The best Tom's Key purchase is rarely the cheapest fob on the page. It is the one that matches your exact vehicle, arrives with the blade already cut, and can be programmed by whoever is going to program it. Get those three right and a spare car key stops being a dealership problem.

Tom's Key Company sells spare and replacement keys direct, with Key by Photo blade cutting and DIY programming through its PairMyKey system. Below are the picks worth knowing, grouped by what you are trying to solve rather than by model year.

How to pick the right replacement key

Four checks, in order.

Those tags do more work than the product photos. Two listings can show the same proximity flip key and differ only in the suffix, because the vehicle it is destined for decides whether a home programming path exists at all. Reading the code is not pedantry here, it is the whole decision.

It also helps to be honest about which key you are buying. A daily-driver replacement and a spare that lives in a kitchen drawer are different purchases, and the catalogue is priced as though it knows that.

Best all-in-one DIY kits

The Ultimate DIY Car Key Replacement Kit is the flagship. Tom's Key calls it the fastest, most affordable DIY car key replacement solution available, and each version bundles a PairMyKey programmer, a bypass cable, one smart key and Key by Photo service. You download the PairMyKey app, connect the programmer to the OBD2 port and follow the steps on your phone.

Best for Chrysler minivans: the seven-button Pacifica and Voyager kit

What is included in the Chrysler Pacifica seven button DIY car key replacement kit

Built for the Chrysler Pacifica 2019 to 2026 and Voyager 2020 to 2025, this kit pairs the full seven-button smart key with the programmer, bypass cable and photo-cut blade. If you run a sliding-door minivan, the button count is the whole point, so a downgraded fob is a false saving.

Best for Jeep Grand Cherokee: the four-button OEM kit

Covers the 2018 to 2021 Grand Cherokee with a genuine OEM smart key including remote start. There is a three-button version of the same kit for vehicles without it, which is the cleaner buy if your original key has three buttons.

Best for Wrangler and Gladiator owners

Two kits cover the Jeep Gladiator 2020 to 2025 and Wrangler 2018 to 2025: a four-button like new refurbished OEM smart key with remote start, and a three-button version. Both ship as full bundles with programmer, bypass cable and Key by Photo.

Best for 2018 Dodge and Chrysler performance cars

The five-button kit built for the Dodge Challenger and Charger and the Chrysler 300, all 2018, covers trunk release and remote start in one fob. It is the most feature-complete of the car-side bundles.

All current bundles are listed together at Tom's Key Company.

Best standalone smart keys

If you already own a programmer, or a locksmith is handling the pairing, buy the key on its own.

Aftermarket four button smart key fob for select Chrysler and Dodge vehicles

The pattern across these is consistent: aftermarket where an equivalent exists, OEM where it does not, and part numbers published either way. That transparency is what makes buying a key online reasonable rather than a gamble, since the fob either matches your vehicle's numbers or it does not.

Best pick for Ford drivers

Aftermarket five button Ford smart key with remote start and trunk release

The FORPSK-5B-TRS-FOB-PDL is the standout non-Stellantis option: a brand new aftermarket five-button smart key for select Ford vehicles covering lock, unlock, panic, trunk release and remote start. It replaces part numbers 164-R7995 and CJ5T-15K601-DX, FCC IDs M3N5WY8609 and M3N5WY8610, and uses a Texas 4D 63 80 bit chip. The standard edge emergency key insert ships uncut unless you add Key by Photo, so add it.

Best value: refurbished OEM keys

Refurbished is where the pricing story gets interesting. Tom's Key describes its like new refurbished OEM keys as delivering identical performance, functionality and appearance as a brand new OEM key at a fraction of the cost, which makes them the obvious candidate for a backup key.

Watch the suffix on that last one. The same physical key appears as PBC, which is programmable, and as ND, which is not. If keeping your own spare in the glovebox is part of a wider tidy-up, our category-by-category car accessory upgrades covers what else earns its place in the cabin.

Best pick for older turn-key vehicles

Not every car has push-button start. The FORKEY-128-HS transponder key covers select Lincoln vehicles with a traditional turn-key ignition, replacing part numbers 5923293 and 164-R8128 with a HITAG Pro 128-bit transponder chip. It ships with an uncut key blade ready to be cut to match your ignition, which is precisely the job Key by Photo exists for.

A pre-cut spare for an older vehicle is one of the more genuinely useful gifts you can give a driver, and it sits well beside the practical picks in our gifts for car lovers roundup.

Tom's Key buying FAQ

What do the PMK, PBC and ND tags mean?

PMK and PBC listings are programmable through the PairMyKey system. ND listings are marked non-DIY, meaning there is currently no do-it-yourself programming solution and you must contact a dealership or automotive locksmith.

Should I buy the kit or just the key?

Buy the kit if you have no programmer and want the whole job done at home; it includes the programmer, bypass cable, key and Key by Photo. Buy the key alone if a professional is pairing it or you already own the hardware.

Do I have to add Key by Photo?

No, but the emergency blade ships uncut without it. Tom's Key strongly recommends cutting the emergency key in case your vehicle or the remote battery dies, and having it cut before shipping saves a locksmith trip. Compare the options at Tom's Key Company.