Down to one key? A spare car key costs a fraction of what you'd pay once that last key goes missing. We cut and program it at your home or workplace, usually within the hour, so it's ready before you ever need it.
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Why now
Cut and coded at your address • Around 90% of vehicles covered • 12-month guarantee • 450+ Google and Checkatrade reviews
Yes, while you still have a working key to copy. A spare made today is cut from your key and added to the car quickly. The same key made after the original is lost means decoding the lock and rebuilding the car's key list from nothing, which takes longer and costs considerably more.
Spares are planned work, so we book them at a time that suits you: an evening on the driveway, a lunch break in the work car park, or a Saturday morning. Weekday bookings run until 10pm, weekends 10am to 6pm.
How it works
A proper spare is three things done right: a blade that turns your locks, a chip the immobiliser accepts as a key in its own right, and a remote paired to the car.
Car key cutting starts with your current key in the machine. We trace its cuts and reproduce them on the right blank, whether that's an older edge-cut key, a laser-cut profile or the emergency blade hidden in a smart fob. Mobile car key cutting means it all happens beside your car.
A key that's been on the keyring for ten years has worn cuts, and copying it copies the wear. Where that's the case, we cut the spare to the factory specification instead, so it turns as crisply as the original did when it was new. It's often worth replacing the old one at the same visit.
Every car keeps a list of the keys it will accept. The spare is added to that list as a separate key, so it fires the engine independently and can be cancelled independently if it's ever lost. On 2019-on Vauxhall, Peugeot and Citroën and certain MGs, this step needs a manufacturer PIN, so we'll ask for the V5C and photo ID.
Remote locking is often paired as its own step. On keyless cars, the spare is set up for walk-up entry and push-button start too. Before we go, both keys are tried on the doors, the boot and the ignition with you there.
Pricing
A spare car key is priced for your specific car, because the key hardware and the way the car accepts new keys vary so much. Spares for older cars with simple transponder keys sit at the cheaper end, and smart keys for newer premium cars cost the most. Either way, it's always less than an all-keys-lost replacement.
You'll have the price from your registration before we come out. 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. Spares carry our 12-month guarantee.
Compare
There are three places to get a spare, and they don't all give you the same thing.
The shop copy is the trap: it opens the doors, but without its chip programmed, it won't start the engine. If a quote for car key duplication sounds cheap, ask whether the key will actually start the car.
Related services
Already lost the only key? That's car key replacement. Got a key that has stopped working? See car key programming. A key that's splitting or snapping may be saved by car key repair. Vans have their own pages, such as van key replacement in Southampton.
FAQ
Usually under an hour for most cars. Simple transponder and remote keys are the quickest, while some smart keys and premium cars take longer because of their programming routine. As it's a booked job, we'll tell you how long to allow when we arrange the visit, so you can plan around it.
Yes. The spare has to be programmed to the car and tested on it, so we come to you rather than the other way round. Home, work or any safe parking spot is fine. Tell us where the car will be and when, and we'll book in spare car keys near you on that basis.
Not quite. A car key copy from a shop often duplicates only the metal blade. A proper spare car key is cut, has its own chip registered with the car, and has its remote paired, so it works exactly like the original. That's what we make, and it's what you want when the original goes missing.
Sometimes. Some online keys are fine, but many have the wrong chip, frequency or blade, and used keys can be permanently tied to another car. Send us a photo and the registration before you buy, and we'll say whether it's usable. Often a key we supply works out about the same and is guaranteed.
Most cars can store several keys, so adding a third or even fourth key is normally straightforward. The limit depends on the make and model, and we'll confirm yours when you book. Each key is registered on its own, so any one of them can be struck off later, leaving the rest working.
Makes we cover
We make spare keys for roughly nine in ten vehicles on UK roads.
[Manufacturer logo grid – Ford, Vauxhall, Volkswagen, BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot, Citroën, Renault, Toyota, Nissan, Kia, Hyundai, Honda, Mazda, Land Rover, Volvo]
That includes Ford, Vauxhall, Volkswagen, Toyota, Nissan and Renault keycards. For newer Volkswagen, Audi and Mercedes-Benz models, a spare matters even more: they can have spares added, but once every key is gone, only the dealer can help.
Who needs one
Most spares are booked calmly, before anything has gone wrong, which is the best way to do it.
Plenty of used cars are sold with one key, and the buyer only notices when the paperwork arrives. A second car key made in the first few weeks of ownership costs little and removes the risk while it's still cheap to fix.
A teenager passing their test, a partner borrowing the car, a learner practising: one key passed between drivers is how most lost-key calls begin. A duplicate for each regular driver ends that.
Fraying buttons, a rattling case or a blade that needs a wiggle are all signs a key is on the way out. Getting a fresh spare cut to the factory code now means you're not stranded when the old one finally gives up.
Before a holiday, a cruise or a long stay away, leave a spare at home or with someone you trust. If the key you take gets lost, there's a working one to fall back on, rather than an all-keys-lost job on your return.
From the van
July 2026Audi A4
Spare remote key on a Audi A4 for a customer in New Milton, done on site from the SmartTech mobile workshop. Adding a spare while a working key still exists is quicker and simpler than an all-keys-lost job later.
New Milton
September 2025Honda Civic
Spare flip key on a Honda Civic for a customer in Hythe & Dibden Purlieu, done on site from the SmartTech mobile workshop. Adding a spare while a working key still exists is quicker and simpler than an all-keys-lost job later.
Hythe & Dibden Purlieu
August 2025Volvo XC40
Spare smart key on a Volvo XC40 for a customer in Southampton, done on site from the SmartTech mobile workshop. Adding a spare while a working key still exists is quicker and simpler than an all-keys-lost job later.
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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