Can You Copy a Car Key? How Duplicates Work by Key Type

Yes — almost every car key can be duplicated, but how depends on the key. A plain metal key only needs cutting. A transponder (chip) key also needs its chip cloned or a new key programmed to the car. Remote-head and flip keys need the blade cut and both the chip and the buttons set up, and a push-to-start smart key isn’t copied at all — a new one is added to the car as an extra key. Whatever you drive, the easiest time to get a copy is while you still have a working key.

Which car keys can be copied?

Basic metal keys

Older cars use a key that’s nothing but metal, with no chip in the head. Copying one is simple: the blade is traced onto a matching blank, and the copy works in the doors and the ignition right away. If the original is badly worn, have the copy cut from the key code instead, so you don’t copy the wear.

Transponder (chip) keys

Most modern key-start cars use a transponder key: a metal blade with a small chip in the plastic head. The car’s immobilizer has to recognize that chip before the engine will run, so a copy that’s only cut will open the doors but won’t start the car. The new key’s chip is either cloned — the working key’s chip data copied onto a new chip — or the new key is programmed, meaning it’s registered with the car as an additional key. Which one your car takes depends on its make, model and year.

Some cars let owners add a key themselves once they have two working keys; your owner’s manual says whether yours does. On many older Fords, for example, having two working keys makes adding more easier later — see our Ford key replacement page.

Remote-head and flip keys

These put a key blade, a chip and the lock and unlock buttons in one piece — either a fixed key with the buttons in the head, or a flip key whose blade folds into the fob. A copy needs the blade cut, the chip handled like any transponder key, and the remote buttons paired to the car. If an old flip key is falling apart but its electronics still work, the inside can often be moved into a new shell instead. Flip keys are common on Hyundai and Kia models, among many others.

Push-to-start smart keys

A smart key is the one that stays in your pocket while you press the start button. It isn’t duplicated the way a metal key is: a new smart key is programmed to the car as an additional key, with equipment that talks to the car’s computer, and the emergency key hidden inside it is cut to fit your door. On some cars, any key that isn’t present during programming stops working, so bring every key you have. Our key fob and smart key programming page explains how that visit works.

Laser-cut blades

Many newer keys use a laser-cut blade: instead of teeth along the edge, a wavy track is milled down the face. They need a dedicated cutter, so not every key counter can copy one. Hondas and Acuras use them widely — see Honda and Acura keys.

Where can you get a car key copied: hardware store, locksmith or dealer?

Each has its place. What matters is matching your key type to someone who can finish the job:

• Hardware store or key kiosk. Handy for plain metal keys, and some locations can clone certain chip keys. They generally can’t program a key to your car, so remote buttons, smart keys and many newer chip keys are out of reach, and not every counter cuts laser-cut blades.
• Locksmith. A car locksmith cuts traditional and laser-cut keys and clones or programs chip keys, remotes and smart keys for most makes and models. A mobile locksmith does it at the car, which matters for programming — the car has to be there.
• Dealer. A dealer can make keys for the brand it sells. It usually needs the car brought in for programming and may order the key first. For some models the dealer is the only option — every 2015 and newer Mercedes-Benz, for instance; see our Mercedes-Benz page.

Which keys are available, and what each job involves, differs from car to car. The simplest move is to call with the VIN and ask what your key needs.

Why should you copy a car key before you lose the last one?

Because a copy and a replacement are different jobs. With a working key in hand, there’s a key to trace or read, the car is easy to get into, and adding a key is a smaller programming job. Once the last key is gone, it becomes an all-keys-lost replacement: the key code has to come from the VIN or a decoded lock, the blade is cut from scratch, and the car may have to be opened first. It’s more work — and whether a working key exists is one of the biggest things that moves the quote.

Good moments to get a spare:

• You bought a used car that came with one key.
• A new driver in the family — or a student heading to USF — needs a key of their own.
• Your only key is worn, cracked or held together with tape.
• Hurricane season is coming and you want a spare in your evacuation kit, not on the same ring.

Already lost the last key? A new one can still be made. Our guide to lost car keys with no spare walks through it, and our lost car key replacement service makes the key at the car.

What do you need to bring to get a car key copied?

• Every key you have, working or not. On some cars, keys that aren’t present during programming stop working.
• The car, for any key that needs programming — or a mobile locksmith who comes to it.
• A photo ID and the registration or title, with matching names.
• The VIN, from the registration, your insurance card, the base of the windshield on the driver’s side or the door-jamb sticker.
• For a company vehicle, paperwork showing you can authorize a new key.

FAQ

Can any car key be copied?

Nearly any. Metal keys just need cutting; chip, remote-head and flip keys need cutting plus cloning or programming; push-to-start smart keys are added to the car as a new key. A few models are dealer-only, such as every 2015 and newer Mercedes-Benz.

Will a copied car key start my car?

Only if the chip is handled. A key that’s cut but not cloned or programmed may open the doors, but on a car with an immobilizer the engine won’t run.

Can you copy a push-to-start smart key?

Not the way you copy a metal key. A new smart key is programmed to your car as an extra key, and the emergency blade inside it is cut to fit your door. It’s done at the car.

Is copying a car key easier than replacing a lost one?

Yes. Copying from a working key is a smaller job than making a key from scratch, which needs the key code, a fresh cut and programming. That’s why a spare is worth getting while you still have a key.

Down to one key? Call Zoom Locksmith at (305) 528-1358 with the VIN or the year, make and model for a free quote on a spare. We’re a mobile locksmith, insured and bonded, and we cut and program keys at the car across Tampa Bay.