In over a decade of attending car lockouts and key replacements across Norwich and Norfolk, one thing stands out. Most lost key call-outs were entirely preventable. A few small habits — put in place before anything goes wrong — would have saved the driver hours of stress and hundreds of pounds.
Here are the seven tips we give every customer after we’ve sorted their emergency. Take them seriously and you’ll almost certainly never need to call us in a panic.
Always have a spare key — and keep it somewhere sensible
This is the single most effective thing you can do. A spare key, stored separately from your main key, means a lost or locked-in key is an inconvenience rather than a crisis. Keep it at home in a fixed spot — a key hook, a drawer, a key safe — not in your bag or in the car itself.
If you don’t have a spare for your current car, get one made now while it’s a calm, planned decision. Having a spare key programmed proactively costs a fraction of having one made as an emergency.
Highest impact — do this first
Designate one home for your keys — and use it every single time
Keys get lost because they end up somewhere different every day. The fix is simple but requires discipline: pick one spot for your keys and put them there the moment you walk through the door. A hook near the entrance works well. So does a bowl, a small shelf, or a key cabinet.
The rule only works if you follow it without exception. “I’ll just put them here for now” is how keys disappear.
Free fix — just a habit change
Attach a Bluetooth tracker to your key ring
Small Bluetooth trackers — Apple AirTag, Tile, Samsung SmartTag — attach to your key ring and let you pinpoint your keys on a map using your phone. If they’re under a sofa cushion, in a coat pocket, or left at a friend’s house, you’ll find them in seconds.
They cost between £20 and £35 and require almost no setup. For the number of times a tracker saves you a full key replacement or locksmith call-out, they’re exceptional value.
Apple AirTag — uses the Find My network, works even when out of Bluetooth range
Tile Mate or Samsung SmartTag — wide compatibility, reliable range, replaceable battery
~£25 investment — easily worth it
Never leave your only key in your coat pocket
Coat pockets are where keys go to vanish. Coats get hung up, lent out, left in other rooms, put in the wash, or taken to the dry cleaner — all with a key still inside. If your only car key lives in a coat pocket, you’re one distracted morning away from a locksmith call.
Use a dedicated key ring that attaches to your bag or always transfers to the same pocket in the same pair of trousers. Remove the key from your coat before hanging it up — every time.
Very common cause of lost key call-outs
Use a large, distinctive key ring
A small, plain key fob is easy to overlook — on a counter, in a bag, on the floor. A large, brightly coloured, or distinctively shaped key ring is far harder to miss. It also makes your keys easier to identify at a glance in the bottom of a bag or in a pile of items.
Some people go further and use a key ring with a loud jingle. Excessive? Maybe. Effective? Absolutely — you’ll hear the keys before you see them.
Simple, cheap, surprisingly effective
Build a pre-departure checklist
Phone. Wallet. Keys. Make this a conscious three-point check every time you leave the house or leave your car. It takes three seconds and becomes automatic within a week. Most people who lose their keys aren’t careless — they’re just distracted, and a quick mental checklist breaks through that.
If you drive for work or manage a fleet, consider a physical checklist or a phone reminder at the times you most often leave the office or depot.
Takes 3 seconds — prevents hours of problems
A key that’s getting stiff, is visibly worn, or only works intermittently is giving you a warning. Most people ignore it until the key snaps in the lock or stops working entirely — often at the worst possible moment.
If your key shows any of these signs, get a replacement cut while you still have a working original. Replacing a worn key proactively costs a fraction of an emergency call-out when the original finally gives up.
Signs your key needs replacing: visible rounding of the blade teeth, stiffness when turning, the car not recognising it first time, or physical cracks in the key head.
“The customers I feel most for are the ones who knew their key was getting worn but kept putting off a replacement. A new key made at leisure costs £80–£120. An emergency call-out when the original finally fails costs considerably more — and usually happens at the worst possible time.”
— Professional auto locksmith, Norwich
The one thing that makes all seven tips work
Consistency. Every single tip on this list works through repetition. A key hook you use 90% of the time will still result in a lost key. A Bluetooth tracker you removed from your key ring is just jewellery in a drawer. A spare key stored in your car rather than at home doesn’t help when you’re locked out of it.
Pick the tips that suit your life and apply them without exception. The habits form quickly and the payoff — never needing an emergency locksmith call again — is completely worth it.