Most people do two things when they lock their keys in the car. They check their pockets twice, then they call their insurance company. The second step usually costs them twenty minutes before they find out they are not covered. Then they call a locksmith anyway.
The actual cost of getting back into a locked car in the UK starts from around £75 for a standard daytime callout. Evenings, weekends, and bank holidays push that figure to £120 and above, with some providers charging £145 per hour out of hours. If your keys are trapped inside rather than simply lost, extraction jobs run from £110 to £150.
That is the short answer. The longer one involves understanding what insurance and breakdown cover actually pay for, because it is almost never what people expect.
1. Does Car Insurance Cover Being Locked Out of Your Car
This is where most people get stuck. Many comprehensive car insurance policies include cover for lost or stolen keys, although locking your keys inside the vehicle is often treated differently. In practice, it has a significant catch.
Locking your keys inside the car is not classed as loss by most insurers. It is not theft either. The key exists. You know exactly where it is. You just cannot reach it. Insurers have consistently treated that situation differently from a key that has gone missing, and the policy wording in most cases reflects that distinction. Calling your insurer from a car park when you are already locked out is a slower and considerably less satisfying experience than checking the terms beforehand.
2. What the AA and RAC Actually Include for Lockouts
Standard breakdown cover with either the AA or RAC does not include lockout assistance. Both providers offer it, but as a separate paid add-on. The AA’s Key Cover product and RAC’s Key Replace add-on both cover lockouts, but neither comes included with basic membership.
RAC’s Key Replace cover also starts seven days after purchase. Buy it on the day you need it and it will not apply. That is clearly stated in the terms. It still catches people out more than you would expect. If you are locked out right now and relying on a breakdown provider, they will often arrange a locksmith on your behalf anyway, which adds time to the process rather than removing it. Calling a dedicated car opening service directly cuts that delay out entirely.
3. What Affects the Cost of Opening a Locked Car in the UK
Time of day makes the biggest difference. The gap between a daytime callout and an evening one is larger than most people expect. During business hours, a mobile locksmith typically charges £75 to £95 for a standard car opening. Call at 10pm on a Sunday and that figure climbs to £120 or more. A flat callout fee often sits on top of the hourly rate too. Ask for the total before agreeing to anything, not just the hourly number.
Vehicle type plays a role too. Older cars without electronic immobilisers are quicker and cheaper to open. Modern vehicles with keyless entry systems and proximity sensors require different equipment and more time, both of which affect the final price. Location matters as well. Urban callouts in Manchester or Birmingham typically sit around the national average. Rural jobs can attract higher charges if the travel time is significant.
4. Can You Open a Locked Car Yourself
A spare key is the fastest route out of a lockout. Beyond that, check your manufacturer’s app. Ford, BMW, Mercedes and a number of others offer remote unlock through a phone, and it takes two minutes to find out whether yours does. That is worth trying before making any calls. Roadside assistance via a telematics system is another option on some newer vehicles, though the time it takes to get through to the right department usually makes a direct locksmith callout the faster choice anyway.
Beyond those options, the picture changes. Slim jim tools and air wedges exist and are sold online, but using them without experience risks damaging the door seal, the window, or the locking mechanism itself. A repair bill for a damaged door is considerably more expensive than a locksmith callout. The auto locksmiths at Car Key Masters use tools matched specifically to each vehicle make and model, which is why the job leaves no damage and is done in under an hour in most cases. If a replacement key is also needed after the opening, that can be handled at the same visit through their car key replacement service, with no second appointment required.
5. How Quickly Can a Locksmith Get to Me
A mobile auto locksmith working across a city area can reach you within 30 minutes in most cases. That is the target response time for Car Key Masters’ emergency car opening service, which operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week across Manchester and Birmingham. If the lockout has also left you without a working key and you need one cut and programmed on the spot, that falls under their car key programming service and is handled from the van at the same visit.
If you are locked out and need someone there quickly, Car Key Masters’ car opening service covers Manchester and Birmingham with same-day response. Call or WhatsApp for an upfront quote before anyone sets off.
