Locking yourself out of your vehicle is something no one wants to be faced with, but it does happen.
If you ever find yourself in this situation, the thing to remember is not to panic or make any rash decisions. If you’re at home when this happens, it’s often easy to locate a spare key. However, if you’re away from home, this probably won’t be an option.
Luckily for you, we’ve compiled a list of solutions to get you back into your vehicle and back on the road in no time!
Phone a Friend or Family Member
If you’re a short distance away from home, the first thing you could do is call a friend, neighbour or family member and ask them to bring a spare key to you.
Call Your Breakdown Cover Provider
One of the best options is to call your breakdown provider. Often, they will be able to get into your vehicle and retrieve your keys or if they can’t, they’ll be able to tow you to a local garage, who may be able to help.
Call a Locksmith
A locksmith will be able to get into your car quickly, but the price for this could vary depending on the time of day and your location. This option would only be suitable for traditional lock and key, rather than modern keyless technology. This is because modern keys will need to be reprogrammed and the locksmith you call may not have the information or tools to be able to do this.
Should I Call Emergency Services?
Emergency services are for just that, emergencies.
Unless you, your passengers, or pets are in a life-threatening situation, DO NOT call the emergency services. If you find yourself in a hazardous situation and can’t get into your vehicle, then you may need to contact 999. A hazardous situation could be defined as your vehicle being trapped in an active lane, or a passenger, such as a baby or small child, being trapped in a car.
Check Your Vehicle Insurance – do you have key cover?
If key replacement cover is included in your insurance policy, you’ll be able to utilise this service to get back into your car quickly, with no additional costs.
We’ve partnered with We’ve Got the Key to bring you a Key Cover policy enhancement which provides cover for the costs to repair or replace vehicle, home, and garage keys in the event of damage, theft, or loss, for just £15.00 per year.
We’ve Got the Key have a team of over 150 fully vetted auto-locksmiths who provide national coverage for roadside assistance, 24 hours a day and 7 days week. This Key Cover policy also includes onward travel and hire car. We’ve Got the Key operate one of the largest locksmith panels in the UK and can carry out the following services:
- Gaining Entry – Their auto-locksmiths carry 100’s of picks to gain entry to vehicles without causing any damage.
- New Keys – They can cut new keys on site from scratch and provide spare keys. It can take up to 7-10 working days to receive a replacement key from a car dealership.
- Changing Locks – They dismantle and replace all existing locks on a vehicle and provide new keys cut to fit.
- Extractions – Their auto-locksmiths also carry specialist extraction tools to ensure no further damage is caused if a key has become stuck inside a lock.
- Reprogramming – They can reprogram keys whilst on site.
The benefits of taking out additional key cover with your policy means help is always on hand when you need it!
If you would like to find out more about Key Cover or any of the other products we can provide, visit lifesure.co.uk. Alternatively, you can call us on 01480 402 460 – we’d be more than happy to assist!
Disclaimer: The sole purpose of this article is to provide guidance on the topic covered. This article is not intended to give legal advice, it should not be relied upon. It should not be regarded as a comprehensive statement of the law and/or market practice in this area. We cannot guarantee the completeness or accuracy of the information contained in the external links, which were live at the date of publication.
