Why a spare
costs less than you think

A key costs a few pounds to make. What you are paying for is everything around it: getting to the car, working out the cut, and teaching the car to trust the new chip. A working original makes almost all of that easier.

Where the difference comes from

With every key lost, we read the lock to find the cut, cut a blade from nothing, and program the car with no trusted key present. Some cars make that deliberately slow, as a security measure.

With a working key in hand, the cut is copied directly and most cars accept a new key through a much simpler routine. It is a shorter job with fewer things that can go wrong.

Two at once is cheaper again

The costly part is the visit and the programming session. Once we are connected to the car, a second key adds very little.

When to get one

• The day you realise you only have one key.
• Before a holiday, a house move or anything where keys get packed.
• When the only key is worn at the neck, before it snaps.
• When a second driver joins the household.

The spare keys page has the prices by key type.

What happens if you wait

Nothing, until the last key goes. Then a spare becomes a replacement, often at an inconvenient hour, and costs considerably more. It is the most predictable expense in motoring and the easiest one to avoid.