Losing your car keys can be stressful but don’t lose your head – you can get things sorted fairly quickly if you know what to do.
If you think your car keys have been stolen, contact the police straight away to report it.
If it’s more likely that you’ve lost them, keep calm and follow our top tips for what to do next.
First, retrace your steps
This one might sound obvious, but staying cool and looking around for your car keys is a good place to start.
It’s likely that you just misplaced them, and they haven’t been stolen or lost forever.
Look in common places like your pockets, bag, down the back of the sofa, or in the fruit bowl.
Check if you’ve dropped them near where you’ve left the car or in the immediate area.
If you’ve been for a coffee or to a business meeting and you could have left them there, go back and ask if anyone has handed them in.
I can’t find them, what next?
Contact a specialist auto locksmith
You can find a locksmith on the Master Locksmiths Association website. They'll provide replacement keys for most car manufacturers, and they can reprogram your vehicle so lost or stolen keys can’t be used.
Another advantage of using an auto locksmith is that many of them have mobile services, so they can come to you (if you have all the necessary documentation and details).
To make sure the locksmith can help you, have this information to hand:
- The make and model of your vehicle
- The registration number
- The vehicle identification number – you can find it in your car’s logbook
- Some personal ID to help prove you’re the owner (your passport or driving licence)
- Your location postcode so they can find you
Contact your dealership
If a locksmith can’t help, you might need to contact your car’s manufacturer. Modern cars have specialist programming and coding to activate alarms and locking systems which can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.
New keys aren’t cheap, and you might have to wait for a replacement.
Your insurer might cover lost keys
Some car insurance policies cover lost keys, while others will pay for someone to get into your car if your keys or valuables are inside.
However, check if claiming will affect your No Claim Discount (NCD), because replacing them yourself might be more cost-effective in the long run.
Alternatively, specialist companies can recover or replace lost or stolen keys for an annual fee, and some will provide a temporary car while you wait for your replacement set.
Roadside assistance
If you have breakdown cover, you might be able to get help if you lose your keys, depending on who provides your roadside assistance.
If you’re with Green Flag they’ll pay for someone to come out and try and get into your car if your keys are lost, stolen or broken.
They won’t pay for repairing, replacing or re-programming your keys. Or if they damage your car while they try to get into it.
