Paris Motor Show Oct 12-18: Tickets, Halls, Test Drives, Night Events (Guide)

Half a million visitors, five halls, one week: the Mondial de l’Auto returns to Paris Expo Porte de Versailles for its 91st edition, October 12-18 — and the 2026 edition promises more brands, more drives, more night events than ever. Whether you come for supercars, EVs, concepts or family day out, the show rewards preparation and punishes wandering. Here is the visitor’s playbook: tickets, halls, test drives, nights, access.

From the field — Elena Marsh: Dates/tickets/halls via mondial.paris official (practical info, The Show); visitor figures (508,007 in 2024, 158 exhibitors, 3,300+ drives) via sortiraparis + Hotel Sixteen; access via parisjetaime. Companion: October in France.

Tickets: buy online, pick your slot

Public days: Oct 13-18 (Tue-Sun) — Oct 12 is press-only. Hours: 09:30-20:00 Tue-Thu, 09:30-22:00 Fri, 09:00-22:00 Sat, 09:00-18:30 Sun (last admission 9pm on nocturne nights). Online saves €2 and skips the no-ticket entrance queue (separate entrance outside, near Hall 7 — avoid it). Evening tickets (€17) are the value play: fewer crowds, lit pavilions, DJ sets included. Child/student €13 flat — the family day stays sane.

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The 5 halls (and the Test Center)

Halls 3, 5.1, 5.2/3, 6, 7.1 host manufacturers, concepts, premieres, mobility tech and themed zones (~100 exhibitors, 13 countries). Strategy: start far (Hall 7.1) and walk back toward the entrance — crowds flow the other way.

Test Center, Hall 7.1 — reservation-only. Real-conditions test drives of the latest innovations on a designed course. 3,300+ drives were taken in 2024; slots go first. Book the drive when you buy the ticket, arrive 15 minutes early, bring your driving licence (check conditions at booking). If you do one thing at the Mondial, this is it.

Terrace Hall 6, daily: laser show for evening events + Radio FG DJ sets at lunchtime and evenings — the show’s festival layer. Friday/Saturday nocturnes (to 10pm) pair lit pavilions with sets; the Saturday night is the week’s peak atmosphere.

When to go (crowd tactics)

Quietest: Tuesday opening + Wednesday morning (press afterglow, school-day calm). Busiest: Saturday all day, Sunday afternoon (families), Friday evening nocturne (young crowds). Best value: weekday + evening ticket combo; student/child pricing keeps family totals low. Worst idea: Saturday 2pm arrival without ticket (double queue: buy, then enter). Programme announcements keep dropping until opening — check mondial.paris the week before for premieres added late.

Getting there (and out)

Gate A2 is the public-transport entrance (clearly signed from the station). Metro 12 — Porte de Versailles, Ernest Renan exit (~25 min from Châtelet). Tram T2/T3a high-frequency at peak. Vélib’ station 15042 (40 bikes) in front of the Parc des Expos. Taxi/VTC quick pickup Ernest Renan, drop-off Gate A2. By car: P6/P7 lots (P7 feeds Hall 7 directly — start with test drives). Ticket + ID ready at security. Airports: public transport from Orly/CDG is straightforward (metro/tram chains, no shuttle needed).

After: avoid the Saturday-night taxi scrum (pre-book VTC); metro 12 northbound crushes 21:30-22:30 on nocturne nights — leave at 21:00 or 22:15, never between.

Pair it (the October week)

The Mondial sits inside Taste Week (Oct 12-18, same dates — lunch tastings, evening motors) and a week after the Montmartre harvest: see our October calendar for the full month. Hotels near Porte de Versailles (15th) price for the show — sleep on metro 12 north (Montparnasse, Concorde) for choice and value. Three days minimum for show + city; the show alone eats one full day (five halls + test drive + night set).

After the show (15th arrondissement evening)

Porte de Versailles empties into one of Paris’s most local evenings: Beaugrenelle riverside walks, rue du Commerce bistros, Parc André-Citroën balloon (weather permitting) for the aerial view back over the halls. The 15th doesn’t perform for tourists — which is exactly why the evening works after a day of spectacle. Dinner here costs half the 8th, tastes twice as local, and the metro 12 home runs direct. The show fills the day; the 15th fills the evening — plan both, regret neither. Book the ticket, book the drive, book the dinner: October’s best week runs on reservations.

91 editions, 126 years of history, half a million visitors: the Mondial is the world’s oldest motor show still running — and 2026 runs bigger. Buy the ticket online, book the drive, pick the nocturne. The halls do the rest.

A brief history (why the 91st matters)

The Mondial de l’Auto traces 126 years to 1898 — the world’s first motor show, and still running. The 91st edition lands at an inflection: electrification mainstream, Chinese brands (Xpeng among the logos) on the floor beside Volkswagen and Volvo, autonomy moving from concept to test course. Past editions made history (2024: 508,007 visitors, 158 exhibitors, 48 manufacturers, 4,000+ journalists, 4.6M page views); 2026 adds halls, drives and night programming. For enthusiasts, the trajectory matters: each edition is a snapshot of what the industry believes next — walk it as a museum of the near future, not just a showroom.

Family day (kids love it too)

The Mondial works for families: child tickets €13 (7-17), evening tickets €17 for short attention spans, test-drive spectating free, DJ sets and laser shows as entertainment layers, vast halls for weather-proof wandering. Tactics: weekday morning arrival (shortest queues, calmest halls), Hall 7.1 first (drives thrill kids even as passengers where permitted — check age rules), lunch outside peak (11:30 or 2:30pm), nocturne Friday for teens (lights + sets, 10pm close). Under-7s: check free-entry policy when booking. The 2024 crowd included thousands of families — the show plans for them, with rest zones and family pricing to match.