Lost every key, had one stolen, or down to the last one? Our car key replacement service makes a new key where your car is parked: the blade is cut, the chip coded, the remote linked and the lost key locked out of the car's memory. No recovery truck, and for most cars, no dealer.
Let’s talk keys
Send your details and we’ll get back to you about your keys. For anything urgent, call us.
How it works
Seven years' experience • 12-month guarantee on keys • Rated by 450+ customers on Google and Checkatrade • Around 90% of vehicles covered • Same day for most cars
In four steps, all at the vehicle. The registration identifies the key, the lock gives up its cuts, the immobiliser is taught a new chip, and everything is tested before we go. That's how lost car key replacement works at the vehicle, and what changes from car to car is how hard the third step is.
Ahead of the visit, your registration tells us the blank, the blade profile, the chip type and the remote frequency. That's why the first call matters: the right key arrives with us, rather than being guessed at on the driveway.
With no key to copy, we read each cut from the driver's door lock using a decoder made for that lock type, then cut the blade on the machine in the van. Traditional edge-cut keys, laser-cut high-security profiles and the hidden emergency blade inside a smart key are all cut the same way.
A new blade turns the locks, but the engine stays dead until the immobiliser accepts the chip. On many cars, that's done through the diagnostic socket. 2019-on Vauxhall, Peugeot and Citroën models (Stellantis) and some MGs need a security PIN first, bought from the manufacturer using your V5C and photo ID. Later Stellantis models are fussy about chip type too, and we keep the car's battery supported throughout, because a voltage dip during programming can damage the electronics.
Some cars keep their key data in a security module that the diagnostic port can't fully reach when no key is present. On a BMW, that's the CAS on older models and the FEM or BDC on newer ones, all of which we handle at the car. A Discovery 3 or first-generation Range Rover Sport with every key lost means taking the module out and reading its memory chip on the bench, which takes longer but still saves a dealer trip. Original data is always saved before anything is written.
Availability
Usually, yes. With mobile car key replacement, most vehicles get their new key the same day, wherever they're stuck; the handful that need the dealer, we flag before anyone travels.
We cover Southampton, Portsmouth, Eastleigh, Winchester, Fareham and the New Forest, with local pages for Southampton, Portsmouth, Eastleigh, Winchester and Fareham. Lines are open 8am–10pm Monday to Friday and 10am–6pm at weekends.
Makes we cover
We make replacement car keys for around 90% of the vehicles on UK roads. Here's where the line falls.
BMW, every model, all-keys-lost included. Ford to the 2023 models. Vauxhall, Peugeot and Citroën of any year. Volvo, including recent platforms. Toyota and Lexus, spares and lost keys, newer models included. Renault keycards. Mazda keys that won't leave a warning light on the dash, which plenty of aftermarket keys do. Imported Toyotas and Nissans too, once we've had the chassis number and a picture of the existing key.
Volkswagen and Audi from around 2018 can take extra keys from us, but with none left, those go to the dealer, as do a lot of Mercedes-Benz built after around 2013, and Porsches beyond around 2015, or a Macan beyond around 2019. The very newest Land Rover and Jaguar models we check by registration first. Many Kias from 2018 need a genuine Kia key, which costs more than most owners expect: from around £350 before programming.
Before you ring
A three-minute call gets you an accurate price, provided you've got the right details to hand.
Have the registration handy. We'll also ask where the car is, whether a working key survives, and whether the missing one might have been stolen. Keep photo ID and the V5C nearby too. A financed car can use the finance agreement instead; lease and company cars need the owner's written say-so.
Your situation
Lost car keys come in a few flavours, and each one changes the job slightly.
This is lost car key replacement in its fullest form: the lock is decoded, the blade cut and a new chip programmed from scratch. It's the most involved key job we do, and still a one-visit job for most cars.
If the key went with a stolen bag or a break-in, treat it as a security problem first. Report it to the police and your insurer, then make sure the stolen key is deleted from the car's memory when the new one is programmed. Deleting a key electronically doesn't change the mechanical lock, so if your address went too, tell us and we'll go through the options.
Pricing
There's no single car key replacement cost, because the key type, the car's security system and whether a working key survives all change the job. An older car with a simple transponder key sits at the low end, and a recent premium car with a smart key at the top. You get your figure before we travel.
When a key still works, we can copy its blade, and plenty of cars then allow a quicker programming routine. With none, the lock has to be decoded and the security system worked harder, sometimes at module level. More work and more time mean a higher price, and that's why we always push for a spare.
Nothing is taken upfront, and there are no hidden extras. Every price is given before anything is taken apart; if one symptom could be more than one fault, you hear each possible price on the phone first, then we confirm at the vehicle. Every key is guaranteed for 12 months.
Compare
Lose every key and the real issue becomes getting the car to whoever makes the new one.
One more thing worth asking anyone you call: is the person quoting you the person who'll do the job? Some national firms and booking sites resell work to whoever's free, with their margin added on top. Ours is quoted and done by the same people.
FAQ
If you're in Southampton, Portsmouth, Eastleigh, Winchester, Fareham or the New Forest, we come to you, so the nearest car key replacement is wherever your car is parked. That's what car key replacement near me should mean. One call with the reg and your location gets you a price and a time, and most cars are done that day.
It depends what's failed. If the blade and chip still work and only the case or buttons have gone, a car key fob replacement can be a new shell or a newly paired remote, which costs less. If the electronics are dead, a full key is better value. Some keyless fobs, Honda's included, only program if the part number matches the original.
Yes. Audis that have lost every key can be keyed on site up to roughly the 2018 models, and newer ones can have spares added; see our Audi page. Peugeots are covered for every year, with the manufacturer PIN on 2019-on models bought against your V5C and ID; see our Peugeot page. Your registration confirms the details before we travel.
Some policies include key cover, often as an optional extra, so it's worth checking yours before you ring round. If it does, your insurer will usually want an itemised invoice, which we provide for every job. If you're unsure whether the key was stolen, mention that to the insurer too.
Often, yes. Japanese-market Toyotas and Nissans use keys and remotes that differ from UK cars, including a different radio frequency for the remote. Send over the chassis number, plus a photo of the old key if you have it, and we'll confirm the right key before quoting.
Copying a working key is the fastest job we do. A replacement with no key left takes longer, and cars needing module or bench work longer again. Because everything happens at the car, the time you're without it is just the visit itself, and you'll get an honest time estimate when you ring.
Related services
Not every key problem is a lost key, and the right page saves you time.
If the key is locked inside the car, see keys locked in car. If you still have a key and want another, see spare car keys. A key the car won't recognise usually needs car key programming, a snapped or worn key may only need car key repair, and a key that won't turn points to ignition repair. Trade vans have their own pages, starting with van key replacement in Southampton.
Trade deep-dive
On most cars, a new key can be made whether or not you still have one. But on a growing number of newer models, the security system won't accept a key it can't vouch for. When a working key is present, it effectively signs off the new one, and the car agrees to learn it. With no key left, there's nothing to sign it off, and the data needed to build one from scratch is locked away with the manufacturer.
That's the real reason behind the cut-off years you'll see on our make pages. It isn't that we lack the equipment for a newer car; it's that the car itself has been designed to refuse. On those models, keeping a spare isn't just convenient, it's the difference between a quick visit and a trip to the dealer.
From the van
We're regularly asked to program keys bought online, and many of them never will. A key has to match on three counts: the blade, the transponder chip and the remote's radio frequency. Get any one wrong and it's a dud, however good it looks.
Part numbers are the other trap. Kia and Hyundai bring out a new remote every few years, so two fobs that look identical can be incompatible, and Toyota and Lexus part numbers are just as tricky. Ford sits at the other extreme, having used largely the same remote design for around twenty years. Second-hand keys add another problem, because many are permanently tied to the car they came from.
Before you buy, send us a photo and your registration. We'll tell you straight whether it's usable or whether a key we supply, with a twelve-month guarantee, is the better bet. See our car keys by make pages for more.
Trade deep-dive
On a keyless car, the key isn't registered in a single box. Depending on the make, the car's immobiliser, keyless entry unit, steering lock and sometimes the gearbox or instrument cluster all need to agree on it. On a newer Volkswagen, Skoda or SEAT with no keys left, each of those has to give up its part of the security data before a new key can be made. That's why keyless all-keys-lost jobs take longer than older cars, and why we confirm the details from your registration before quoting.
From the van
January 2026Mini Countryman
All keys lost, module coded on a Mini Countryman for a customer in Ringwood, done on site from the SmartTech mobile workshop. We matched the key to the registration, cut the blade and coded the transponder so the car started first time.
Ringwood
April 2025Seat Leon
Flip key cut and coded on a Seat Leon for a customer in Ringwood, done on site from the SmartTech mobile workshop. We matched the key to the registration, cut the blade and coded the transponder so the car started first time.
Ringwood
October 2025Toyota Hilux
Two keys cut and coded on a Toyota Hilux for a customer in Southampton, done on site from the SmartTech mobile workshop. The new key was cut to code and programmed to the vehicle, then the locks, remote and start were tested before we left.
Southampton
What customers say
"I cannot recommend Alec enough. My transit custom lock was not turning. I did not know Alec at this point and called another locksmith. To cut a long story short the other locksmith attempted a repair and then gave up, leaving me with a van I could no longer use. I called Alec who came out next day; he repaired the damage done by the other locksmith and custom made a replacement ignition barrel so one key still does the doors and the new ignition. I couldn't be more pleased. Price was very fair too!"
"Did the work at a 3rd of the price of the dealership and I'm sure to a higher quality, the work was quick and professional. Could not recommend more!"
"Absolutely spot on! After ringing about 15 different companies who said they couldn't help and one company even saying the series of my car doesn't exist I found smarttech who I contacted who could finally help! The next day he came out and I now have access and a new key to my car! Fast and efficient polite service! Highly recommend!!"
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