Can a car be towed without keys? Yes. A tow truck does not need the key to move a car. The driver either lifts the locked wheels off the ground or slides the whole car onto a flatbed with skates or dollies. What changes is the method, the time it takes and sometimes the price.
If your keys are lost, locked inside or sitting in another city, call Miller’s Towing & Recovery at 316-351-4754 and say “no keys” at the start of the call. That one detail decides which truck and which tools we send.
Why Keys Matter to a Tow Truck Driver
With the key, a driver can shift to neutral, unlock the steering and release the parking brake. All four wheels roll, and loading takes a few minutes. Without the key, four things can get in the way:
- The transmission is in park. Park locks the drive wheels. On a front wheel drive car, that is the front pair.
- The steering may be locked. The front wheels stay pointed wherever they were left.
- The parking brake may be set. That usually holds the rear wheels. Many newer cars have an electric parking brake that cannot be released without power.
- The doors are locked. Nobody can reach the shifter or the brake release.
None of these stops a tow. Each one just changes how the car has to be picked up.
5 Ways a Car Gets Towed Without Keys
1. Wheel lift on the locked wheels
A wheel lift truck cradles one pair of tires and raises them off the pavement. If the locked wheels are the ones in the air, the other pair rolls behind. This works on many two wheel drive cars when the parking brake is off.
2. Dollies under the other axle
When both ends are locked, the driver lifts one end with the wheel lift and sets the other end on a pair of tow dollies. Now all four tires are off the ground and nothing is being dragged.
3. Flatbed with skates
Skates are hard plastic pads that go under locked tires. The winch pulls the car up the flatbed while the tires slide on the skates, not on the steel deck. This is the usual answer for all wheel drive vehicles and for cars with an electric parking brake.
4. Unlock, shift to neutral, then winch
If the door can be opened, there is often an easier way. Most automatic cars have a shift lock release near the shifter that lets you move it out of park without the engine running. Your owner’s manual shows where it is. Once the car is in neutral, it rolls onto the flatbed like any other tow. A lockout service can open the door first.
5. Self loading dollies in tight spots
In a parking garage or a tight apartment lot, there may be no room to line up a truck. Self loading dollies clamp around each tire and lift it, so the car can be rolled sideways out of the space and over to the truck.
Which Method Fits Your Vehicle
| Vehicle | How it is usually towed without keys |
|---|---|
| Front wheel drive car | Wheel lift on the front tires, or a flatbed |
| Rear wheel drive car or pickup | Wheel lift on the rear tires, dollies, or a flatbed |
| All wheel drive or four wheel drive | Flatbed with skates, or all four wheels off the ground |
| Electric vehicle | Flatbed, loaded with skates or dollies |
Electric vehicles need the most care. Tesla’s instructions for transporters say a flatbed is the recommended method and warn never to transport the car with the tires in a position where they can spin. Its tow mode needs the key to be detected and the low voltage system to have power. When that is not possible, Tesla tells transporters to use self loading dollies or tire skates.
Will Being Towed Without Keys Damage the Car?
Not when it is done the right way. A car towed without keys is safe as long as the locked wheels are in the air or riding on skates. Damage comes from shortcuts: dragging locked drive wheels down the road, or pulling an all wheel drive car with two wheels on the ground.
That is why we ask about the drivetrain before we send a truck. For all wheel drive and low cars, we send a flatbed. See flatbed towing in Wichita.
Does It Cost More to Have a Car Towed Without Keys?
It can. Skates and dollies take extra time to set up, and some jobs need a second piece of equipment. Ask dispatch for the total with the no keys detail included. If the keys are only locked inside, a lockout call is usually the cheaper fix, and then the car may not need a tow at all. Our guide to the real cost of towing in Wichita explains how a tow price is built.
Expect to Show the Car Is Yours
A tow company that moves a locked car with no keys needs to know it is not helping someone take a car that is not theirs. Have a photo ID and something that ties you to the car, like the registration, the title or an insurance card. If the paperwork is locked inside the car, say so when you call.
When Wichita Drivers Need a Tow With No Keys
- Lost keys. They went missing at the lake, at a ball game or somewhere in Old Town. The car goes to a dealer or a locksmith who can cut and program a new key.
- A dead key fob. Check your owner’s manual first. Many fobs hide a metal key, and many cars will start if you hold the fob against the start button.
- An inherited or estate car. The car has sat in a garage for years and nobody can find the key.
- An auction or private sale car. It came with a title and no key.
- A car that will not shift out of park. You have the key, but the shifter is stuck. The same tools apply.
For cars that have not moved in a long time, see towing a non running car in Wichita.
What to Tell Dispatch
- That you have no keys, and if the doors are locked
- Year, make and model
- Front, rear or all wheel drive, if you know
- If the parking brake is on
- Where the car sits: street, driveway, garage or parking structure
- Which way it is facing and how much room is around it
- Where it is going
Questions About Getting a Car Towed Without Keys
Can a car be towed while it is in park?
Yes. The driver lifts the locked wheels or puts skates or dollies under them.
Can a car be towed with the parking brake on?
Yes. The braked wheels are lifted or set on skates so they do not drag.
Can a car be towed from a parking garage with no keys?
Often, yes. It depends on the ceiling height and the room to work. Tell dispatch the garage and the level so we send a truck that fits.
Can my car be towed without my keys and without my permission?
Yes. Police tows and private property tows do not need your keys or your consent. Read Kansas towing laws for when that is allowed.
No Keys? We Can Still Move It
Getting a car towed without keys is a routine job with the right tools. Call Miller’s Towing & Recovery at 316-351-4754 for towing services in Wichita, KS. Tell us there are no keys, and you get the price before we hook up.