How Do You Unlock a Car Door Without a Key?
Unlock a car door without a key by trying every door and the boot first, since 1 unlocked door ends a lockout in 30 seconds. The 4 other safe methods are a spare key, the car maker app, breakdown cover and a mobile auto locksmith, who opens the car in 10 to 20 minutes for £60 to £150.
Call 07830249408 · 24 hours a day · Devon, Dorset and Somerset
Lockout Method Checker
Pick what has happened.
Try every door and the boot, then the car maker app. A locksmith opens the door with no damage in 10 to 20 minutes.
Open 1 door, then press the boot release in the cabin or fold the rear seats down.
Unlocking alone does not start the car. A new key is cut and programmed to the immobiliser at the car.
Slide the metal blade out of the key fob and turn the door lock under the cap on the driver door handle.
Leave the broken blade in the lock and do not push a second key in. The blade is extracted at the car.
Call 999 at once in warm weather. Break a rear side window only when help is not close.
Entry is non destructive. The price is confirmed before travel. The service runs 24 hours a day across Devon, Dorset and Somerset.
A car lockout is a locked car with no working key in the hand of the driver. A car lockout leaves 2 ways in, which are the door lock from outside and the unlock button from inside. The cause of a car lockout is keys locked in the car, keys locked in the boot, a lost key, a dead key fob or a key snapped in the lock. The 5 safe methods below run from free to paid, and the DIY methods after the 5 safe methods are rated for a modern car.
Locked out right now in Devon, Dorset or Somerset? I am an auto locksmith based in Honiton, and I open locked cars across the 3 counties every day. Call 07830249408 for an honest arrival time and a price before I travel.
Which 5 Safe Methods Unlock a Car Door?
The 5 safe methods that unlock a car door without a key are an unlocked door or boot, a spare key, the car maker app, the breakdown cover and a mobile auto locksmith. Methods 1 to 3 cost nothing and leave no mark on the car.
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1
Try Every Door and the Boot
Pull every door handle, including the passenger door, the rear doors and the boot. One door often stays unlocked while the other doors lock. Check each window as well, since a gap of a few centimetres is enough to reach the unlock button inside.
The check takes 30 seconds. I have arrived at call outs where a rear door was unlocked the whole time.
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2
Fetch the Spare Key
Ask a person at home to bring the spare key. A spare key is the fastest way to unlock a car door without the main key, and the method costs nothing. A driver locked out of the car with no spare key moves to method 3.
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3
Use the Car Maker App
Open the car maker app on a phone and press remote unlock. Many cars built in the last 5 years have an app with remote unlocking, and the table lists the app for 9 makes.
Make App Ford Ford app Vauxhall MyVauxhall BMW and Mini My BMW and MINI app Volkswagen, Audi, Seat and Skoda Volkswagen app, myAudi, SEAT Connect and MySkoda Toyota and Lexus MyToyota and Lexus Link Hyundai Bluelink Kia Kia Connect Land Rover and Range Rover InControl Remote Mercedes Mercedes-Benz app Remote unlock is instant and free when the app was set up before the lockout and the phone has signal. An app that was never set up does not unlock the car.
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4
Check the Breakdown Cover
Call the breakdown provider or the car insurer and ask whether the policy includes lockout help. Some policies cover a lockout and some do not. The wait in rural Devon and Dorset runs past 60 to 120 minutes in busy periods.
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5
Call a Mobile Auto Locksmith
Call a mobile auto locksmith when the first 4 methods have failed. The locksmith gives a price before travel and reaches most locations in Devon, Dorset and Somerset within 30 to 60 minutes. A lost, damaged or unprogrammed key is often resolved in the same visit.
Which DIY Methods Unlock a Modern Car Door?
One DIY method of 5 unlocks a modern car door, which is the air wedge with a reach tool. The other 4 DIY methods suit cars built before about 2000 or do not open a car door at all. The table rates the 5 DIY methods.
| DIY method | Works on | Risk on a modern car |
|---|---|---|
| Coat hanger or slim jim | Cars built before about 2000 | Torn window seal and damaged door wiring |
| Shoelace | Cars with an upright lock knob | No way to grip a flush lock button |
| Credit card or plastic strip | No car door | A snapped card |
| Hairpin | No modern car lock | A pin snapped inside the lock |
| Air wedge and reach tool | Most cars that are not deadlocked | A creased door frame |
The coat hanger, the shoelace, the credit card and the hairpin fail on a modern car door, and the air wedge works only in trained hands.
Coat Hanger or Slim Jim
A coat hanger or a slim jim hooks the vertical lock rod inside the door. The method worked on cars built before about 2000, such as a Ford Escort, a Vauxhall Nova and a Rover Metro, where the lock rod sat close to the window edge. A modern door has the lock rod deeper in the door, wiring in the same channel and a tighter weather seal. The coat hanger tears the window seal and reaches the wiring of the side airbag sensor on some vehicles. Leave the coat hanger alone on any car newer than about 2002.
Shoelace
A shoelace with a slip knot pulls up an upright manual lock knob. The upright lock knob stands above the door trim, and almost no car sold in the UK in the last 15 years has one. The shoelace method is relevant only to a small number of older vehicles.
Credit Card or Plastic Strip
A credit card or a plastic strip slips a spring latch, the type on some interior doors of a house. A car door latch locks solid the moment the door closes, so a credit card does not open a car door. Do not spend time on the credit card method.
Hairpin
A hairpin does not pick a modern car lock. A modern car lock reads a key with a track cut into the side of the blade, and a hairpin has no way to set the wafers inside. The usual result is a pin snapped inside the lock.
Air Wedge and Reach Tool
An air wedge and a reach tool are the tools a professional uses. The air wedge opens a small controlled gap at the top corner of the door, and the reach tool presses the unlock button inside. An automatic car door with central locking opens from the unlock button on the dashboard or on the door panel. Too much air pressure creases the door frame, so inflate the wedge slowly. The air wedge fails on a deadlocked car, since deadlocking disconnects the unlock button and the inside door handles.
Stop when the door frame starts to bend
A bent door frame, a torn window seal and a broken lock part each cost more than a locksmith visit. A car that stays locked after the 5 safe methods is a job for emergency vehicle unlocking.
How Does a Locksmith Unlock a Car Door?
A locksmith unlocks a car door through the door lock itself, with no force on the door or the glass. Emergency vehicle unlocking uses non destructive entry tools, so the paintwork, the door frame and the window seals stay unmarked. The tools that unlock a car door without breaking a window are a lock pick with a decoder, an air wedge and a long reach tool.
The lock pick turns the door lock in the same way as the key, which also releases a deadlock. The work takes 10 to 20 minutes at the car. The car locksmith cost for a lockout is £60 to £120 in the daytime and up to £150 out of hours. The locksmith checks proof of ownership, such as a driving licence or a V5C logbook, before the door is opened.
Frequently Asked Questions About Unlocking a Car
Break a car window in 1 situation only, when a child or a vulnerable person is locked inside in hot weather and help is not close. Call 999 first. Choose the smallest rear side window away from the occupant, cover your hand and strike the corner of the glass. A child or a pet in a hot car is a medical emergency. In every other lockout a broken window costs £150 to £400 to replace, and a locksmith opens the door for less.
Unlock a car door with the keys locked inside by checking every door and the boot first, then the car maker app. A window left open by a few centimetres gives a way to the unlock button. A locksmith opens the door through the lock in 10 to 20 minutes when both checks fail, and the keys come out with no damage to the car.
A driver locked out of a car with no spare key has 3 options left, which are the car maker app, the breakdown cover and a mobile auto locksmith. The app works only when it was set up before the lockout. A mobile auto locksmith opens the car at the roadside, at home or in a car park.
Keys locked in the boot come out through the cabin on most cars. Open 1 door, then press the boot release button or fold the rear seats down. The guide to keys locked in the car boot gives the 7 steps by car type.
The fastest way back into a locked car is a spare key that a person brings to you. A mobile auto locksmith with non destructive entry tools is the fastest professional option, and is usually faster than breakdown cover in rural areas.
An emergency car lockout costs £60 to £120 in the daytime and up to £150 out of hours. The price depends on the location, the time of day and the vehicle type. Key cutting or programming for a lost or broken key costs more. The car locksmith cost guide lists the price of each job.
A breakdown provider unlocks a car for free when the policy includes lockout help, and some car insurance policies include key cover. The car maker app also unlocks the car for free. The police attend only when a child, a vulnerable person or an animal is in danger inside the car.
Lost car keys are a different job from a lockout. A replacement key is cut and programmed to the immobiliser of the vehicle, since an open door does not start the car. The lost car keys service covers the replacement at your location.
Avoid a second lockout with 4 habits. Get a spare key cut and programmed. Fit a key finder tag to the keyring. Set up the car maker app before a lockout happens. Check that the breakdown cover includes lockout help. Spare car keys are cut and programmed at a home or a workplace across Devon, Dorset and Somerset.
Yes, most cars unlock without the key fob. A metal emergency blade slides out of the key fob, and the door lock sits under a small plastic cap on the driver door handle. A key fob with a flat battery still opens the door this way. The guide on how to change a car key battery restores the remote buttons.
No, a professional auto locksmith does not damage the vehicle. The air wedge, the reach tool and the lock picks open the car with no mark on the paintwork, the door frame or the window seals. The guide on how a locksmith is able to unlock a car without damaging it explains each tool.
Yes, a reputable locksmith asks for proof that the vehicle is yours before opening it. A driving licence, a V5C logbook or an insurance certificate with your name and the registration is accepted. The check protects you as much as the locksmith.
No, in most cases. Non destructive entry tools open the lock without triggering the alarm circuit. An alarm that sounds stops when the key goes into the ignition or a button on the key fob is pressed.
Yes, a specialist auto locksmith opens the vast majority of vehicles. A small number of high security vehicles, such as some Tesla models and some Range Rover models with security upgrades, take extra specialist equipment. Describe the vehicle by phone and a good locksmith confirms before travel.
Get into a locked car without keys by checking every door and the boot, then the spare key, the car maker app and the breakdown cover. A mobile auto locksmith is the fifth method, and the locksmith is able to unlock a car door without a key and without damage in 10 to 20 minutes.
Dean answers in plain words
What is the first thing you check on a lockout?
Every door and the boot. I have arrived at call outs where a rear door was unlocked the whole time.
Is a coat hanger worth a go?
Not on anything newer than about 2002. You tear the window seal and the door stays locked.
Does the car app really work?
It is instant and free if it is already set up. The catch is that most people have not set it up until the day they are locked out.
I give an honest arrival time and a price before I travel, and I reach most locations within 30 to 60 minutes.
Available 24 hours a day, every day of the year.