It happens in a heartbeat — the door shuts, and your keys are sitting on the seat inside. Whether it’s a freezing night in Norwich or a busy afternoon in Ipswich, being locked out of your vehicle is stressful. The most important thing to know is that with the right help, it’s usually a quick, damage-free fix. Here’s what to do — and what to avoid.
Step 1: Stay calm and stay safe
First, move somewhere safe, especially if you’re on a roadside or in a dark car park. If anyone vulnerable — a child or a pet — is locked inside the vehicle, or if you’re in immediate danger, call 999 straight away. For a standard lockout, take a breath: this is a routine job for a professional.
Step 2: Don’t try to force entry
It’s tempting to try coat hangers, screwdrivers or online “tricks,” but modern cars have sensitive electronics and tight-tolerance seals. Forcing a door or window almost always causes damage that costs far more than the lockout itself. A trained locksmith uses specialist tools to open your car without any damage — that’s the whole point of calling a professional.
Step 3: Check for a spare
If you have a spare key nearby — at home or with a family member — that may be the fastest route back in. If your spare is also lost or you only ever had one key, don’t worry; that’s a common situation and easily solved (more on that below).
Step 4: Call a 24/7 mobile auto locksmith
This is where we come in. A mobile locksmith travels to your location, day or night, and gets you back inside quickly and safely. Our emergency auto locksmith service operates 24/7 across the region, with rapid response times so you’re never stranded for long.
What if the keys are lost, not just locked in?
There’s an important difference. If your keys are inside the car, we simply unlock it. But if you’ve genuinely lost them, we can also cut and programme a brand-new key on the spot using mobile equipment — no towing required. Our lost car key service handles both the access and the replacement in a single visit.
How fast can help reach you?
Response times depend on your location, but our vans are based to cover the whole of East Anglia. We regularly reach customers across Norfolk and Suffolk — including Norwich, Great Yarmouth, Thetford, Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds — within a short window. One recent customer in Norwich was locked out late at night and back in her car in around 20 minutes.
Locked out right now?
Don’t wait in the cold. Call our 24/7 line or get in touch with Autowagon and we’ll dispatch a locksmith to your location. Fast, friendly, and damage-free — every time.