When you purchase a car insurance policy it is possible to tailor your policy to include additional cover such as breakdown cover, legal cover or car key insurance. In this article, we look at car insurance key cover including what it is, what it covers and how to buy cover for your car keys.
What is car key cover?
You can purchase car key cover - also known as car key insurance - as an add-on when buying car insurance to cover you for a new set of car keys if your current car keys are lost or stolen. Depending on the car insurance policy you choose, you may already have key cover included in your policy, but if not, you are likely to be asked to pay extra if you wish to add it to your policy.
What does car key insurance cover?
The exact car key cover you have is likely to vary depending on the provider but at the very least, you should expect to be covered if your car keys are either lost or stolen. We share what most standard car key insurance policies will and will not cover below.
What is covered by car key insurance?
Replacement car keys (usually up to a set limit)
Reprogramming alarm/immobiliser costs
Locksmith charges
Transport costs to get you to your intended destination (receipts will be required when claiming)
24/7 emergency helpline
What is not covered by car key insurance?
Stolen car keys if there is no crime reference number
Claims related to usual wear and tear
Full replacement if only one part needs replacing
Upgraded keys
Additional sets of keys
Keys left in the car or left unattended
What to do if you lose your car keys
If you cannot find your car keys and have car key insurance you should call your insurer to find out what you need to do in order to claim. If you have breakdown cover you may also wish to contact the breakdown provider as loss of your car keys may be included on your cover. Alternatively, if you find the spare key or decide not to claim you may wish to contact a locksmith who will be able to assist you, but this can come at an additional cost and could end up being more expensive than car key cover.
How much does car key cover cost?
Car key insurance may already be included as standard in your car insurance policy but if not you may be asked if you would like the cover for a small additional cost. In the following table, we share some examples of fully comprehensive car insurance providers that provide car key cover and the amount of cover you can expect with each provider. It can be hard to estimate the cost as a large majority of fully comprehensive car insurance policies include car key cover within their policies, and the cost can vary greatly depending on the make and model of your car as well as the type of key. However, as an example, RAC car insurance provides keycare cover as an optional extra to its car insurance policies and the cost is £19.99 per year. Their cover is for lost or stolen keys for your car, home, workplace or other property.
| Fully comprehensive car insurance provider | Annual cost | Excess payable | Lost or stolen key cover | Claim affects No Claims Discount (NCD) |
| AA | Included as standard | No | Up to £1,500 (policy dependent) | Yes |
| Admiral | Included as standard | No | Up to £500 | No |
| Aviva | Included as standard | No | Up to market value of your vehicle | No |
| Direct Line | Included in Comprehensive and Comprehensive Plus cover (Essentials car insurance covers stolen keys only) | Yes | Up to £1,000 | Yes (for lost or damaged keys)
No (for stolen keys) |
| LV= | Included as standard | Yes | Unlimited | Yes |
If key cover is not included in your car insurance policy it is possible to buy stand alone key cover which offers similar protection to the cover you'd receive from your car insurance. Companies such as Keycare provide this type cover and offer worldwide cover for replacement keys, locksmith charges, travel costs and a 24/7 emergency helpline from £30.00 per year and no excess is payable. It is worth shopping around to to ensure that the price you are quoted by the car insurance for optional key cover (if available) is the best option for you. Even if you do have key cover included in your car insurance policy, stand alone cover may be worth considering if you have to pay your excess when claiming for lost or stolen keys. As you can see from the table above not all providers charge an excess when claiming, but if yours does and you have set your excess high it may not be worth claiming on your car insurance policy.
Do I need car key cover?
If replacement car key cover is not already included in your car insurance policy you may be wondering if it is worth paying the additional cost. We have listed some things that you should consider first before purchasing car key cover:
- Is key replacement cover included in your car insurance? - Before purchasing a car key insurance policy you should check that it is not already included in your car insurance policy, especially if you have a fully comprehensive car insurance policy as it is quite common for this to be included as standard.
- Is car key cover included in your breakdown cover? - If you have a car breakdown package you may already have car key cover included in your package and therefore taking out key insurance will mean you are paying for additional cover that you do not need.
- Can you afford to replace lost or stolen car keys? - The cost of replacing your car keys if they are lost, stolen or damaged varies depending on the age and type of your vehicle. According to Checkatrade the average cost to replace a manual car key is £160 compared to an average of £320 for a remote car key. If you have an expensive vehicle you can expect to pay more than this, with the average Range Rover Sport car key replacement coming in at £595 and a BMW i8 replacement key averaging £1,000. Car key cover may be a good idea if you are unable to cover the cost to replace or repair your damaged keys.
Pros and cons of car key insurance
Pros of car key insurance
- May be covered for a courtesy car until you have a new set of keys
- 24-hour emergency helpline
- Depending on your cover you may be insured to replace both the car lock and car keys
Cons of car key insurance
- Claiming on your insurance may affect your no-claims discount
- You may have to pay your excess to claim for your lost/stolen keys and if this is high it may not be worth claiming
- May not be able to claim if you do not provide a crime reference number for stolen keys
Is car key cover worth it?
If car key cover is included in your car insurance policy it can be a useful in the event that your car keys are lost or stolen. However, your car key insurance is not likely to cover general wear and tear to your keys so you need to ensure that you are looking after your keys to prevent damage associated with general use.
Ultimately, the main reason for having a car key insurance policy is to cover the cost to replace a set of car keys. Replacement car keys can be expensive to replace often amounting to a few hundred pounds and so it may make sense to opt for a car key insurance policy. It is worth checking your car insurance key cover though as most have limits on the amount that you can claim for replacement car keys.
How to buy car insurance with key cover
When searching for car insurance that includes key cover you will need to check to see if the car insurance policy includes key cover as standard as some providers charge extra for including it. One of the quickest and easiest ways to compare car insurance is via a comparison site such as Confused.com*. Comparison sites will compare multiple car insurance providers at once to find you the best deal for your car. You should remember, however, that not all comparison sites are whole of market, meaning you may not always be getting the best deal, especially as some insurers aren't featured on comparison sites.
If a link has an * beside it this means that it is an affiliated link. If you go via the link, Money to the Masses may receive a small fee which helps keep Money to the Masses free to use. The following link can be used if you do not wish to help Money to the Masses or take advantage of any exclusive offers - Confused.com
MTTM AI (beta) 
