One key is a countdown
Most of the all-keys-lost emergencies we attend have the same backstory: “we’ve been meaning to get a spare for ages.” While you have a working key, a spare is a quick, cheap clone-or-add job. The moment that last key goes through a drain grate or dies in the washing machine, the same car becomes a £180–£550 all-keys-lost job with a stranded day attached. A spare cut today costs from £70 and takes less than an hour. It’s not an upsell; it’s the best money-saving advice on this website.
Your reg gets you one fixed number — usually back within minutes.
Cloned key or added key — and why it matters
There are two ways to make a spare, and honest locksmiths tell you which they’re doing. Cloning duplicates your existing key’s transponder identity onto a new key — fast, cheaper, and a perfectly usable spare on compatible cars. Adding a key teaches the car’s immobiliser a new, separate key of its own — slightly dearer on some cars, with one real advantage: on systems that track individual keys, a separately added key can later be identified or removed, which matters if a key ever goes missing. One more honest wrinkle: the chip that starts the car and the electronics that work the buttons are separate systems — which is why we tell you exactly what sort of spare you’re getting rather than hiding behind the word “programming”.
Whichever route fits your car, the key itself is a quality aftermarket unit we’re prepared to put our name behind — not the cheapest casing on the internet with mystery electronics inside — and like all our work it carries a 12-month warranty.
Every key type covered
- Chip (transponder) keys — from £70
- Remote & flip key replacement — £100–£250, buttons programmed too
- Key fob replacement — worn or broken fob? Full replacement fobs supplied, cut & coded; simple faults often repaired from £30 instead
- Smart & keyless fobs — £150–£400
- Van keys — spares for work vans, quoted per vehicle — see van keys & security
All prices published on the prices page, and our cost guide explains why a spare is so much cheaper than an emergency replacement. Planned job? Book a visit that suits you — we’ll come when you’re actually in.
Spare key questions, answered straight
How much does a spare car key cost?
From £70 for a chip key, cut and programmed at your door. Remote and flip keys run £100–£250 and smart fobs £150–£400 depending on the vehicle. Fixed price from your reg before we come out.
Why get a spare if I already have one working key?
Because one key is a countdown. When it's lost or breaks — and they do — an all-keys-lost job costs two to three times what a spare costs today, plus the stranded afternoon. A spare made now is the cheapest insurance in motoring.
Is a cloned key the same as a proper added key?
Both give you a usable spare on compatible cars — they're different, not better-and-worse. A clone duplicates your existing key's electronic identity, so the immobiliser treats the two as the same key. An added key is learned by the car as its own separate key — which has advantages on systems where individual keys can later be counted or removed (useful if one goes missing). We tell you which we're supplying and why, and price both honestly.
Do you come to me?
Always — home, work, anywhere across Kidsgrove, Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme and North Staffordshire. The key is cut and programmed at the vehicle in one visit, usually 20–40 minutes.
