside the scheme | Weekday, all Saturdays and weekday mornings restricted | Ask the company about a Pase Turístico before the trip |
| Plates from Hidalgo, Morelos, Puebla, Querétaro or Tlaxcala | These cars follow their own Hoy No Circula rules and cannot get a pass | Check the hologram |
The Pase Turístico
The Pase Turístico Metropolitano is a free permit that exempts out-of-region and foreign-plated cars from Hoy No Circula in Mexico City and the State of Mexico. It is requested online with a Llave CDMX account, printed and displayed in the car. Its conditions, as the pass website published them on 21 December 2025:
- Private petrol or gas cars, model year 2009 or newer
- A maximum of 14 days per semester; SEDEMA describes this as two 7-day passes or one 14-day pass
- Not available for plates from Mexico City, the State of Mexico, Hidalgo, Morelos, Puebla, Querétaro and Tlaxcala
- Not valid on contingency days
The pass is tied to the plate. For a rental car, ask the company whether it arranges the pass or whether you may request it for its plate. Do not assume either.
What is the fine for breaking Hoy No Circula?
Article 47 of the city's traffic regulation, in the version last reformed on 10 October 2025, sets the fine for driving on a restricted day at 20, 25 or 30 UMA. With the 2026 UMA at MX$117.31, that is MX$2,346.20, MX$2,932.75 or MX$3,519.30.
Three rules in the regulation matter for visitors:
- A car with plates from another state or country always gets the top band.
- For those plates, the officer removes the front plate, or keeps your licence or registration card, until the fine is paid.
- Paying within 30 days of the ticket halves most fines.
The 2014 decree also lets the police tow a car to the vehicle pound, where it stays until the fine is paid.
Camera tickets work differently. For most private cars registered in the city, a camera offence costs points on the plate, leading to warnings, online courses or community service rather than money. The regulation keeps camera fines monetary for vehicles registered to companies and for plates from other states or countries. Rental cars are normally registered to the rental company, so expect a camera offence to reach you as a charge.
Worked example: a Cancun car in the capital
You drive a car rented in Cancun, with Quintana Roo plates ending in 4 and no pass, into Mexico City on a Wednesday at 9:00. The car is restricted twice over: it is a weekday morning, and 4 means Wednesday. If police stop you:
| Cost | Amount |
|---|---|
| Hoy No Circula fine, top band for out-of-state plates | MX$3,519.30 |
| Same fine paid within 30 days (50% off) | MX$1,759.65 |
| If towed: Enterprise release handling | MX$2,500 plus towing and pound fees |
| If towed: rental days while the car is held | Your daily rate |
Getting a pass beforehand costs nothing. Driving the same car on a Wednesday at 23:00, after restricted hours end, is legal without one.
Speed limits in the city
Without signs, the regulation sets 80 km/h in the central lanes of access-controlled roads, 50 km/h on primary roads, 40 km/h on secondary roads and 30 km/h in traffic-calmed zones. Exceeding them costs 10, 15 or 20 UMA, which is MX$1,173 to MX$2,346 in 2026.
How much are the toll roads out of Mexico City?
The main routes to Puebla and Cuernavaca are federal toll highways run by CAPUFE. Its 2026 tariff sheet, in force from 13 April 2026 and including VAT, lists these car (class A) tolls:
| Route | Toll plaza | Car toll |
|---|---|---|
| Mexico City to Cuernavaca | Tlalpan | MX$156 |
| Mexico City to Cuernavaca, direct elevated route | Viaducto Elevado Tlalpan | MX$186 |
| Tres Marías to Cuernavaca | Tres Marías | MX$56 |
| Mexico City to San Martín Texmelucan | San Marcos | MX$173 |
| San Martín Texmelucan to Puebla | San Martín | MX$53 |
| Mexico City to Puebla, total | San Marcos and San Martín | MX$226 |
| Cuernavaca to Acapulco, full route | Several plazas | MX$670 |
A return day trip to Puebla costs MX$452 in tolls and one to Cuernavaca MX$312 via Tlalpan. Pickups, panel vans and vans pay the same class A rate as cars.
Paying: TAG or at the booth
CAPUFE's IAVE telepeaje service is the electronic option: a TAG fixed in the car pays automatically as you pass the plaza, without cash, and CAPUFE says it is accepted at more than 690 toll plazas. Ask the rental company whether the car has a TAG and how it bills tolls. Otherwise you pay at a staffed booth. CAPUFE's tariff sheet does not promise card acceptance, so carry enough pesos in cash for every plaza on your route.
Roadside help and the toll-road insurance
CAPUFE describes 074 as its free line for road conditions, roadside assistance, pre-hospital medical care, accident reports and the insurance adjuster. Canada's travel advice gives the other numbers.
| Who | Number | What they do |
|---|---|---|
| CAPUFE | 074 | Free on CAPUFE roads: roadside help, medical care, road information |
| Ángeles Verdes | 078 | Free roadside assistance on major toll highways |
| National emergencies | 911 | Police, fire, ambulance |
Canada's travel advice says the Ángeles Verdes patrol from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and can also be reached on 800 006 8839.
On CAPUFE roads the toll includes a user insurance policy. It covers damage caused by the road itself, such as potholes, animals, falling barriers or debris, including damage to the car and occupants' medical costs. It also has a liability layer that pays only after the driver's own insurance is exhausted; a private car with no insurance of its own pays a MX$10,000 deductible under it. Report any incident to 074 or the nearest toll plaza and wait for the insurer's adjuster. Drunk driving and proven speeding are excluded. Keep your rental's liability cover in place regardless. See mandatory insurance for rental cars in Mexico for why that cover is compulsory and how deposits work.