Replacement Ford Keys: Cost to Buy and Where To Get Them!

There is a certain freedom that comes from having a car that works for all your needs in style. 

Fords are known for being reliable, sleek, and full of American pride. 

The key to car ownership, regardless of the model, is knowing how to take care of your car and your car needs. 

This includes knowing how to get new keys!

Where can I get replacement Ford keys and how much will they cost?

You can get replacement keys for your Ford straight from the dealer, from other auto part stores like Ace Hardware, an auto locksmith, or even places like Amazon. These keys can range in price greatly. They can be anywhere from 20 dollars to several hundred dollars.

However, you will need to consider a few different factors before you go and buy your replacement key for your Ford. 

You need to consider the age of your vehicle, your technical abilities with your car, and the convenience of the different options.

Dealership or No Dealership?

The first thing you will want to consider is if you want to buy the key from the dealership or want to go with another business instead.

Ford has a pretty streamlined system. 

If you go to their website, it explains simply how they go about replacing your car key. 

It is as simple as finding a dealership and giving them your VIN or Vehicle Identification Number. 

From there, they will order a new key for you, and you can get it from the dealer in a few days.

However, as I tried to explore the pricing ranges for keys from Ford, I struggled to get any information.

I tried to talk to a representative through an online chat but soon hit a wall since I didn’t have a VIN to give them to get a replacement key. 

As far as I know, there is no catalog online to look at different options of keys for your model of vehicle. 

This makes it difficult to see what key you are getting and if you are getting it at a good price.

However, there are some good reasons that make getting a key from a dealership appealing.

One point is that the age of your car has an impact on whether going to a dealership is a good idea for you. 

If your car is less than 5 years old, there are some technological advances that make it so programming a new key might have to be done by the dealership.

With the increase in complexity of coding, the dealership might not even accept programming a key fob or key that doesn’t come directly from the company.

Another benefit to getting your key from the dealer is you can look at warrantees, there are many dealerships you can choose from, and they are pretty efficient in getting you a key and getting the key programmed in a decent amount of time. 

It can take less than an hour to cut and program a spare key. 

If your car is older than 5 years, you can quite easily get a key or key fob from another company outside of the dealer with much lower risks! 

The technology is not nearly as advanced, so it is more user-friendly to install key fobs and there are more options for you as a consumer.

There is also a risk that if your vehicle is old enough (ten or more years old) that Ford doesn’t keep a record of it anymore so they could be unable to make a new key based on the VIN.

However, there are other options for car key replacement!

Outside Retailers

Getting a key from another company could save you a lot in the long run.

I looked at several different companies and I noticed that the keys were all on the cheaper end of things. 

From an online company named Car Keys Express, the cost of a key for a 2008 Ford F-150 was anywhere from 20 to 100 dollars with the option to program it to work with your car. 

At Batteries and Bulbs, the average price was anywhere from 30 dollars to 75 dollars with a 70 dollar programming fee.

Most of the time you can get a car key from other places for half of the price that the dealer would have charged you.

Replacement Options

Auto Locksmith

An auto locksmith is a great option for many reasons! Auto locksmiths are available almost everywhere and have the tools to replace all kinds of keys for a variety of models. 

They are often a great option because they have mobile services and can come to you.

They are experts in the field so they know exactly how to handle a variety of situations that other companies are not equipped for.

The main drawback is that they can be more expensive, around 130 dollars or so.

Car Insurance Companies, Local Garages, and Vehicle Breakdown Services

Car Insurance companies can be helpful because you might be able to get a free key replacement dependent on your policy. 

However, this is not always the case. 

You should check your policy and see if this is an option for you! 

Local Garages are an option but are not recommended.

They are convenient because they are local, however, they may not be able to do the levels of programming needed for your car key. 

But you might know the people working there and feel more comfortable with their services than going to a bigger company to receive a similar service.

Vehicle Breakdown Services are known for helping with car key replacement. 

However, they often use auto locksmiths, and you could save some money going directly to a locksmith instead of paying the middleman. 

They also may or may not have the tools on them to accomplish the task, so you could end up spending a lot of time waiting for people and tools. 

Getting yourself a new car key doesn’t have to be a scary experience. 

You just need to browse and find the best option for you and your car. 

Good luck with your car key purchase!