Toyota Corolla key type: smart key or a key you turn?

Which Toyota Corolla has push start?

Push button start comes with the Smart Key System, and Toyota sold it by grade and package, not by year. The owner's manual and quick reference guide cover both cars, with an ignition switch or an "ENGINE START STOP" switch, each marked "if equipped".

• 2020 Corolla sedan: Toyota's product information lists the Smart Key System with push button start as standard on the XLE and XSE, part of a package on the LE, and not offered on the L.
• 2023 and 2025 Corolla sedan: the LE comes with a key that has the remote built in, and the Smart Key System with Push Button Start is part of the LE Convenience and LE Premium packages.
• 2019 Corolla Hatchback: Toyota's launch release lists a SmartKey system as standard on the SE, and the XSE builds on the SE.

Not sure how yours was built? Scan the VIN in Partexia and see the key for that exact car.

Corolla sedan, Corolla Hatchback, Corolla iM and Corolla Cross

Several Toyotas carry the Corolla name, so check which one you have before you order a key.

• Corolla Cross. A separate model: Toyota introduced it for 2022 as an all-new compact SUV based on the Corolla sedan. A key listed for a Corolla Cross is not automatically right for a Corolla, or the other way round.
• Corolla Hatchback. Arrived for the 2019 model year on a new platform, a year before the redesigned sedan, which went on sale in February 2019 as a 2020 model. A 2019 Corolla sedan is still the previous generation, sold for the 2014 to 2019 model years.
• Corolla iM. The Scion iM, renamed when Toyota dropped the Scion brand. It was sold as the Corolla iM for 2017 and 2018, and the Corolla Hatchback replaced it.

How to tell which key your Corolla takes

1. Look at the dash next to the steering column. An "ENGINE START STOP" button means the Smart Key System; a key slot means a key you insert and turn.
2. Look at the back of the car. A trunk lid is the sedan, a rear hatch is the Corolla Hatchback, and a taller crossover is the Corolla Cross, a separate model.
3. Look at the key you have. A plain key with no buttons, a key with the remote buttons built into it, or an electronic key with a mechanical key stored inside.

The VIN settles it. Scan it in Partexia and see the key for that exact car.

What kind of key is a Toyota Corolla? Smart key or key

• Electronic key (Smart Key System). Stays in your pocket. With it in the car, you start the engine with the "ENGINE START STOP" button and lock and unlock at the door handles. A mechanical key is stored inside it, for the door when the battery is dead.
• Key with a wireless remote control. Toyota's "in-key remote keyless entry": a key you insert in the ignition and turn, with lock, unlock, panic and trunk buttons built into it.
• Key without a remote. A key you insert and turn, with no buttons.

Whichever it is, Toyota's manual says the keys have built-in transponder chips, and the engine immobilizer does not let the engine start with a key that has not been registered to the car.

If a seller calls it a "flip key", the first check is still the same: START button or key slot.

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

Toyota Corolla key fob upgrade: can a smart key add push start?

No. Push button start is part of the Smart Key System, factory equipment that Toyota sold by grade or package and that the owner's manual marks "if equipped". A Corolla built with a key ignition has a key slot, not a START button, and a smart key does not change that.

Order the key that matches how the car was built. Partexia reads that from the VIN.

Where is the VIN on a Toyota Corolla?

• 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: Toyota Corolla all keys lost

Before you quote, establish:

1. The car: Corolla sedan, Corolla Hatchback, or a Corolla Cross, which is a separate model.
2. The ignition: "ENGINE START STOP" button or a key you turn.
3. The key number plate: Toyota supplies one with the keys and tells owners to keep it out of the car, so ask whether the customer still has it.

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

Smart key or a key you turn on other Toyotas

• Toyota Camry keys and key fobsPush-button start or a key you turn, and which key that means
• Toyota RAV4 keys and key fobsPush-button start or a key you turn, and how to tell which key yours takes