The short answer: a genuine local locksmith should charge somewhere between £80 and £150 for an emergency call-out in the Southampton area, all-in. At Keywise that means non-destructive entry from £80, lock changes from £90 fitted, no call-out fee, no VAT, and the full price agreed on the phone before I start any work. If you cannot get a straight price before the van leaves, ring someone else.
Right, now the long answer, because there is a reason this is the question I get asked most, and it is not a comfortable one for my trade.
The phone call that made me write this
A lady in Hythe rang me a while back, locked out, gone nine at night. First thing she said was not “can you come” but “how much is this going to hurt”. She had already rung one of those national numbers at the top of Google and been told £59. Then the chap on the phone mentioned a call-out fee on top. Then something about “specialist labour rates after 8pm”. By the time she put the phone down the £59 had quietly become “probably £200 to £300, we’ll confirm on arrival”.
She was stood on her own doorstep in the dark being asked to agree to a number nobody would actually tell her. That is not pricing, that is fishing.
I drove over, picked the lock, she was in within the half hour, and she paid £80. The same £80 I quoted on the phone before I started the van. So let me lay out how emergency locksmith pricing actually works, what is fair, and what should make you hang up and keep scrolling. I covered what to look for in a locksmith generally in my post about searching “locksmith near me” at 2am, and this one is the money side of the same story.
What an emergency locksmith should cost
These are my real prices, the ones I quote on the phone every day across Southampton, Hythe, Totton, Holbury and the Waterside. No call-out fee on top of any of them, and no VAT.
| Job | Keywise price | What’s included |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency lockout (non-destructive entry) | From £80 all-in | Getting you back in without damaging the door or lock, day or night |
| Lock change | From £90 fitted | British Standard parts, fitted and tested, insurance-grade where needed |
| Snapped key removal | From £15 | Both halves out, lock checked over, new key cut if you need one |
| Burglary boarding-up | £80 to £150 | Window or door made safe same day, quoted on what’s actually needed |
| Sold Secure key safe | From £120 fitted | Police-preferred spec, fitted properly, and I’ll show you how to use it |
The full detail on the urgent stuff lives on my 24 hour emergency locksmith page, and if it’s a snapped key specifically there’s a dedicated page for broken key removal too.
What actually changes the price
The lock, not the clock. A basic cylinder on a wooden door is a quicker job than a seized uPVC multipoint mechanism that has been grinding away for two years. If your door has been getting harder to lock and you have been lifting the handle with a shoulder behind it, that is a uPVC gearbox on its way out, and catching it early is always cheaper than the night it finally gives up with you on the wrong side of it. I wrote about the five jobs I get called to most, and how to head them off, in Five Reasons We’re Heading Your Way.
Whether the lock survives. My first approach is always non-destructive entry, picking the lock open so you keep your lock and your money. Most UK door locks can be opened this way by someone who knows what they are doing. If a lock genuinely has to be drilled, you are then paying for a new cylinder as well, which is exactly why “we’ll just drill it” as a first move costs you twice.
Parts. A standard cylinder, an anti-snap upgrade, or a BS3621 insurance-spec deadlock are different bits of kit at different prices. I will tell you which one your door and your insurance policy actually need, and just as importantly, when the lock you already have is fine and needs nothing.
Where you are. I am based on the Waterside, so Hythe, Fawley, Holbury, Dibden and Marchwood are usually under thirty minutes. Totton, Southampton and out towards the New Forest a little longer. Distance barely moves the price, but I will always give you an honest arrival time on the phone rather than the “we’re just round the corner” line everyone in my trade seems to have rehearsed.
Why some locksmiths charge £300 for the same job
Here is the bit my industry does not like saying out loud. A lot of the “locksmiths” at the top of your search results are not locksmiths. They are call centres, sometimes not even in this country, who sell your job to whichever subcontractor will take it, then load the bill so everyone in the chain gets paid. That is how a £59 advert becomes a £300 invoice.
The tricks to watch for:
- “From £49” bait pricing. Nobody has done a callout for £49 in years. It gets you to ring, that’s its whole job.
- Call-out fees. You are charged just for the van arriving, before any work happens. Keywise has never charged one and never will.
- VAT added at the end. A £150 quote quietly becomes £180 on the invoice. No VAT here, the number I say is the number you pay.
- Drill first, charge twice. Drilling the lock means selling you a new one. If a locksmith reaches for the drill before trying anything else, ask why.
- “We’ll confirm the price on arrival.” Translation: once you are stood there cold and desperate, the price grows.
My answer to all of it is simple. You get the full price on the phone before I leave. If I cannot open your door without damage and you decide not to go ahead, you pay nothing. That has been the policy since day one, and it is a big part of why the 279+ Google reviews sit at 5.0. Read a few. The word that keeps coming up is not “cheap”, it is “honest”, and I will take that trade every day of the week.
Is it cheaper to wait until morning?
Honest answer: sometimes, but less than you would think, and with me the gap is small because there is no call-out fee inflating the night work. If you are locked out, you are locked out, waiting on the doorstep until sunrise is not a plan. But if it is a lock that is stiff rather than failed, or a key that turns but argues about it, then yes, book it as a daytime job and save yourself the drama entirely. Ring me either way and I will tell you straight which one it is. I would genuinely rather talk you out of an emergency than invoice you for one.
And if the question is about a car rather than a house, vehicles are not my trade. Ring Klic-Key, same Waterside business group, and there is more on that on my vehicle locksmith page.
The bit that costs nothing at all
The cheapest emergency locksmith is the one you never need. I do a free home security check anywhere on the Waterside and around Southampton, no charge, no obligation, no sales patter. I will look at your locks, tell you if anything fails your insurance requirements, and tell you just as plainly if everything is fine. Half the time it is.
Locked out right now? Ring me on 07453 327708, any hour. You will get a real price before I start the engine, and that is the price you will pay.
Bugsy
Common questions
How much does an emergency locksmith cost in the UK?
A fair local price is roughly £80 to £150 all-in for most emergency jobs. At Keywise in Southampton, non-destructive entry starts at £80, lock changes from £90 fitted with British Standard parts, with no call-out fee and no VAT. Be wary of “from £49” adverts and prices that are only “confirmed on arrival”, as these regularly turn into bills of £200 to £300.
Do locksmiths charge a call-out fee?
Many do, especially national call-centre firms, and it is charged before any work happens. Keywise never charges a call-out fee. You only pay for work done, quoted in full on the phone first, and if the door cannot be opened without damage and you choose not to proceed, you pay nothing.
Why are emergency locksmiths so expensive at night?
With call-centre firms it is usually layers of middlemen plus “out of hours” surcharges, not the work itself. With a genuine local locksmith the night premium is small. Keywise quotes the same way at 3am as at 3pm: full price agreed on the phone before the van moves.
Is it cheaper to wait until morning instead of calling an emergency locksmith?
If you are locked out, no, you need in. If the lock is stiff or failing but the door still works, then yes, booking a daytime appointment is the sensible and cheaper route. Ring and describe the problem; an honest locksmith will tell you which it is rather than turning everything into an emergency.
Will the locksmith have to drill my lock?
Usually not. A skilled locksmith can open the vast majority of UK door locks non-destructively, which means you keep your existing lock and avoid paying for a replacement. Drilling should be the last resort, not the opening move. If a locksmith reaches straight for the drill, question it.
