Last Updated on June 11, 2026
A locksmith can replace your car key from the VIN. Give us the year, make, and model, the VIN, and proof of ownership. We look up the key code, cut the key, program the chip if it has one, and mail it, usually shipping in 2 to 3 business days. Ordering a replacement car key by VIN number online saves a tow to the dealer. Works for most Ford, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, GM and more. Order below, or see car key replacement and automotive locksmith if you need a key cut on site.
Lost Your Car Keys? Get a New One Using Your VIN
Shipped Fast!
ACME Locksmith is your source for direct-to-you car key replacements.
Avoid towing, save time, and get your new key now!
How to Replace Lost Car Keys
Money Saving Tip: If you’ve only lost a spare key or remote, and you can still drive the car, purchase a spare key or remote online. Once it arrives, take car to your local lock shop for duplication and programming (if needed). This will cost less than cutting a key by VIN.
How Ordering Works
THE ORDERING PROCESS
- Gather the information needed
- Fill out the online order form to order your key / key remote combo
- If you don’t see the car listed, we cannot make the key
- Pay by credit card or Paypal
- We will call with any questions
- Keys will be mailed, 3-5 day USPS, 2-3 business days after placing order, unless rush shipping was ordered. A rush-shipped order will ship the following business day.
INFORMATION REQUIRED
Vehicle Information
Year, Make and Model of the car.
Car’s VIN
VIN can be found on insurance and title paperwork, on the driver’s side dashboard near the window’s edge-seen by looking into the front window, and possibly on the inside door well of the driver’s side of the car.
Proof of Ownership
You will also need proof that you are the owner of the car. The registration or title with a matching government-issued ID is typically what’s required.
Cost & What’s Included
No surprises! See exactly what your key by VIN will cost. The “Total Price” on the order form will auto-populate as you enter your car’s information.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
The key, the labor to cut the key, the cost of obtaining the code needed to cut the key, and the cost for standard mailing of the key are included in our service.
Prices for us to obtain the codes vary by manufacturer, thus your key by VIN price will vary as well, but should range between $99-$199
As you fill out your order, the cost of the key by VIN will update.
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED
Some keys will get you into your car and turn your ignition, but you may find that the car does not run, or it starts and then dies. Should this happen, the key will need to be programmed to the car, for the car to run. This is a vehicle security feature meant to prevent theft.
In some cases, you can program your own car key. You can check here to see if the key is on board programmable.
For some vehicles, we offer an inexpensive programming device that you can select during checkout. This will allow you to program your own key/remote.
If you’re in Phoenix, you can hire ACME Locksmith to do the key programming. If you are not, a local auto locksmith will be needed.
Locksmith vs Dealer
Discover why choosing an auto locksmith saves you time, money, and hassle.
Price
Automotive dealers may also provide key by VIN services, but a locksmith will almost always cost less, because they are small, local companies and not national corporate centers.
Convenience
If the key needs to be programmed, a locksmith can do this at your location, while dealers will require that you tow your car to them.
What Customers Say About Our Key by VIN Service
Quotes are exact quotes found in our Google reviews. Typos have been left to maintain authenticity.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reanna Rex
Love this company! I lost the only key to my car. I’m in a rural area, so there aren’t many locksmiths around. I was able to get new keys made for me very quickly by the car’s VIN. Dan even called to make sure I got them and they worked okay. All around, great service!!!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Kevin Wright
Placed an online order for new keys cut from a VIN to replace worn originals. There was an issue in shipping, but Acme communicated well and made it right. The new keys worked great!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Richard Kellermann
Easy Peasy! Purchased used truck for son and key given with purchase did not work correctly. Contacted ACME…sent necessary information and provided vin and within a week had key and works as it should.
Key Replacement by VIN Order Form
If your year, make and model car is not shown, we cannot cut the key by VIN.
How Locksmiths Replace Car Keys Using Your VIN
The fastest way for a locksmith to replace lost car keys is to make the car key by code using the car’s VIN.
Locksmiths can make car keys using a special code for the vehicle that allows the locksmith to cut the original key for the car. The VIN is used to generate this code. You may even have the code in your glove box, they are often provided when a car is purchased.
Pro Tip: If you have the code, give this to the locksmith instead of the VIN. You will save money because the cost of retrieving the code using the VIN is no longer incurred.
When You Must Use a Car Dealership to Replace the Keys
There are a few instances where you will need to go to a dealer for a new car key. For 2005 model year and newer German manufactures like BMW, VW, Mercedes and Audi, you should use the dealer.
There is a governing body called NASTF (National Automotive Service Task Force), and their purpose is to coordinate between car manufacturers, parts suppliers, and automotive technicians (including locksmiths) to allow computer protocol information to be used in the open marketplace.
This is necessary as many new car keys now need to be programmed to the vehicles, and so the technicians making a key must have a computer link to the vehicle and guide it to ‘learn’ a new key (and typically delete any lost keys as well).
However, some foreign manufacturers do not participate in this agreement, notably German and Italian car manufacturers. This often means outside vendors like auto mechanics and locksmiths cannot originate a working key. For some of these vehicles (and only a few), locksmiths can ‘clone’ a key (i.e., copy the chip programming in an existing key to a second key), but it prohibits them from being able to originate a key when all copies have been lost.
So, for car brands like BMW, VW, and Audi, you nearly always have to go through a dealer to get the car keys made. We’ve heard that some automotive shops and locksmiths have obtained pirated systems from overseas to accomplish this task outside the dealer, but … do you want to trust your car security to someone willing to buy an illegal device to work with it? Dealers may be expensive, but at least they are reputable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the key you make by VIN guaranteed to work?
No. A key by VIN is the car’s original key. If the ignition has been replaced or the door locks changed, a VIN key will not fit, so it is almost always a non-refundable service. The locksmith cannot know whether locks were changed or whether the VIN you gave is correct.
What if you can't make my key by VIN?
Sometimes the ignition or another lock has the key code stamped on it, the same code the VIN would pull, and a local locksmith can retrieve it and cut by code. In other cases the door, trunk, or glove-box lock shares the ignition cuts, so a locksmith can pull and decode it. For German cars made after 2000 you almost always have to use the dealer.
