Lost Car Keys—The Best Solution in This Nightmare Scenario

iEditorial Note: These blog posts represent the opinion of DoNotPay’s Writers, but each person’s situation and circumstances vary greatly. As a result, you should make sure to do your own independent research. Because everyone is unique, our self-help tools are never guaranteed to help with any specific situation. DoNotPay is not a law firm and is not licensed to practice law. DoNotPay provides a platform for legal information and self-help.

Lost Car Keys? Use DoNotPay To Handle the Situation Easily

If you’ve found yourself locked outside your car because of lost car keys, you are not alone. Losing valuable items is a nightmare, but it happens more often than you’d think, especially with small objects like keys.

DoNotPay is here to explain steps you should take after you’ve turned your entire house upside down to find the keys and failed.

What To Do if You Lost Your Car Keys—Options To Consider

Once you’re over the first stage of losing keys and similar valuable items—panicking—it’s time to become practical and solve the issue. If the keys are not where you normally keep them, you should proceed as follows:

  • Look thoroughly inside your house
  • Ask your spouse or family members if they’ve seen them
  • Check the pockets of all the other clothes you wore recently
  • List all the places you’ve been to recently
  • Use DoNotPay to locate the keys

Find Your Lost Car Keys With DoNotPay in a Flash

The fastest way to find your lost items is with DoNotPay. Our app can contact all the restaurants, shops, and other public places you’ve visited in your stead. You only need to answer a few questions and follow these steps:

  1. Type Find Lost Items in the search box
  2. Provide a detailed description of the item you lost or upload a photo of it
  3. Inform us of the approximate date you lost the item

If the keys are found, our app will let you know whether you can claim them by pick-up or delivery.

DoNotPay can act as your skilled tracker if you lose:

We also offer a guide to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) lost and found procedure because people tend to lose their belongings there pretty often.

How To Replace Lost Car Keys

Once you accept that your car keys are nowhere to be found, it’s time to get new ones. In the lost-car-keys-and-no-spare situation, you can choose between these options:

  1. Going to the dealership
  2. Calling a locksmith

Going to the Dealership

Getting your car to the dealership is the most expensive option. It is also not the best solution for emergencies since the process takes a lot of time, and you’ll need to tow your car to the shop.

On top of it all, many dealers today outsource this service to locksmiths. You can avoid the extra cost by going straight to a key maker.

Calling a Locksmith To Get New Car Keys

Calling a locksmith is a better and cheaper option. Another great benefit of locksmiths is that they usually come to you instead of having to tow your car to them. They can also reprogram the locking system to render the old keys useless.

You will need to provide a locksmith with the following information:

  • Your current location
  • Personal identification
  • Vehicle model
  • Registration number
  • Vehicle identification number (VIN)

If the locksmith can help you make a new key, you should use this opportunity to create a spare one to avoid similar situations in the future.

Can You Replace Your Car Keys if You Don’t Have an Original With You?

Don’t worry if you don’t have the original key with you because the locksmith will replace and reprogram the new key to match your vehicle. They will also make sure to deprogram the old one and make it useless, in case it has been stolen.

What Is the Lost Car Key Replacement Cost?

The cost of the replacement depends on the key type. You can find further details in the table below:

Type of KeysKey CharacteristicsReplacement Cost
Traditional key
  • A regular key used to unlock the doors and start the car
Up to $50
Car key fob
  • Has fobs as add-ons that lock and unlock your vehicle
  • You still need a traditional key to start the car
Less than $20
Car key fob with a switchblade key
  • Spring-loaded key that folds into it
  • Looks like a switchblade
Around $125
Transponder key
  • Ignition key with a plastic head embedded with a computer chip
  • Relies on the wireless connection between your car and the key
$200–$250
Smart key
  • Known as “keyless ignition”
  • Used for vehicles with a start button on the dash
More than $300

Everything Else DoNotPay Can Help You Find

DoNotPay is at your disposal for finding lost items in various places. You can check out our useful guides for locating missing objects in the table below:

Locations or Businesses We Can ContactRandom Lost ObjectsLost Phones From Different Operators and Manufacturers

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