Will Auto Insurance Pay for Lost Keys?

Last Updated on October 7, 2026

By James Shaffer Reviewed by Thomas Rockford, insurance industry executive and financial analyst, on October 4, 2026 How we fact-check

Just about every driver loses their keys at least once. If you end up in this unfortunate situation, getting back into your car is usually easier than it feels in the moment. If you have emergency roadside service coverage, your insurer may help unlock the vehicle or tow it somewhere safe.

That is a different thing from paying for the keys. Progressive puts it in one line on its own roadside page: it dispatches a service provider, and “You’re only responsible for the replacement key costs.” Even where a policy would pay something, it rarely makes sense to file a claim if your deductible is higher than the replacement cost. In those situations, it’s usually smarter to pay for new keys out of your own pocket.

Standard auto insurance does not pay for keys you simply lost. What roadside assistance buys you is locksmith service to get into the car, not a new key.
Keys and fobs are often covered when they’re damaged or stolen as part of a comprehensive claim (fire, theft, vandalism, flood, etc.), but your deductible still applies.
Kelley Blue Book puts a transponder key at $125 to $250 all in and a smart key at $200 to $400. AAA says transponder, smart and switchblade keys mean towing the car to the dealership, which is a cost on top.
An auto club membership is the one option with published numbers. AAA reimburses locksmith work for lost or broken keys up to $50 or $60 on Classic, $100 on Plus and $150 to $250 on Premier, depending on the club.

Table Of Contents

When Does Auto Insurance Cover Lost or Damaged Keys?
The Cost of Replacing Modern Car Keys
What If You Lose All Your Keys?
Coverage for Lost Keys Differs by Provider and Policy
Lost Keys When the Vehicle Is Stolen
Can You Buy Coverage for Lost Keys?
FAQs
Final Word
Sources

When Does Auto Insurance Cover Lost or Damaged Keys?

Whether your keys are covered depends on how they were lost or damaged. If your keys are damaged or destroyed as part of a covered loss, they’re often included in the claim just like any other part of the vehicle.

For example, if your keys are ruined in a vehicle fire, stolen during a covered theft, or damaged in a flood or hailstorm, your comprehensive coverage can pay to repair or replace the vehicle—and that can include damaged keys and remotes.

The reason is in the policy wording. A filed personal auto form pays for “direct and accidental loss to ‘your covered auto’ … including their equipment,” and your keys and remotes count as equipment. So they are part of the overall claim, and you pay your comprehensive or collision deductible once, not a separate deductible for the keys. If the loss is serious, like a stolen or badly damaged vehicle, filing makes sense and the keys are simply another covered item.

But if you misplace your keys or drop them down a storm drain, nothing happened to your car. Comprehensive pays for loss to the vehicle and its equipment, and a key you can’t find isn’t damage. (This isn’t the wear-and-tear exclusion, which is about damage from use. A lost key never gets that far.) One filed form does carry a small built-in benefit: “up to $50 for the expense you incur for a locksmith’s service if ‘your covered auto’s’ ignition or door key is lost, stolen, or accidentally locked in” the car. That pays for the locksmith’s service, and $50 does not go far on a modern key.

The Cost of Replacing Modern Car Keys

The cost of replacing a set of car keys varies widely based on your vehicle and key type:

Traditional metal key: $5 to $15 for the blank, per Kelley Blue Book. AAA puts it at “about $10 if you have them made from the original at the hardware store.”
Transponder key (chip key): $125 to $250 all in, per Kelley Blue Book, which splits that into $50 to $100 for the part and $75 to $150 for programming. AAA says about $200 plus the tow to the dealership.
Key fob or smart key for push-button start: $200 to $400 all in, per Kelley Blue Book. AAA’s range is $200 to $500 depending on your location, the dealership and the make and model. A switchblade fob runs $150 to $300.
High-end smart keys: Kelley Blue Book collected a dealer quote of roughly $500 for a 2023 BMW X7 fob. At the other end, a 2017 Honda Accord fob came in as low as $150, so the make matters more than the price bracket.

Programming is a separate charge on top of the part, and it is a flat fee rather than an hourly rate. Kelley Blue Book lists $75 to $150 for programming on every advanced key type. A locksmith usually beats the dealer by 10% to 25%, but AAA says a locksmith can only cut a traditional key on the spot. For transponder, smart and switchblade keys, “you’ll need to tow your car to the dealership.”

So a modern key replacement usually lands somewhere between $125 and $500. That’s why it rarely makes sense to file a comprehensive claim just for lost keys if your deductible is $500 or $1,000. You’d pay the whole bill anyway and still put a claim on your record.

What If You Lose All Your Keys?

Losing one key is annoying. Losing all of your keys can be a much bigger (and more expensive) problem.

If every key is lost or stolen, a locksmith or dealer may need to:

Reprogram the vehicle’s computer to accept new keys
Disable old keys so they can’t be used to steal the car
Occasionally replace door locks or the ignition cylinder, though nobody publishes how often that is really needed

You can build the bill from published figures: $200 to $500 for a smart key, $75 to $150 for programming, times the number of keys you want, plus the tow. AAA says the advanced key types have to go to the dealership, and it names that tow as a cost on top of the key. Nobody publishes a total for an all-keys-lost job, so treat any flat figure you see as a guess.

Because the cost climbs quickly, losing all your keys is one of the few situations where it’s worth asking whether insurance could step in, and the answer turns on how it happened. Tied to a theft, a fire or vandalism, the keys ride along on that claim. Just misplaced, they don’t.

Coverage for Lost Keys Differs by Provider and Policy

Comprehensive auto insurance policies are not all identical. A few forms build in a small locksmith benefit, like the $50 one quoted above. Most say nothing about keys, which means they are covered only when they were damaged in a loss the policy covers.

Because of this, you should never assume your policy will pay for lost or stolen keys. Instead:

Review your policy declarations and endorsements.
Look for key replacement, key protection, or lock-and-key coverage.
Call your insurer or agent and ask whether lost keys are covered and under what circumstances.

Here is what the roadside side actually buys. State Farm’s policy form pays “up to one hour of labor for locksmith services to unlock a covered vehicle if its key is lost, stolen, or locked inside.” Progressive dispatches a provider and leaves the key cost to you. Farmers says it has 10,000 locksmiths in its dispatch network. In every case it is entry, not a new key.

If you want a dollar limit you can compare before you need it, an auto club is where to look. AAA reimburses locksmith work for lost or broken keys, and the limits are published: the Automobile Club of Southern California covers $60 in parts and labor on Classic, $100 on Plus and $150 on Premier; AAA Washington covers $50 for one ignition key on Classic, $100 on Plus and $250 on Premier for auto and home; AAA Mountain West covers $50, $100 and $150. Southern California’s member guide excludes key duplication, so these are for emergencies and not for making yourself a spare.

Lost Keys When the Vehicle Is Stolen

If your vehicle is stolen and your keys were left inside—or used to steal the car—your comprehensive coverage will typically handle the situation as part of the overall theft claim, not as a separate key claim.

If the car comes back damaged, the insurer pays to repair it and re-key it, minus your deductible, as long as that total stays under the car’s actual cash value. If the car is never recovered or is totaled, you get the vehicle’s actual cash value. Policy forms don’t itemize the keys inside that settlement, so don’t expect a separate line for them.

Keep in mind:

You’ll still be responsible for your deductible.
A theft claim may impact your future premiums.
Insurers may ask detailed questions about how the keys were stored and whether negligence was involved.

None of this depends on your record. Paying on time and staying accident-free keeps your premium down, but it doesn’t change whether your policy covers keys. That is a question about the wording on your declarations page.

Can You Buy Coverage for Lost Keys?

Not really, and that is worth saying plainly. None of the big carriers publishes a key replacement endorsement on its site. Erie, American Family, The Hartford, Travelers, Nationwide, Liberty Mutual, Auto-Owners and State Farm all describe lockout help under roadside assistance and stop there. What is actually for sale is roadside assistance, which pays a locksmith to get you in, and an auto club membership, which reimburses locksmith work up to a stated dollar limit. If an agent offers you something branded as key coverage, ask for the form number and the limit.

When deciding whether it’s worth it, consider:

The cost to replace your specific keys or fobs
How often you’ve lost keys in the past (be honest!)
The extra premium, against AAA’s $50 to $250 limits for the same problem
Any limits, deductibles or caps on how many times you can use it in a year

If your car takes a plain metal key, paying extra for any of this is pointless at $10 a copy. If you drive something with a smart key at $200 to $500 a pop, the roadside or auto club route is worth the few dollars, mostly because it also covers the lockouts and tows you are far more likely to need.

FAQs

Does my auto insurance pay if I simply lose my car keys?

No. Comprehensive pays for loss to your car and its equipment, and a key you can’t find isn’t damage to the car, so nothing triggers the coverage. Progressive says it directly on its roadside page: it sends a provider, and you are responsible for the replacement key costs.

When are lost or damaged keys covered by insurance?

Your keys may be covered if they are damaged or stolen as part of a covered comprehensive loss, such as a vehicle fire, theft, vandalism, flood, or severe weather event. In those cases, the cost to replace keys and remotes is usually included in the overall claim, subject to your comprehensive deductible.

Is it worth filing an insurance claim just for lost keys?

Usually not. A modern key replacement runs about $125 to $500, which is at or below a typical $500 comprehensive deductible. You would pay the whole bill anyway and still add a claim to your record.

How much does it cost to replace a car key or key fob?

It depends on the key type. Kelley Blue Book puts a basic metal key at $5 to $15, a transponder key at $125 to $250, a switchblade fob at $150 to $300 and a smart key at $200 to $400, with programming of $75 to $150 included in those totals. A dealer quote for a 2023 BMW X7 fob came in around $500.

What if I lose all of my keys?

If every key is gone, the shop has to program new ones and disable the old ones, and occasionally replace locks or ignition parts. Add the tow: AAA says transponder, smart and switchblade keys mean taking the car to the dealership. Nobody publishes a total for this job, so get a written quote rather than trusting a figure online.

Does roadside assistance cover lost keys?

It covers getting you in, not the key. State Farm’s policy form pays up to one hour of locksmith labor to unlock a covered vehicle when the key is lost, stolen or locked inside. Progressive dispatches a provider and says you are responsible for the replacement key costs. AAA goes further and reimburses locksmith work for lost or broken keys, up to $50 or $60 on Classic, $100 on Plus and $150 to $250 on Premier depending on the club.

Can I buy coverage that pays for a new key?

No major insurer publishes a key replacement endorsement, so there may be nothing to buy. The two real options are roadside assistance, which pays a locksmith to get you in, and an auto club membership, which reimburses locksmith work up to a published limit. Both are worth having for the lockouts and tows anyway.

Final Word

Auto insurance covers major, unexpected losses. Misplacing your keys is not one of them. If keys are damaged or stolen as part of a larger comprehensive claim, your policy picks them up. If you just lost them, they are yours to replace.

If your car uses a smart key, spend five minutes with your declarations page and find out whether you have roadside assistance at all. My advice is to get a spare key cut now, while you still have the original. A spare costs a fraction of an all-keys-lost job, and it turns the whole problem into an inconvenience.

Sources

Checked October 4, 2026

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