Honda CR-V key type: smart key, or a key you turn?

How to tell which key your Honda CR-V takes

1. Look at the dash beside the steering wheel. Honda's owner's manual says models with the smart entry system have an ENGINE START/STOP button instead of an ignition switch. A slot marked LOCK, ACCESSORY, ON and START means a key you turn.
2. Look at the key itself. A smart entry remote has a release knob or button that lets a metal built-in key slide out. A key that goes into an ignition switch is the other kind.
3. Try the door handle with the remote in your pocket. With Smart Entry you unlock by pulling a front door handle while carrying the remote, and lock by touching the sensor on the handle.

Then scan the VIN in Partexia to see the exact OEM key for that CR-V.

What kind of key is a Honda CR-V? Honda's own names

• Smart entry remote, or keyless remote. The key for a CR-V with push button start. It stays in your pocket: the engine starts when the remote is inside the vehicle and you press ENGINE START/STOP with your foot on the brake. Honda's 2017 manual calls it the smart entry remote; the 2023 manual calls it the keyless remote.
• Built-in key. The metal key inside the smart entry remote, for unlocking the doors when the remote battery is weak.
• Ignition key with remote transmitter. The key on a CR-V without Smart Entry: you insert it in the ignition switch and turn it to START, and its remote transmitter buttons lock and unlock the doors and tailgate.
• Valet key. On some models, a gray key that starts the engine and locks and unlocks the driver's door, to leave with a third party.

Honda's manual says all the keys have an immobilizer system, which prevents a key that has not been pre-registered from starting the engine. A key that fits the lock is not automatically a key that starts the CR-V.

Which one yours takes is in the VIN. Partexia shows it, with the OEM key to order.

Which Honda CR-V has push button start?

Honda's press kits tie it to the trim. For the 2015 model year Honda said the CR-V EX and above got Smart Entry with Push Button Start/Stop for the first time, while the LX kept the previous remote entry system. For 2017 Honda again listed Push Button Start with Smart Entry on EX and above.

So two CR-Vs of the same year can need different keys. Check the car for the START/STOP button rather than going by the year.

Not sure of the trim? The VIN settles it: scan it in Partexia.

Remote start and Driver 1 / Driver 2 memory

• Remote engine start. Honda's 2017 CR-V press kit lists Remote Engine Start on EX and above. You press LOCK on the remote, then hold the ENGINE button, and the hazard lights flash to confirm. The owner's manual marks remote engine start as not available on all models.
• Driver 1 and Driver 2. On a CR-V with the driving position memory system, the manual says the DRIVER 1 remote is linked to the first memory position and the DRIVER 2 remote to the second, and unlocking with that remote moves the driver's seat to its stored position. For 2017 Honda lists the two-position memory seat on the EX-L and Touring.

When you replace a remote on a memory-equipped CR-V, note whether the old one was marked DRIVER 1 or DRIVER 2.

Partexia shows the OEM key that matches the CR-V's VIN and how it was built.

Honda CR-V key fob upgrade: can a new remote add features?

Not by itself. Smart Entry and remote engine start are factory equipment, marked in the owner's manual as not available on all models. A remote with an ENGINE button does not add remote start to a CR-V built without it, and a CR-V with an ignition switch starts with a key you insert and turn.

Honda has also sold an accessory Remote Engine Starter System. It comes with its own transmitter and Honda recommends installation by a certified technician at a Honda dealer, so it is installed hardware, not a new key.

Order the key that matches how the CR-V was built. Partexia reads that from the VIN.

Where is the VIN on a Honda CR-V?

• Through the windshield: on the left front corner of the dash, readable from outside on the driver's side.
• On the driver's door: on the certification label on the door edge or the door post.
• On the vehicle registration and title.

In Partexia, point the camera at the VIN barcode or type the 17 characters.

For locksmiths: Honda CR-V all keys lost

Before you quote, establish:

1. The ignition: ENGINE START/STOP button or an ignition switch you turn.
2. The features: whether the old key worked remote engine start, and on a memory-seat CR-V whether it was the DRIVER 1 or DRIVER 2 remote.
3. The key number tag: Honda gives owners a tag with a number needed to buy a replacement key. Ask the customer whether they still have it.

Then scan the VIN in Partexia for the OEM key part numbers that fit that CR-V. Programming is a separate step, with your tool or at the dealer.

Smart Entry or a key you turn on other Hondas

• Honda Accord keys and key fobsSmart Entry or a key you turn: why the trim decides, not the year