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Average Cost of Car Key Replacement (2023)

The average cost to replace a lost or stolen car key in the UK is now around £320 (up from £260 in 2018). To see how prices vary depending on the make and model of your car, we've analysed car key replacement costs for the ten most popular UK cars. Here's what we found.

How Much Does it Cost to Replace a Car Key?

In the UK, car owners should expect to pay around £320 to replace a lost or stolen car key and fob—this is the average car key cost for the top 10 cars in the UK, as you can see in the table below.

Car keys cost so much to replace due to the complexity of the technology and because the fob needs to be programmed in order to work with your car.

Cost of Replacement Key and Fob2022 prices, including key coding and VAT
BMW 3 SeriesM Sport£273.47
Ford FiestaT£276.00
Ford PumaT£275.23
Kia SportageCRDi£254.00
Mercedes-Benz A ClassAMG£532.32
Nissan QashqaiDIG-T£291.00
Toyota YarisT£389.60
Vauxhall CorsaTurbo £316.96
Volkswagen GolfTSI£329.93
Volkswagen PoloTSI£258.00
Average£319.65

The range of costs was £254 on the cheap end for a Kia Sportage and £532 for a Mercedes Benz A-Class AMG.

The most expensive car key to replace was the Mercedes Benz A class—a whooping £532 for the key and the coding.

The cheapest car keys to replace are the Kia Sportage (£254 all in) and the Volkswagen Polo (£258).

Sometimes, there is variation in prices even within a make and model, depending on the functionality of the key.

Chart showing the cost to replace a lost or stolen car key in the UK
The average car key costs £261 in the UK

We've also just had an email from a reader who let us know the cost of his recent key fob replacement to add to our data. He drives a Skoda Superb 2022 and was charged £313 for the key/fob plus £69 for programming (£382 in total). And it is estimated to take 3 to 4 weeks to arrive.

If anyone else would like to share their key fob replacement costs, please email us at [email protected] or leave a comment below. The more information, the better!

FAQs

Stolen car keys will only be covered by insurance if you have key cover—either included as standard or bought as an add-on extra. And even when theft of car keys is covered, check your policy's terms and conditions because you may need to prove that the person who stole your keys know the identity or location of your car for a car key cover claim to be accepted.
Lost car keys may be covered on your car insurance, but this varies from company to company. And just because you have key cover doesn't mean that you're covered for losing your keys—many policies only cover theft, not loss.
If your car key fob stops working—say if your fob will no longer lock and unlock the doors, open the tailgate or start the engine—then the fob might just need a new battery. Since car keys cost so much to replace, it's worth trying to replace the battery first. There are plenty of online tutorials showing how to replace a fob battery, and most simply require one or two 3-volt, lithium-ion coin batteries.
Car key programming can cost £200+ (one of the most expensive is Mercedes), but other brands are cheaper to code.

Methodology

In order to determine the cost of a replacement car key, we surveyed dealers for each of the 10 most popular cars in the UK in December 2021. You may be able to find a cheaper car key replacement if you use one of the many key specialists or online car key replacement companies that you'll find with a Google search.

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The guidance on this site is based on our own analysis and is meant to help you identify options and narrow down your choices. We do not advise or tell you which product to buy; undertake your own due diligence before entering into any agreement. Read our full disclosure here.

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