Five things decide the price
First, the make and model — a key for a common hatchback and a key for a premium car with a smart fob are different jobs. Second, the key type — a plain blade, a remote fob, or a smart/keyless fob. Third, the coding — transponder, remote or keyless, which changes from car to car. Fourth, whether you have lost every key or still hold one — a spare copied from an existing key is simpler than a key built from the car. And fifth, where the work happens — a mobile visit to your car, or a trip to a dealer or a shop.
Any price given without your make, model and key type is a guess. That is why no price list is published here: the only honest quote is one given for your car, once you have described it. Ring or message 07367 634032 with the details — the quote is fixed before we travel.
A spare now, or a new key later?
A spare is almost always the cheaper of the two. With a working key still in your hand, the spare is cut and coded from it — a straightforward job. With every key lost, the replacement has to be built from the car itself, which is more work. The gap between the two is the real price of having no spare: the same key, made the hard way, at the worst moment.
One key, one car? The cheapest time for a spare is now, while the original still works. Our spare key page sets out what is involved.
Dealer or locksmith — two routes, one working key
A main dealer and a mobile locksmith sell the same result — a working key — by different roads. A dealer usually wants the car brought in, a booking made, and an order placed through the manufacturer’s system. A mobile locksmith comes to the car and cuts and codes the key there, in one visit. The dealer road can take longer and involve more steps; the locksmith road is built around the car staying where it is.
We cannot quote dealer prices — we do not know what your dealer charges, and it changes by make and model. What matters is not a number on a website but a fixed quote for your car, from either road, before any work starts. Ask both, compare the quotes, and check what each covers — cutting, coding, and testing — before you decide.
Cutting is the smaller half
Cutting is only half the job, and on most modern cars it is the smaller half. A plain blade for an older car is mostly cutting. A remote or smart fob is mostly coding — the cutting is quick, and the programming is the skilled part. That is why “key cutting prices” on their own mislead: a cut key that has not been coded will not start most modern cars, so the price that matters is the price of a finished, tested, working key — cutting and coding together.
Get a fixed quote
Tell us your car’s make, model and year, what happened to the key, and where the car is, and we will quote a fixed price before we travel. Once we quote, that is the price — unless the job turns out to be something else entirely, in which case we say so before doing any extra work. Call or WhatsApp 07367 634032 — we are open 24 hours, 7 days a week.