1. The radio code card
Most makers supplied a small card or slip with the car, kept in the handbook wallet. It carries the code, and often the radio’s serial too. Look in the glovebox, the handbook wallet and the service book before anything else.
Where to look, make by make
| Make | Look for | If it’s not there |
|---|---|---|
| Ford | The code card Ford supplied in the handbook wallet. | A Ford dealer can look the code up from the VIN and the radio serial. |
| Vauxhall | The Security Information card (Car Pass) in the wallet. | CD30, CD70 and later radios are matched to the car with the Car Pass, so those need a Vauxhall dealer or an auto-electrician. |
| VW, Audi, SEAT, Škoda | A paper radio card in the manual wallet. It shows the serial (VWZ, AUZ, SEZ or SKZ and 11 more characters) and often the code. | A dealer can often look a code up with the logbook (V5C) and ID, for the radio the car left the factory with. |
| Honda | The card with the code in the handbook wallet. From 1998 dealers were asked to stick a label with the serial inside the glovebox door. | For later Honda radios, a Honda dealer can help. |
| Fiat | The code card supplied with the car or van, usually in the service wallet. | A Fiat dealer is the next stop: take the logbook (V5C). |
| Nissan | The handbook wallet first. | A Nissan dealer can give you the code from the VIN, the 17-character number in your logbook (V5C). |
| Volvo | The original security card, if it is still with the handbook. | Volvo customer service will look the code up against your VIN and the radio serial. |
| Toyota | Most UK Toyotas need no radio code at all. | If yours shows a 16-character ERC, that is what the code is worked out from. |
Check the card matches the radio
A code on paper belongs to the radio the car left the factory with, and radios get swapped. Before typing it in, check the serial on the card against the one on your radio’s screen or label.
2. A note in the car
Owners and dealers often wrote the code down: inside the glovebox lid, on the back of the handbook, in the service book, or on a sticker on the radio’s case. Worth five minutes with a torch.
3. Your main dealer
Dealers can look the code up from the VIN and the radio’s serial. Take your V5C logbook and photo ID. It is often a small charge, sometimes free, depending on the dealer, and it can take a few days. It only works if the radio is the one the car was built with.
4. Manufacturer apps and portals
Some brands — Renault on newer cars, for one — give codes through their owner app, and some manufacturers have an online form. Worth a look on the maker’s own website first.
5. Try a bypass
A few older Jaguar Alpine radios unlock by holding SEEK ▶, PTY and A.MEM together. It’s worth a try before paying. Most radios have no bypass at all, whatever a video says.
Beware “free code generators”
Downloads and apps promising any code free are usually wrong. Each wrong guess locks your radio for longer, and some radios stop for good after too many. If it already says LOCKED or WAIT, read what the display means before trying again.
When a paid code is quicker
Card gone, and you don’t want to wait for a dealer? The free check tells you in seconds whether we can do your radio, and you pay nothing to find out. Most codes arrive instantly for £9.99, on screen and by email, with a money-back guarantee.
Not sure where the serial is? How to find your radio serial number covers every make.
Questions
Is there a free radio code generator that works?
Not one we would trust. A code comes from the radio maker’s own tables or from the serial by the method that maker used. A generator that does not know your exact radio is guessing, and each wrong guess locks the radio for longer.
Can I get my radio code free from my number plate?
No. The code belongs to the radio, not the car, and radios get swapped. Your registration can show which radio the car probably has and where its serial is; the serial gives the code.
Will a dealer give me the code for free?
Sometimes. It is often a small charge or free, depending on the dealer, and you will need your V5C logbook and ID. They can only help if the radio is the one the car was built with.
My radio card is missing. What now?
Look for a note in the glovebox or service book, then ask a dealer, or check your serial with us for free: if we can do it, most codes arrive in seconds.