What it costs

Why nobody publishes a single price

Because "a car key" covers everything from a plain metal blade to an encrypted proximity key that has to be coded through the vehicle's own security system. The difference between the cheapest and most expensive key job is substantial, and any locksmith advertising one flat figure is either quoting the cheapest case or planning to revise it on arrival.

What moves the price

• Key type. The single biggest factor. Blade, transponder, flip key, remote fob or proximity smart key, in roughly ascending order of cost.
• Whether you still have a working key. A spare cut from an existing key is much cheaper than generating one from scratch after every key is gone.
• Make and model. Some manufacturers use more complex immobiliser systems, which takes longer and needs more expensive equipment.
• Time of day. Work at 3am costs more than the same job at 3pm.
• Where you are. Outer suburbs take longer to reach.

The cheapest thing you can do

Get a spare key cut while you still have a working one. It is consistently the largest saving available, because it converts a future emergency job into a routine one done at a time that suits you.

If you own a car with only one key, this is worth doing this month rather than next year.

How to get a real number

Call with your make, model and build year, and tell us what kind of key you have and whether you still have a working one. That's enough for a firm quote in most cases. We'd rather spend two minutes on the phone than have you guess from a table on a website.