If your car is exempt from pico y placa, no digit or hour restriction applies to you — but what counts as “exempt” isn’t the same in every city. This guide brings together the exemptions reported by the official sources of Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Bucaramanga and Cartagena for private vehicles.
Exempt everywhere: electric and hybrid
Electric and hybrid vehicles are exempt from the private-vehicle pico y placa in all five Colombian cities with an active restriction that we checked (Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Bucaramanga and Cartagena). It’s the only truly universal exemption across this group of cities.
Exemptions that only apply in some cities
Motorcycles
Explicitly exempt in Bogotá and Cali. In the other cities on this list, motorcycles generally aren’t covered by the private-vehicle pico y placa because they have their own restriction category — but that’s not the same as “nothing applies”: always confirm the motorcycle category on your city’s page.
Compressed natural gas (CNG)
Exempt in Medellín and Bucaramanga. Not listed as an explicit exemption in Bogotá, Cali or Cartagena for the private-vehicle category.
Vehicles for people with a disability
Exempt in Cali and Cartagena. If you drive or regularly ride in a vehicle registered for a person with a disability, check whether your city includes it.
| City | Electric / hybrid | Motorcycles | CNG | Disability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bogotá | Yes | Yes | — | — |
| Medellín | Yes | — | Yes | — |
| Cali | Yes | Yes | — | Yes |
| Bucaramanga | Yes | — | Yes | — |
| Cartagena | Yes | — | — | Yes |
What if my vehicle doesn’t fit any of these categories?
Then pico y placa applies normally based on the last digit of your plate and your city’s current schedule. Use the plate lookup on your city’s page to see exactly which day restricts you:
For the full picture across all six Colombian cities, including Barranquilla (no active restriction), check the Colombia cities guide.