Lost All Your Car Keys? What to Do Next
If every key to your vehicle is gone, the car does not need recovering to a dealer. An auto locksmith can open the vehicle, recover the key information from it and create a new coded key at the roadside. The two things that will speed this up are your V5C logbook and the vehicle registration.
First, rule out the simple explanations
It sounds obvious, but a good proportion of all-keys-lost calls turn out to be something else — and the something else is much cheaper to fix.
- Are the keys locked inside the vehicle? That is a lockout, not a lost key, and it is a far smaller job.
- Is there a spare somewhere you have not checked — a previous owner’s key in a drawer, or one held by a family member?
- Is the key present but dead? A fob that has stopped working may only need a battery, or may be repairable.
- Was the car recently bought? Sellers sometimes keep a second key without meaning to. It is worth one phone call.
A key you had written off as broken is sometimes still useful, because the vehicle may still recognise its chip. Do not throw it away before speaking to someone.
What actually has to happen
With no working key there is nothing for the vehicle to trust, so a key has to be originated rather than copied. In practice that means three things.
Gaining entry
The vehicle has to be opened without damage so the locks and diagnostic port can be reached.
Recovering the key data
Either the mechanical cut, the immobiliser data, or both — taken from the lock, from the vehicle’s modules, or from a module removed and read on the bench.
Cutting and coding
A new key is cut to the vehicle and coded to the immobiliser, then the remote or proximity functions are paired.
What you will be asked for
Creating a key to a vehicle from nothing is exactly the kind of work that should come with checks. Expect to be asked for proof the vehicle is yours — normally the V5C logbook and photo ID in the same name.
If the vehicle is leased, on finance, a company vehicle, or recently bought and not yet registered to you, say so early. These are all workable; the paperwork is simply different, and sorting it before the appointment saves a wasted visit.
What affects how long it takes
- The immobiliser system — some are straightforward through the diagnostic port, others need a module removed and read.
- Built-in security delays. A number of manufacturers impose a deliberate waiting period during key learning. Nothing shortens these.
- The key type. A basic transponder key is quicker than a smart or proximity key.
- Key availability. Most blanks are stocked or quickly obtainable; some less common vehicles need one ordered in.
One thing worth doing afterwards
Once you have a working key again, have a spare made. Adding a spare while a working key exists avoids almost all of the work described above, and it is the difference between a small job and a large one next time.
If the keys were stolen rather than mislaid, mention it. Where the system allows, keys can be re-learned so the missing ones no longer start the vehicle.
How a key is made without the original
With no key to copy, both halves of the key have to be recovered from the vehicle itself.
For the blade, a specialist decoder reads the positions of the wafers inside a lock, which gives the cutting pattern. On some vehicles a key code can also be obtained through manufacturer channels, subject to proof of ownership.
For the electronics, the key’s identity is written into the vehicle’s immobiliser — through the diagnostic socket where the system allows, or by removing and reading a module where it does not. The remote or proximity functions are then paired, and everything is tested.
Mistakes that make it harder
- Arranging recovery to a dealer before asking whether the job can be done where the car is.
- Buying a key online before the vehicle’s system has been identified.
- Not mentioning that the keys were stolen rather than lost. It changes whether the missing keys should be removed from the car.
- Throwing away a damaged key. Its chip may still be readable, which can make the job far smaller.
- Leaving the V5C in the locked car without saying so — it can usually be retrieved once the vehicle is open, but we need to know.
Common questions
Is it cheaper to go to a dealer or an auto locksmith?
It depends on the vehicle, and anyone who quotes you without the registration is guessing.
The structural difference is that a dealer normally needs the vehicle recovered to them, and recovery is a cost on top. A mobile locksmith comes to the car.
Will my insurance cover a lost car key?
Some policies include key cover, and some breakdown policies do too. It is worth checking before you pay for anything.
Ask specifically whether the cover includes key replacement and programming, or only recovery — those are different things.
Can someone steal my car if my keys were stolen with my address?
It is a reasonable worry and worth acting on. Where the vehicle’s system allows it, keys can be re-learned so that the stolen ones no longer start the car.
Tell whoever does the work that the keys were stolen rather than lost, because it changes what they should do. Report the theft to the police and your insurer as well.
Lost every key to your vehicle?
Send the registration and where the vehicle is. We will tell you whether it can be done at the roadside and what is involved.