How much does it cost to have your car unlocked

The idea of getting locked out of your home or car might feel like a longshot (especially in light of the fact that so many of us manage our keys with smart devices). In reality, though, more than 16,000 home and car lockouts occur each day in the United States.

Table of Contents Show

Cost For a Locksmith to Unlock Your Car
Prices of Other Auto Locksmith Services
Cost of Home-Related Locksmith Services
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What else can a locksmith do?
How do I know whether a locksmith is qualified for the job at hand?
What if I need a commercial locksmith for my business?
Will a locksmith open a door for anyone who asks?
How much will it cost to unlock my car?
How do you unlock your car with keys inside?
How much does it cost to unlock door?
How do you get your car unlocked?

If you are among them, it is not only an annoyance—especially if you don’t have a friend or family member nearby with a spare key—but it is sometimes expensive, too. In the event that you need to hire a locksmith to save the day, we’ve got a breakdown of how much money you can expect to spend.

On average, locksmith services cost about $160 per incident. The exact cost, though, varies depending on things like: what needs to be unlocked, time of day (after-hours, you’ll pay more), your location and how far the locksmith needs to travel to get to you.

Cost For a Locksmith to Unlock Your Car

If you are locked out of your car, it probably isn’t a good idea to try to pry it open with a coat hanger like you did back in the 1990s (you’ll likely cause damage, and it might not even work). If you don’t have roadside assistance through your car warranty or your insurance policy and you need to pay for a locksmith out of pocket, here are some of the charges you are likely to see on your bill.

The cost to physically unlock your car door: Between $75 and $150.
The cost to unlock your car door in the middle of the night: Between $150 and $300
The cost to rekey your car (in the event that you do not have a spare anywhere): As low as $50 but possibly even as much as $300.

Let’s face it, though—if you are locked out of your car and need a locksmith stat, you probably aren’t going to spend too much time calling around to find the best price.

Prices of Other Auto Locksmith Services

Along with these emergency-type services, locksmiths can also replace the locks on your car door ($200 to $600), rekey your ignition ($50 to $150), put on a new keypad (up to $400), make new “regular” keys ($5 to $10 each) and either make or reprogram transponder keys (these keys contain chips that allow you to unlock the car with the push of a button, and since they are currently the industry standard your car probably has one—unless it is 20-plus years old). Keep in mind that these are just average ranges. You will pay more or less depending on the make and model of your car, and the complexity of the job.

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Locksmiths can do a lot of different things to help you out with the keys and locks at your house, including letting you in when you are locked out. Since they are pros, they can get your door unlocked within minutes for an average of $150 (if you have to choose between spending the money or standing out in the rain wondering when or if the friend entrusted with your spare key is going to respond to your text, $150 might not seem so bad).

Locksmiths can also:

Rekey your locks. The cost for this? An average hourly rate of $75, plus an additional trip fee charge of up to $150.
Change your locks. Sometimes, for security reasons, you need a whole new set of locks on your home. The price range for this service is significant—from $50 to $300 overall, depending on how many locks you need changed and what types of locks you want. On a per-lock basis, the cost is between $40 and $100 for the lock itself plus another $15 to $40 per lock for labor.
Upgrade your locks. If you are ready to switch from a standard key to Bluetooth-equipped electronic locks, it won’t be cheap. While it is definitely a worthwhile investment for many homeowners, the entire system can easily set you back as much as $2,000. On the plus side, you won’t ever have to deal with losing our house key again.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What else can a locksmith do?

In addition to unlocking doors and replacing locks on cars and homes, locksmiths can also open your safes, install deadbolts, repair broken locks and reprogram keypads

How do I know whether a locksmith is qualified for the job at hand?

Unfortunately, there are plenty of locksmith scams out there, so be careful. Many professional locksmiths are members of the Associated Locksmiths of America, so that is a good place to start (they have a ‘find a locksmith’ tab on their website).

If you live in Alabama, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Nebraska, New Jersey, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas or Virginia you should also verify that your locksmith has a license, because these states require it.

What if I need a commercial locksmith for my business?

Some locksmiths specialize in providing services to folks in commercial buildings. The cost is higher because the doors, windows and other materials used to secure these buildings are commercial grade and, therefore, harder to work with. The price can range anywhere from $75 all the way up to $800 on average.

If you are locked out of your businesses, a locksmith can get you back in for $50 to $200. You’ll pay up to $150 to rekey your doors, and between $100 and $250 to replace a lock.

Will a locksmith open a door for anyone who asks?

A legitimate locksmith will not let you into a car or home unless you can provide evidence that you have the right to enter that car or home. If you have a driver’s license with your current address, that is probably sufficient if you are locked out of your house. For your car, you might need to show them your insurance card (this is a problem if the only copy is in the car, so make sure you have either a paper copy in your wallet or an electronic copy on your phone).

How much will it cost to unlock my car?

Cost For a Locksmith to Unlock Your Car The cost to physically unlock your car door: Between $75 and $150. The cost to rekey your car (in the event that you do not have a spare anywhere): As low as $50 but possibly even as much as $300.

How do you unlock your car with keys inside?

An option for getting into your car if your keys are locked in it is to have a locksmith make a new key for the car. One of the best ways to accomplish this is to provide the VIN or Vehicle Identification Number to the locksmith. Using the VIN, the locksmith will be able to make a new key that will fit the lock.

How much does it cost to unlock door?

It typically costs $65 to $180 for a locksmith to help you if you're locked out of your house. That price covers overhead, insurance, travel time, and the cost depending on the time of day; after hours will cost more than standard working hours.