Spare Car Keys in Reading
Matt Ladds cuts and programs a spare car key from your working key at your home, workplace or roadside in Reading and across Berkshire, for remote, transponder and smart keys.
A spare car key in Reading starts from 60 pounds, agreed before Matt sets off, and costs far less than replacing the last key once it is lost.
The Easiest Time to Get a Spare Is Before You Need One
Most people only think about a spare key after losing or damaging the one they have, at which point it is no longer a spare but an emergency. As a mobile spare car key maker, Matt cuts and programs a duplicate car key while your current one still works, at your home, workplace or roadside, so there is already a working fallback in a drawer if the worst happens later.
When no working key is left at all, the job becomes lost car keys, which takes longer and costs more. This page is specifically for getting ahead of that situation.
What a Spare Key Visit Actually Involves
Because your existing key still works, this is generally the most straightforward of the key services Matt offers, with a working reference to read from rather than starting from nothing. That typically means the six steps below.
- Confirming the key and security system of the vehicle
- Cutting a new blade to match your existing key
- Programming the transponder, remote or smart key function
- Testing the spare against locking, unlocking and starting
- Checking your original key still works correctly too
- Advising on storing the spare somewhere separate from the main key
Because nothing needs to be removed from the system of the vehicle and no vehicle entry is required first, spare key visits are usually quicker than a full replacement or all keys lost job.
Duplicating Different Types of Key
Not every spare is equally simple to make, and some types take longer than others.
The simplest to duplicate, cut directly from the original with no electronic matching required.
Cut, then the chip has to be added to the immobiliser system of the vehicle as an additional valid key.
Usually the most involved to duplicate, since a key fob duplicate needs its remote functions programmed and a smart key also needs its proximity sensing set up.
Why People Get a Spare Cut
A new or newly bought car
Some vehicles arrive with only one working key, or a second owner never received a spare from the previous one.
A second driver in the household
Sharing one key between two regular drivers is inconvenient. A spare means both can use the car without coordinating.
Before a long trip or holiday
Having a spare left at home, or with someone who can bring it out, is a simple safety net while away from Reading.
After resolving a lost key emergency
Once a new key has been made from scratch, it is often the easiest moment to also cut a spare while Matt is already there.
How a Spare Key Visit Works
Four steps, usually the quickest of the key services Matt offers.
Matt checks the make, model, year and key type over the phone before attending.
Your current working key is used to identify exactly what needs cutting and programming.
The spare is cut and, where applicable, matched electronically to the vehicle.
Locking, unlocking and starting are checked on the spare, and the original is confirmed still working.
Often the Second Job of a Visit, Not the First
Spare keys do not always come with a dramatic story attached, which is rather the point, because they are meant to prevent one. In practice, a lot of spare key work happens right after Matt has finished another job, such as the Škoda all keys lost call out where two new fobs were coded at once. Once a new key is working, cutting a spare there and then is often simpler than booking a separate visit later.
Is a Spare Really What You Need?
If your current key is already becoming unreliable, cracking, or intermittently failing to lock or start the car, cutting a spare from it just copies the same fault into a second key. That calls for a replacement key instead, or a check of the immobiliser if the car itself is misbehaving rather than the key. Matt asks a few quick questions by phone to confirm a straightforward spare is really the right call before booking one in.
Mobile Spare Key or a High Street Key Shop?
Making spare keys at your car means remote, transponder and smart keys can all be programmed and tested, while a high street key shop can only copy what it can read from the key you hand over the counter. That difference decides which one can make your spare.
- A blade only key with no chip can be copied at either
- Some transponder chips can be cloned in a shop, but the remote buttons will not work on the car until they are programmed to it
- A remote key fob or smart key has to be programmed to the car itself, so that spare is made at the vehicle
- At the vehicle, Matt tests the spare and the original together on locking, unlocking and starting before he leaves
How Much Does a Spare Car Key Cost in Reading?
A spare car key in Reading usually costs 60 to 120 pounds for a transponder key, 100 to 200 pounds for a remote key fob and 150 to 300 pounds or more for a smart key, cut and programmed from your working key at your vehicle.
| Key type | Spare cut from a working key | When every key is lost |
|---|---|---|
| Transponder key | 60 to 120 pounds | 150 to 250 pounds |
| Remote key fob | 100 to 200 pounds | 200 to 400 pounds |
| Smart or keyless key | 150 to 300 pounds or more | 200 to 400 pounds or more |
A spare is the cheapest way to make sure you are never without a working car key, since there is a working reference to copy from and no vehicle entry or key deletion work involved. The exact price still depends on three things.
The expected price is confirmed before Matt attends, with no separate call out fee.
Information to Have Ready
- Vehicle registration
- The VIN, shown at the base of the windscreen and on the V5C
- Make, model and approximate year
- Your Reading or Berkshire location
- Confirmation your current key still works properly
- Whether you need one spare or more than one
- The V5C logbook and photo ID, as proof of ownership on arrival
Cheaper to Plan For Than to React To
A spare costs less in every sense than dealing with all keys lost later.
No vehicle entry or key deletion needed, since your original key is already working.
The same person who quotes the job cuts and tests the spare on site.
No call out fee, and the price is agreed by phone first.
The same service applies to commercial vehicles as well as cars.
What Reading Drivers Say
Key Genie is rated 5.0 on Google, from customers across all the services Matt provides.
If This Is Not Quite the Right Fit
Existing key already damaged or unreliable, not just a plan for later? This is the closer match.
Car Key CuttingOnly need a blade cut from your key or by code? Keys are cut at the vehicle.
Car Key ProgrammingThe electronic matching step that makes a freshly cut spare actually work.
Spare Car Keys Across Berkshire and Major Vehicle Brands
Areas Covered
All Berkshire areasVehicle Brands
View all brandsSpare Car Keys FAQs
Can a high street key shop make a spare car key?
Only for some keys. A high street key shop can cut a blade and copy some transponder chips from a key you bring in, but it cannot program remote locking or a smart key to the car because the car is not there, so those spares are made at the vehicle.
How long does it take to make a spare car key?
Most spare keys are cut, programmed and tested within an hour of Matt arriving, and a simple transponder spare often takes around 20 minutes.
Can you duplicate a key fob?
Yes. A key fob duplicate is cut where it has a blade and programmed so its remote locking works on your car, and both the new fob and the original are tested before Matt leaves.
Do I really need a spare car key?
Yes, if the car has only one working key, because a spare cut now costs far less than an all keys lost job later. The guide on whether you need a spare car key covers when to get one and where to keep it.
How many spare keys can I get made?
As many as the system of the vehicle supports, which varies by make and model. Matt confirms the limit for your vehicle when you call.
Does a spare key need to be exactly the same as my original?
No. It needs to work the same way electronically, but it does not have to be an identical physical copy, and some vehicles accept a different key style for the same car.
Can I get a spare key made without bringing my car?
No. The vehicle needs to be present so the spare can be programmed and tested against it, so Matt comes to the car instead of copying a key from a photo.
Is a spare key cheaper than a full replacement?
Yes. With a working key to copy from there is no vehicle entry or key deletion work, which is the slower part of a full replacement, so a spare costs noticeably less than an all keys lost job, as the price table shows.
Should I copy a key that is already failing?
No. Copying a cracked or unreliable key copies the fault into the spare, so the failing key is replaced instead, and if the car does not recognise a good key the fault is checked through immobiliser diagnostics.
What should I do with my spare key once I have it?
Store it somewhere separate from your everyday key and the vehicle, for example at home or with a trusted family member, rather than in the car itself.
Can you make a spare for a smart or keyless entry key?
Yes. Smart keys can usually be duplicated too, although the process and cost differ from a simple mechanical key because the proximity function has to be programmed.
Do I need proof of ownership for a spare key too?
Yes. The V5C logbook and photo ID are checked for a spare as for any key work, since a spare still gives access to the vehicle.
Can Matt cut a spare while fixing something else?
Often, yes. If Matt is already attending for another job, such as an all keys lost call out, cutting a spare at the same visit is usually more convenient than booking separately.
Will a spare key work immediately?
Yes. Once programmed and tested on site it works straight away, with no separate registration step afterwards.
Do you offer this for vans and commercial vehicles?
Yes, the same spare key service applies to vans and light commercial vehicles as well as cars.
Want a spare key cut before you need one?
Share your make, model, year and location. Call 0118 469 3408 or request a quote online.