Car key types explained
When you ask for a price, the first question is what sort of key it is. Here is how to tell, and why it matters.
Plain metal key
Cars from before the mid 1990s. No chip, no buttons. Any key cutter can copy one. Almost nothing on the road today still uses them.
Chipped key
Looks like a plain key with a plastic head, but there is a small chip inside that the car checks before it will start. No buttons. Found on older cars and on base models. It has to be programmed to the car as well as cut.
Remote key
A chipped key with lock and unlock buttons built into the head. The blade is fixed and turns in the ignition. Very common on Toyotas, Hondas, Nissans and older Fords and Vauxhalls.
Flip key
The blade folds into the fob and springs out when you press a button. Used by Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT, Skoda, Ford, Vauxhall, Peugeot, Citroen, Kia and Hyundai among others.
Fob that slots into the dash
A fob with no visible blade that you push into a slot, then press a start button. Used by BMW, MINI, Volvo, some Audis and Volkswagens, and Land Rover for a period from the mid 2000s.
Key card
Renault's flat card. Some slot into the dash and some stay in your pocket. They are a part in their own right and are programmed to the car like any other key.
Keyless fob
Also called a smart key. It stays in your pocket. The doors unlock when you touch the handle and the car starts with a button. Standard on most new cars. It is the dearest type to replace.
Not sure which you have?
Send us a photo on WhatsApp. That is usually all it takes.
Want a price for your vehicle?
Make, model and year is all we need to start.