As a new owner of a ’21 RAV4 Prime needing a second smart key fob and emergency blade key, I embarked on a journey to find the best replacement solution and wanted to share my findings on pricing in the Twin Cities, MN area. All prices mentioned are pre-tax.
Initially, I approached a locksmith specializing in import key fob programming. They quoted $325 for a smart key, programming, and emergency key duplication. Despite their experience with many RAV4 hybrids, they encountered a roadblock with my Prime’s ECU due to software differences, and their device couldn’t gain access.
Undeterred, I turned to my local Toyota dealer and discovered they offer programming of genuine Toyota fobs for a reasonable $85, further reduced by a $10 service coupon. I sourced a key fob from BAM Wholesale Parts online for $144.50 including shipping. The dealer programming service cost $75, and an emergency blade key from a locksmith was $25. The total came to $244.50 before tax. While it required more effort and time than initially anticipated, the final price was better than expected.
An interesting point from the locksmith was that Toyota has reportedly restricted the programming of used smart key fobs to different RAV4s. They mentioned recent failures and are hoping for a future software solution to overcome this limitation.
The emergency key creation process was also noteworthy. The locksmith utilized a device to capture a high-resolution image of my existing key. This image was then wirelessly transmitted to a CNC router which precisely cut the new key. The software even analyzed the original key for wear, ensuring the new key was an exact factory-fresh replica based on Toyota’s standards.
