What to Do When You Lose Your Car Keys
When you lose your car keys, search the last places they were used, check the car, fetch the spare key, report a theft to the police, and call an auto locksmith when no key is left.
Inta-Lock Car Key Guides. Updated October 2026.
The order matters because a lost key, a stolen key and a key locked inside the car are three different states, and each one takes a different first call. A lost key is not a crime to report. A stolen key is a theft, and the police hear about it before anyone else.
A lost key keeps working until it is removed from the car, so the replacement is also a security job. With every key gone, an auto locksmith makes the new key at the vehicle. Whether a motor policy pays for the key depends on the wording of that policy.
What Do You Do First When Car Keys Are Lost?
The first thing to do when car keys are lost is to search the places the keys were last used, check the car itself and fetch the spare key, before any call is made.
- Search the last places the car key was used. Check the pockets, the bags and the coat worn that day, then the route walked from the car to the door.
- Look at the car. A key left in the ignition, on a seat or in the boot is a lockout and not a lost key, and the car is opened without a new key being made.
- Fetch the spare key where one exists. A spare gets the car home and takes the hurry out of everything that follows.
- Ask at the places visited since the key was last seen, such as a shop, a workplace, a gym or the lost property desk of a bus or rail operator.
- Decide whether the key is lost or stolen. A stolen key is a crime to report, and a lost key with no spare is a call to an auto locksmith.
Note the registration, the make, the model and the year of the car while the search goes on, because each call about a lost key asks for them.
Are the Car Keys Lost, Stolen or Locked Inside?
Car keys are lost when nobody knows where they are, stolen when somebody took them, and locked inside when they sit in the car, and each state takes a different first call.
| State of the keys | First call | Police report | What happens to the missing key |
|---|---|---|---|
| One key lost, a spare still works | No urgent call. The spare drives the car | None. A loss is not a crime | A second key is made from the working one. Whether the lost key is removed from the immobiliser memory at that visit is confirmed on the call |
| Every key lost, no theft suspected | An auto locksmith, who works at the vehicle | None. A loss is not a crime | A new key is cut and programmed at the vehicle. Missing electronic keys are removed from the immobiliser memory where the vehicle supports it |
| Keys stolen | The police, then the insurer, then an auto locksmith | Yes. A theft is a crime and it is reported | Removed from the immobiliser memory as in the row above. A mechanical blade still turns a physical lock unless that lock is changed or rekeyed |
| Keys locked inside the car | An auto locksmith, for non destructive entry | None | Nothing. The keys are handed back and no new key is made |
| Car gone together with the keys | The police on 101, then the insurer | Yes. The police give a crime reference number | The insurer explains how the claim is made |
The row that matches the day sets the order of the calls. A key that is only mislaid is still a search, so the five steps come first.
Every car key lost in Leicester or Leicestershire, and no spare to fall back on? Matt makes the new key at the car.
Call Matt on 0116 442 2084Do You Report Lost Car Keys to the Police?
No, lost car keys are not a crime and there is no crime to report for them, while stolen car keys are a theft and that theft is reported to the police.
A theft that is happening right now is a 999 call, and 101 is the number for non emergency enquiries, as set out on the Police.uk contact page. A theft is also reported online, with the registration of the car the keys belong to.
For keys that are lost and not stolen, Leicestershire Police runs an online advice tool for lost or found property, which sorts each case by the kind of item. Police forces differ on lost keys. Police Scotland states that no loss report is raised for lost keys on their own, and the policy of West Yorkshire Police is that lost keys are not recorded.
Where the car has gone together with the keys, the GOV.UK guidance on a stolen vehicle is to tell the police and the insurance company straight away. The police give a crime reference number, and that number is asked for on the call to the insurance company.
Is a Car at Risk After Its Keys Are Lost?
A car is at risk after its keys are lost where the person holding the keys knows which car they belong to, because a lost key keeps working until it is removed from the car.
A key lost far from the car, with nothing on the key ring that names the car or an address, gives a finder little to connect it with. A key lost beside the car or stolen from the home is a different matter.
The answer in both cases is the same once a new key is made. Missing electronic keys are removed from the immobiliser memory where the vehicle supports it. A mechanical blade still turns a physical lock unless that lock is changed or rekeyed.
Thatcham Research gives matching advice to the buyer of a second hand vehicle that came with one working key, which is to have the missing keys deleted and a spare added.
A missing key also matters to an insurer. In a vehicle theft complaint, the Financial Ombudsman Service looks at whether the customer gave the insurer all the keys of the vehicle, and at the reason where one is missing.
Who Replaces a Lost Car Key?
A lost car key is replaced by an auto locksmith who works at the vehicle or by a main dealer of the make, and with no key left the difference is where the car has to be.
An auto locksmith comes to the car, so a car with no key stays where it stands, on a drive, in a car park or at the roadside. Dealer arrangements differ by make and by dealer, and they are confirmed with the dealer.
With every key gone, Matt opens the car by non destructive entry where it is locked, then cuts and programmes a new key at the vehicle on supported vehicles. The whole job, from entry to the removal of the missing keys, is set out on the page for the lost car keys service in Leicester.
Identity and authority to request the work are checked before key work starts. The V5C vehicle registration certificate, which names the registered keeper, and photo identification are common examples, and what applies is confirmed on the call.
The phone is answered 24 hours a day, every day of the year, on 0116 442 2084. A quote is agreed before work begins. Matt is with you within the hour in Leicester, and the same day across Leicestershire.
Does Car Insurance Cover Lost Car Keys?
Car insurance covers lost car keys only where the wording of the policy says so, and the policy document or the insurer gives the answer for that policy.
The Association of British Insurers describes comprehensive cover by injury to other people, damage to the vehicle, fire, theft, medical expenses and the contents of the vehicle, and its summary of the cover levels does not name keys. Its advice to a driver who is unsure of the cover is to contact the insurer or the broker and check.
Key cover is also sold as an add on to a motor policy. The Financial Conduct Authority lists key cover among the add on products it collects claims data for.
Three points in the policy are read before a claim for a lost key is made.
- Whether keys are named. The policy schedule or the add on section states whether lost keys, stolen keys or both are covered.
- The no claims bonus. Whether a key claim counts against the no claims bonus is a question the insurer answers for that policy.
- Keys left in or around the car. Policies sometimes exclude cover where the keys were left in or around the vehicle, a term the Financial Ombudsman Service sees in vehicle theft complaints.
How Do You Avoid Losing Car Keys Again?
Two habits keep a car key from being lost again, a spare key made while one key still works and one fixed place for the keys at home.
- A spare key. A spare key is a second working key for the same car. Made while one key still works, it turns the next loss into an inconvenience and not into a car that does not start.
- One fixed place at home. A fixed place is a single spot where the keys go each time the door closes. Police advice is to keep keys out of view at home and away from the front door.
What Else Follows a Lost Car Key?
Four situations sit beside the loss of a car key, and each one belongs to a page of its own.
How Does Losing One Key Differ From Losing Every Key?
Losing one key leaves a working key to copy, while losing every key leaves nothing to copy and a car that does not start.
With one key still working, a second key is made from it, which is the work of the spare car keys service. The lost key is still a missing key, and whether it is removed from the immobiliser memory when the spare key is made is confirmed on the call.
How Is a Key Made With Nothing to Copy?
With every key lost there is no original to copy. The new key is made from the vehicle itself and not from an old key, and the way that works is explained in the guide to a replacement car key without the original.
What Is Checked Before a New Key Is Made?
A locksmith who makes a key for a car with no key checks who is asking. Identity and authority to request the work are checked before key work starts, and the documents involved are set out under how an auto locksmith verifies car ownership.
Is Key Cover Worth Having Before the Next Loss?
Key cover is bought before a loss and not after it. What an add on policy pays for, what it leaves out and how it compares with paying for a key directly are weighed in the article on whether car key insurance is worth it.
A lost car key in Leicester is replaced at the vehicle, and the call to Matt is answered 24 hours a day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a new car key made when every key is lost?
Yes, a new car key is made with every key lost, cut and programmed at the vehicle on supported vehicles.
No old key is copied. Identity and authority to request the work are checked before key work starts.
How much does it cost to replace a lost car key?
The cost of replacing a lost car key is quoted for the individual car, and a quote is agreed before work begins.
A keyless or remote key raises the figure against a plain transponder key. Every key lost raises it against one key lost with a spare to copy. A locked car adds the entry work.
How long does it take to replace a lost car key?
The time it takes to replace a lost car key depends on the make, the model, the year and the key type, and it is confirmed on the call from the registration.
Matt is with you within the hour in Leicester, and the same day across Leicestershire.
Does a lost car key still work when it is found?
A lost car key that is found does not start the car where it was removed from the immobiliser memory, and missing electronic keys are removed from the immobiliser memory where the vehicle supports it.
A mechanical blade still turns a physical lock unless that lock is changed or rekeyed. Whether a found key is programmed back to the car is confirmed on the call.
Which documents are checked before a lost key is replaced?
Identity and authority to request the work are checked before a lost key is replaced.
The V5C vehicle registration certificate, which names the registered keeper, and photo identification are common examples, and what applies is confirmed on the call.
Are the locks changed after car keys are lost?
No, the locks are not changed as a matter of course after car keys are lost, because missing electronic keys are removed from the immobiliser memory where the vehicle supports it.
A mechanical blade still turns a physical lock unless that lock is changed or rekeyed. Whether a lock change or a rekey after a theft is work that Inta-Lock takes on for the car is confirmed on the call.