Spare Car Keys in Reading
Still have a working key? Getting a spare cut now, while it's straightforward, is faster and generally cheaper than waiting until you're down to your last one.
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's no longer a spare, it's an emergency. Matt can cut and program a backup key while your current one still works, at your home, workplace or roadside, so there's already a working fallback in a drawer if the worst happens later.
If you're past that point and already down to no working key at all, this isn't the right page — see lost car keys instead. 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 Matt's key services — there's a working reference to read from rather than starting from nothing. That typically means:
- Confirming the vehicle's key and security system
- 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 vehicle's system 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 created equally simply — 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 vehicle's immobiliser system as an additional valid key.
Usually the most involved to duplicate, since the remote functions and, on smart keys, proximity sensing both need programming.
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's 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 Matt's key services.
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 don't always come with a dramatic story attached, which is rather the point — they're meant to prevent one. In practice, a lot of spare-key work happens right after Matt's finished resolving something else, like an all-keys-lost job similar to the Škoda example on the lost car keys page: 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's closer to car key replacement territory, or if the car itself is misbehaving rather than the key, an immobiliser diagnostics issue. Matt will ask a few quick questions by phone to confirm a straightforward spare is really the right call before booking one in.
What Affects the Cost of a Spare Key
Spare keys are generally the least expensive of Matt's key services, since there's a working reference to copy from and no vehicle entry or system-clearing work involved. The exact price still depends on a few things.
The expected price is confirmed before Matt attends, with no separate call-out fee.
Information to Have Ready
- Vehicle registration
- 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
- Proof of vehicle ownership, ready to show 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 system-clearing 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 Isn't Quite the Right Fit
Existing key already damaged or unreliable, not just a plan for later? This is the closer match.
Lost Car KeysNo working key left at all? This is a different, more involved job than a spare.
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 areas →Vehicle Brands
View all brands →Spare Car Keys — FAQs
As many as the vehicle's system supports, which varies by make and model. Matt will confirm the limit for your specific vehicle when you call.
It needs to work the same way electronically, but doesn't have to be an identical physical copy, some vehicles support different key types for the same car.
No, the vehicle needs to be present so the spare can be tested against it once cut and programmed, this isn't a copy-from-a-photo service.
Generally yes, since there's a working key to reference and no vehicle entry or system-clearing work involved, which is usually the more time-consuming part of a full replacement.
Store it somewhere separate from your everyday key and vehicle, for example at home or with a trusted family member, rather than in the car itself.
Yes, smart keys can usually be duplicated too, though the process and cost differ from a simple mechanical key.
Yes, the same verification applies as for any key-cutting or programming work, since it's still security-related regardless of whether an original is available.
Often, yes. If Matt's already attending for another issue, like an all-keys-lost job, cutting a spare at the same visit is usually more convenient than booking separately.
Once programmed and tested on-site, it works immediately, there's no separate registration step needed afterwards.
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.