Why You Need a Spare Car Key, and What One Costs

A spare key now versus all keys lost later

Copying a working key usually costs less and takes less time than making one when none are left. With a working key, the job is copying. Without one, the key has to be made from scratch.

When you hand us a working key, we can read the cuts straight from the blade, and on many cars the existing key helps the car accept a new one. When every key is gone, we have to look up the key code or read the cuts from the lock, program the immobilizer in all-keys-lost mode, and often open the car first.

Here is what that second scenario costs for transponder keys and smart keys, the two types most modern cars use:

Compare those with the transponder and smart key duplicate rows in the next section. In both markets, the all-keys-lost range is higher at both ends than the duplicate range for the same kind of key. That gap, plus the time spent stuck at the car, is what a spare saves you. Our guide on losing your car keys with no spare walks through that scenario in full.

What a spare car key costs by key type

The price follows the key type: plain metal keys cost the least and smart keys cost the most. Identify your key first, then find it in the table.

• Standard metal key: a plain key with no chip, common on older cars, that opens and starts the car mechanically.
• Transponder key: often a plastic head with a hidden chip the car must recognize before it will start.
• Flip key: the blade folds into the remote head and springs out when you press a button.
• Laser-cut key: a thick blade with a groove down the middle instead of teeth along the edge.
• Smart key: a fob you leave in your pocket, used with a push-button start, usually with an emergency blade inside.

One warning about cheap copies: a metal copy without a programmed chip opens the doors but will not start a car with an immobilizer. It works as a door key for lockouts, not as a true spare. Not sure which key you have? See types of car keys explained.

What a spare key protects you from besides losing keys

A spare also covers a broken key, a dead or wet fob, a key locked in the car, and a second driver who needs the car.

• A key that snaps or wears out. A worn key that only sometimes turns tends to fail completely later. If the spare turns smoothly, the old key was the problem; if the spare sticks too, the ignition itself is worn.
• A fob with a dead battery, a fob that got wet, or one with a cracked case or failing buttons.
• Keys locked inside the car, as long as the spare is somewhere you can get to.
• Two drivers sharing one car, with no more handing a single key back and forth.
• Theft of your main key: you keep driving on the spare, and on most cars the stolen key can be erased from the car's memory.

In each case a spare turns a service call into an inconvenience. You drive on the spare and deal with the broken or missing key on your own schedule, instead of waiting at the car.

When to get a spare car key made

The best time is the day you realize you are down to one key. The next best time is right after any key replacement, while the technician is already at the car.

• You bought the car used and it came with a single key.
• Your only key is worn, the plastic head is cracked, or the remote buttons are failing.
• A new driver in the family is about to start using the car.
• You are planning a long road trip far from your usual locksmith.
• You just went through an all-keys-lost replacement and have exactly one key again.

If your only key is worn, do not just copy it. A worn key copied from a worn key copies the wear. In most cases we can look up the factory key code through our NASTF registry access and cut the spare to factory specifications instead.

Where to keep a spare car key, and where not to

Keep the spare where you can reach it quickly, but never in or on the car. A magnetic box under the bumper is a well-known hiding spot, which is exactly the problem.

• In a drawer where you live, away from the entrance and out of sight.
• With a partner or family member who lives or works nearby.
• In a locked drawer at work, if you commute in the car every day.
• Not in the glove box: a key inside the car does not help when you are locked out, and it makes a break-in easier to turn into a stolen car.

Spare fobs need one more habit. Fob batteries are coin cells, often a CR2032 or similar, that last roughly 2 to 4 years, and a battery in a fob that sits in a drawer still ages. Test the spare once a year, and swap its battery when you replace the one in your main fob.

How we make a spare key at your car

Have the working key and your ID at the car, and we do the rest there, usually in 15 to 45 minutes depending on the key type.

1. 1
   Verify ownership

   Even for a spare, we check photo ID against the registration or title. It is required under California locksmith licensing, and we do it on every job.

2. 2
   Cut the blade

   We cut the new blade on our Xhorse Condor or Xhorse Dolphin, from your key or from the factory code if your key is worn.

3. 3
   Program the chip or fob

   Transponder keys and smart keys are programmed to the car with our Autel IM508 or AutoProPad programmer.

4. 4
   Check both keys

   On some cars, adding a key re-registers every key, so have all your keys at the car. Before the technician leaves, start the car and try the locks and remote with the new key and the original.

We make spares for all makes and models 1995 through 2027, including Toyota and Ford. The exception is Mercedes-Benz: we refer new Mercedes keys and all-keys-lost jobs to the dealer, and we still handle Mercedes lockouts and broken key extraction. Book a spare through our Ventura County or San Diego duplicate key service.