We love variety; we want to have our options laid out before us before we make a purchase. Be it a home, a car, or a key!
The same applies to car keys. We see a variety of cars when we go to automobile showrooms to see the best fit, the best color, the best engine, the best frame, and the best upholstery. But did you know that you can also choose the type of key you want?
That’s right! There are multiple types of keys that differ in terms of their construction and functioning, each with its own benefits. The next time you are purchasing a car, have a look at the car key you are given; or, if you have already gotten a car, here’s a handy dandy guide to key types and how you can identify yours!
Types of Car Keys
There are around eight-car key types we can identify; here is what they can do for you!
1. Traditional Key / Mechanically Cut Key
These cars keys are the ones you will find for older models or older vehicles at your home. These are the ones you can easily replicate at your nearest hardware store.
A traditional key is best described as your standard metal key placed into your door lock to manually open the car and switch on the ignition. These types of keys are usually built using a mechanical machine that cuts along the blade’s edges to give you the desired key shape – typically a thin metal key with grooves on one side. These are the oldest types of keys and offer little security as locks for these keys can easily be picked and replicated.
2. Laser Cut Key / Sidewinder Key
Laser-cut keys are quite similar to your standard traditional car keys but are crafted using a different type of technology. These keys offer an additional layer of security to your vehicle. Laser-cut keys will fit your car’s ignition no matter what position you push it into. Instead of having grooves along the side, these keys have a central winding groove down the center.
They are made using high-end laser cutting machinery and are therefore a bit pricier than mechanically cut keys. The same applies to their duplication. These keys are incredibly difficult to duplicate; moreover, their locks are much harder to pick open.
3. Transponder Key
Transponder Keys are built with an integrated RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chip inside the head of the key. This key is one of the most widely used keys you will find in the market today.
Today, cars come with built-in immobilizers, which are triggered if you submit the wrong key. Actually, your car is programmed to recognize the RFID chip and start the car if the key is verified. If the wrong key is submitted, the immobilizer will step in, cut down on your fuel flow, and shut down the engine. In this way, they add an additional layer of security to your car system.
4. Fob Key
A Fob key is more of a handheld remote that you can use to enter your car. These are keys with buttons that you press from a distance and hear your car door unlock for you. These keys operate on radio waves to communicate with door latches and open up. These also come with RFID integrated chips but also have an “antenna” to communicate using radio waves. The vehicle is programmed with certain tag information your key’s RFID will carry. Once the RFID chip transmits that information and the car recognize it as a match, it will unlock the doors.
These keys have multiple buttons; for opening and closing doors and starting the engines. These are incredibly popular due to their reliability, security, and small size. All you have to do is be in the vicinity of your car to have this work.
5. Switchblade Key / Flip Key
A switchblade key does not differ from the other keys mentioned in terms of functioning; they only look slightly different. These types of car keys can be folded into themselves (almost like a switchblade) when not in use. To open up the blade, the key will come with a button that has the key shootout. You can then fold it back into its compact shape after use.
6. Master Key
A few locks are made to work with a few distinct keys. The traditional key will only open one lock, whereas a master key will open that lock along with a variety of others in a group. A few pin pairs in these locks are isolated by a third pin. This third pin is referred to as a master wafer or spacer.
When three pins are taken in conjunction in a shaft, there are two different ways for the pins to be positioned so that the lock may be opened. The change key may elevate the pins to place the shear line a little above the top of the master wafer, whereas the master key may raise the pins to place the shear line down the middle of the master wafer. A hole at the shear line in both of these cases enables the key to be turned.
The lowest pin in each lock is the same in a group, i.e., it is the same length in each lock design, but the master wafer varies in length. This allows the master key holder to open any lock in the group, whereas a change key holder can only open their lock.
7. Smart Key
Smart keys – as the name suggests – work a lot smarter than your conventional car keys as they come with advanced locks with built-in programming codes. These types of keys also quite difficult to replace and will cost you a lot more.
A smart key is more similar to a Fob key, except they offer a lot more “remote” action. You can, of course, open and close your car doors with the press of a button, or you can add more options to your smart key via programming. These are becoming popular because people want more than the standard options to choose from; they demand more features.
8. Smart App Keys
These are some of the latest releases of key designs and are entirely virtual. Smart App Keys are exactly what they sound like; they are apps linked to your car and allow for automatic opening and closing of your car.
While these apps are still quite new and lack many features, they are a great option to consider! Some smart app keys are applications that can be downloaded to your smartphone; once your phone is in the range of your car, your smart key will be activated. You can then perform whatever function you wish on your car.
So, now you know how to identify a key and can easily identify key type for your car among different types of car keys.
