Keys Locked in the Boot? Here Is What Happens
A boot lockout takes longer than a door, and the way in depends on your car. What we do, and the one thing that makes it much easier.
Keys in the boot is its own category of lockout. The doors are locked, the keys are visible through the parcel shelf, and on most modern cars there is no external boot lock to pick. It feels worse than a standard lockout, and mechanically it usually is not.
Why it happens so often
Almost always while loading. Shopping in one hand, boot lid coming down with the other, keys placed on the lip for a second. Central locking on a lot of vehicles will secure everything when the boot closes if the doors were already locked, and that is the moment it becomes a problem.
Supermarket car parks around Hamilton are where we see it most, along with the loading area at the back of trade suppliers. It is not carelessness so much as a design that punishes a very ordinary habit.
What happens on a callout
The route in is almost never the boot. We open a door, and from inside the cabin the boot release does the rest. That is the same non-destructive vehicle lockout process as any other lockout — the boot being the room your keys are in does not change how we get through the door.
Where it gets more involved is a vehicle with no interior boot release and no fold-down rear seats, which is rare but does exist on some vans and a few older wagons. Even then the answer is usually through the cabin rather than through the boot lock.
What not to do while you wait
Do not lever the boot lid. The gap looks inviting and the lid is thin — it bends, and the paint goes with it. A bent boot lid costs considerably more to put right than the callout that would have avoided it.
Do not pull the rear seats about with force either. On cars where they do fold, they usually release from inside the cabin, which you cannot reach. Forcing them from the boot side breaks the catch.
If it is a hot day and there is a pet or a child in the vehicle, stop reading and call 111 first — that situation is covered separately in our article on it.
Afterwards
This is the lockout most cleanly solved by a spare. Not a spare in your bag, which is in the boot, but one held by someone else — a partner, a neighbour, a workmate. That is the whole case for spare car keys, and it is a much cheaper conversation than a callout.
Hatchbacks, wagons and vans
On a hatchback the boot is part of the cabin, so once a door is open the keys are simply there. These are the quickest version of this job.
A saloon with a separate boot is the classic case, and the interior release handles it. Vans are the awkward one — rear doors are often on a separate lock, and some have no interior release at all. Even then the way in is a front door rather than the rear, and it is still non-destructive.
If it is a work van with tools inside, say so when you ring. It changes nothing about the method but it does change how we prioritise the call.
Most Hamilton callouts are 20 to 40 minutes. If you are standing behind a closed boot right now, ring us and we will tell you honestly how far away we are before you decide.
Common questions
Is a boot lockout more expensive than a door?
Not usually. It often takes a little longer, and we will say so if your particular vehicle needs the boot lock opened rather than a reach through the seats.
My rear seats fold. Does that make it easier?
Considerably. We open a door without damage and reach the keys through the folded seat. It is the quickest version of this job.
What if the car battery is flat as well?
On many cars the boot lock is electric with no outside override, so power has to be restored first. Mention it when you call and we will come prepared.
Can you open a ute canopy or tonneau?
Often, depending on the lock fitted. Tell us what is on the back of the vehicle when you call so we bring the right tools.