How to Unlock Your Car Without a Key?

The situation where car owners lock their keys inside their vehicle is one of the most common occurrences, not only in our country but globally.
It might be hard to believe, but hundreds of drivers accidentally lock their keys inside their cars every single day.

As an auto locksmith business, we can confidently say that the emergency car unlocking service is our most requested.

In this article, we want to share what to do if you’ve locked your key inside the car and don’t have a spare. We’ll also explain what you should avoid doing.

Finding out you’ve locked the only key inside your car often feels like a nightmare—especially if this happens far from home or in a remote area.
Naturally, such situations are usually accompanied by high stress levels. And as we all know, stress can lead people to act impulsively or make poor decisions.

That’s precisely what we want to address first.

What not to do if you’ve locked your key inside your car

The most common reactions of car owners when they realise their keys are locked inside their vehicle often involve attempting to access the car themselves by:

  • Breaking a car window;
  • Trying to open the lock with makeshift tools.

The risks and downsides of these actions are quite obvious, but it’s worth addressing them in detail.

Breaking a car window

When you decide to break a car window to regain access, you risk injuring yourself. Even if you avoid injuries during the process, small shards of glass can remain inside the car, such as on the seats, potentially causing harm to you or your passengers later.

From a financial perspective, this method is far from cost-effective. 99% of insurance companies won’t cover the cost of replacing a car window if you’ve broken it yourself to access the vehicle. At this point, it’s worth considering whether it might be a more reasonable option to contact a professional vehicle locksmith for car door unlocking near you.

Using makeshift tools

The second method—using improvised tools to unlock the car—also comes with clear risks. The biggest concern is the success rate versus failure rate. The risk is significant for any vehicle but becomes much greater if your car is a modern model.

Additionally, attempting unauthorised access will almost certainly trigger the car alarm, which you won’t be able to deactivate without the key.

If you damage the car’s lock in the process, you may still fail to gain access, and you’ll make the locksmith’s job more complicated when they later have to deal with a broken lock.

For these reasons, we strongly advise against searching for things like “keys locked in car hack” and trying these unreliable methods.

Locked key in car: how to open without a key fob?

The first thing you need to do is stay calm. Next, assess the situation and follow these simple steps:

  • Use your car’s spare key;
  • Check all the doors, the boot, and windows—one of them might be unlocked.

If you don’t have a spare key and all the doors are locked, the best solution is to call a local auto locksmith immediately. This will be faster, cheaper, and more reliable than attempting questionable methods to regain access to your car.

Locked key in car: how to open with a key fob?

If you’re faced with a situation where your car is locked and the key fob isn’t working, the most common reasons could be:

  • Car key battery fault;
  • Car battery fault;
  • A faulty car key fob.

In the first case, you simply need to replace the battery in your key fob.
In the second case, you’ll need to contact a mechanic.
If the problem lies in a faulty key fob, the best solution is to either contact your car dealer or a car locksmith for a key fob replacement or repair.

Locked keys in car: how much does it cost to unlock the door?

To conclude this article, we’d like to emphasise that if you experience problems with your car key or lock, the most logical solution is to contact a professional auto locksmith immediately.

An auto locksmith is a specialist with the necessary skills for non-damage car unlocking, as well as access to special tools (e.g., lock picks).

To book a professional car locksmith anywhere in the UK, please give us a call on our 24-hour hotline: 03330065210.

We’ll be happy to assist you quickly and efficiently, no matter where you are.