How Much Does Car Key Duplication Cost?

It depends on what kind of key you have

A plain mechanical key with no electronics is the cheapest thing in the shop. A transponder key adds a chip that must be programmed. A remote head key adds buttons. A proximity smart fob for a push-to-start vehicle is the most involved — it is a small computer, and the part itself carries most of the cost.

The chip and the programming are separate from the cutting

Cutting is mechanical: matching the blade to your lock. Programming is electronic: teaching your car to accept the new key. A hardware store or a big-box kiosk can often do the first and almost never the second, which is why people end up with a key that opens the door but will not start the engine.

Why a duplicate is always cheaper than a replacement

When you still have a working key, we clone or copy from it. When you have nothing, we have to read the vehicle, generate the code, cut from scratch and pair the new key to the immobilizer — more time, more equipment, higher price, and usually an emergency call-out on top.

The gap between those two invoices is significant. That is the whole argument for making a spare before you need it.

What a fair quote sounds like

A fair quote asks for your year, make and model, asks whether you have a working key, and then gives you a number or a tight range — not a $19 teaser that triples on arrival.

Call (617) 959-0758 with your vehicle details and you will get that number before we drive anywhere in Brevard County.