Last updated: May 2026
24 Hour Auto Locksmith in Exeter
Day, night, weekends and every bank holiday — a technician answers, not a call centre
When your car key emergency happens at midnight on a Sunday or Christmas morning, the last thing you need is to reach a voicemail. When you call us, a technician answers. Not a dispatcher. Not an answering service. The person on the phone is the person who will be at your vehicle. We tell you exactly when we will arrive and what it will cost — before we set off.
What’s Available Around the Clock
You’re Stranded. Here’s What to Do Right Now.
Before anything else — you are going to be fine. A car key emergency is stressful and disorienting, but it is fixable. Here is the order of actions that will get you through this as quickly and safely as possible.
Your safety comes first — always
Before you think about the car, think about where you are. A dark layby on the A30 at midnight is a different situation from a well-lit car park in Exeter city centre. If you are in a location that feels unsafe, your immediate safety matters more than the vehicle.
If there is any genuine risk to your safety, call 999. If the location is uncomfortable but not dangerous, move away from traffic if you are at the roadside, lock yourself inside the vehicle if it is dark and isolated, and let someone know exactly where you are. Then call us.
In rural Devon, sharing your what3words address when you call is the fastest way to give us a precise location — particularly on country lanes without obvious landmarks or postcodes. Your phone’s maps app will give you this.
Your car is secure where it is
Your vehicle is not going anywhere and nobody is going to damage it while you wait. Modern cars are extremely difficult to break into without specialist equipment. Focus on staying warm, staying informed and keeping your phone charged. We may call you when we are close to confirm your exact location.
If you have children or vulnerable passengers with you, tell us immediately when you call. We treat these situations as priority callouts and adjust accordingly.
How It Works at Any Hour
What Genuine 24/7 Actually Means
Many automotive locksmiths advertise 24/7 availability. Very few genuinely deliver it. Here is the difference between a service that is truly available around the clock and one that says it is.
- Technician answers the phone directly at any hour
- Immediate dispatch — no callback, no delay
- Honest ETA given when you call — never optimistic
- Price confirmed before setting off — every time
- Same response times day and night
- Covers Christmas, bank holidays and extreme weather
- Rural Devon coverage without exception
- Answering service takes details, promises callback
- Callback comes hours later, or not at all
- 'Someone will be with you' without confirmed ETA
- Large late-night premium added on arrival
- Reduced service outside core hours
- Subcontracted technician who may not be nearby
- Coverage area quietly excludes rural locations
The IMI professional standard for automotive locksmiths covers both technical competence and service conduct — including transparency on pricing and realistic communication about attendance times. We hold that qualification and operate to those standards at every hour of the day.
Response Times Across Devon and Somerset
We are based near Honiton in East Devon — a location that puts us within fast reach of most of our service area. These are honest target times, not optimistic ones. Traffic and road conditions can affect them; we tell you if they do.
Priority Situations — When We Move Fastest
Some callouts require faster response than others. Tell us immediately if any of the following apply — it affects how we prioritise your call.
Every Make, Every Hour, Across Devon and Somerset
There is no make we do not cover and no hour we do not operate. Ford, BMW, Mercedes, Land Rover, VW and every other make — emergency coverage applies equally across all platforms. Some of the most complex emergency jobs we attend are BMW FEM all-keys-lost at 2am and VW MQB immobiliser faults stranding people in Exeter city centre after a late finish. The technical capability does not reduce at night — we bring the same equipment and expertise at any hour.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there an extra charge for calling in the middle of the night?
Possibly a small out-of-hours supplement for very late night or very early morning callouts — we always tell you if this applies when you call, before you agree to anything. There are no hidden charges and no pricing that changes based on your circumstances. If a supplement applies, you know about it before we set off. That is the honest approach — and it is the only approach we take. See our pricing guide for general context on our cost structure.
How quickly can you reach me at 3am?
The same target response times as daytime — we aim for 45–60 minutes to Exeter city centre and EX1–EX4 postcodes, 30–45 minutes to the Honiton and East Devon area, and longer for rural Somerset. There are no night-time factors that slow our response — if anything, lighter traffic at night means we sometimes arrive faster. We give you an honest arrival estimate when you call. Devon & Cornwall Police advise staying with your vehicle when stranded — we come to you.
Do you genuinely cover Christmas Day and bank holidays?
Yes — genuinely 24 hours, 365 days a year, including Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day and all UK bank holidays. There are no days where the service is reduced or unavailable. We understand that key emergencies do not respect the calendar — and neither does our availability.
What if I am in a location that feels unsafe?
Your safety takes absolute priority over the vehicle. If you feel genuinely unsafe — in an isolated location at night, in a situation that feels threatening — call 999 first if there is any immediate risk, or 101 for non-emergency police assistance. Then call us. We will come as fast as we can. If you are in your vehicle, lock yourself in while you wait — modern cars are very secure from the inside. Tell us your exact location when you call — a postcode, landmark or what3words address helps us find you faster in rural Devon.
I am stranded with children — does that change your response?
Yes — we treat callouts involving children as higher priority. Tell us immediately when you call. We will give you an honest arrival time and keep you informed if anything changes en route. While you wait, keep children warm, calm and ideally inside the vehicle if conditions allow. If the situation becomes a welfare emergency, call 999 — do not wait for us.
I am stranded in a very remote part of Devon at night — will you come?
Yes — we cover all of Devon and Somerset including remote rural areas. There is no location we will not attend. Rural response times are longer than Exeter — we tell you honestly how long rather than giving an optimistic estimate we cannot meet. Some of the most isolated callouts we attend are agricultural Land Rover breakdowns in East Devon and Somerset, often accessed via farm tracks at night. We come.
What emergencies do you cover around the clock?
Every automotive key and lock emergency: lost car keys, vehicle lockouts, broken key extraction, transponder faults, immobiliser diagnostics, ignition barrel failure and key fob emergencies. Everything we do during business hours we do at 3am. The only difference is we tell you if a late-night supplement applies — and you decide whether to proceed.
What should I do while I wait for you to arrive?
Stay with the vehicle, stay warm, and keep someone informed of your location. If you are at the roadside, move away from live traffic. If it is night-time in an isolated location, stay inside the locked vehicle rather than standing outside. Keep your phone charged — we may need to call if we have difficulty locating you. In rural Devon, sharing your what3words location when you call is the fastest way to ensure we find you accurately. The RAC advises the same: stay with the vehicle, stay visible, stay warm.
Available Right Now — Any Hour.
Call and you speak to a technician directly. Honest arrival time. Fixed price before we move. No call centres, no callbacks, no waiting.