The internet is full of good ideas about how to find a car key when it’s lost, and we bet you even have some first-hand experience yourself!

In most cases you lose your car keys inside your house, so it’s not a serious problem, it just takes a while for them to turn up. In fact, there’s a big chance you might find them when you’re looking for something else!

But sometimes, waiting for them to turn up somewhere, or even actively looking for your lost car keys still leaves you empty-handed.

There are different ways to track your car keys, but these will only help you if you added the tracker beforehand.

If you have no idea where you put your keys, you have no way of tracking them and you run out of places where to look for the missing car keys, it’s time to think about replacing them.

If you have a spare, wait a day or two, in case the keys turn up on their own. If you don’t have a spare, it’s time to make some calls.

Luckily there are a few options when it comes to getting replacement car keys, and if you put in some effort and time, you might save some money when you replace your car keys.

Before you call someone about replacing your missing car key, here’s the information they will need to help you get a new car key:

1. Your car’s VIN number

This is the Vehicle Identification Number, composed of 17 characters (digits and capital letters). In most cars, you can easily find it on the driver’s side dashboard. It should be visible through the window, which is good since you can’t really get inside your car without your keys.

If you can’t check your car, you can also find your car’s VIN number in your car insurance information.

2. The make, model, and manufacture year of your vehicle

A car's make is the brand of the vehicle and the model refers to the name of that particular line of your car. If your car has any special body style or is a sport edition, also write down that information.

3. A personal identification document from you

An ID, driver’s license or your passport should do, as long as your name, photo and address are clearly visible.

4. Your car’s registration number

You can find that just by checking your plates, but having your vehicle registration papers ready would be even better, in case any other information might be needed. Unless, of course, you keep your papers in the car that you can't unlock at the moment...