One thing I recently learned the hard way with my 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 Pro S is that your EV will continue driving even if the key fob is no longer in the vehicle.

Here’s what happened.

While loading my daughter into the car, I accidentally set the key fob on the roof and forgot about it. We drove away as normal. Somewhere along the drive, the key fell off the vehicle.

The ID.4 kept driving without any major warning that the key was gone.

The real problem came after I reached my destination.

Once I shut the vehicle off, it would not restart because there was no authorized key present.

At that point, there wasn’t much I could do.

I had to call an Uber, ride home, grab my spare key, and then return to the vehicle.

Ironically, my spare key’s battery had died, so that wasn’t much help either.

Fortunately, an incredibly kind Uber driver agreed to retrace my route. Against all odds, we found my original key fob lying in the road after it had apparently been run over by traffic.

Believe it or not, it still worked well enough to get us home.

Lessons Learned

If you drive an EV—or really, any modern push-button-start vehicle—it’s worth remembering a few things:

  • Your vehicle may continue driving even after the key leaves the vehicle.
  • Once you turn the car off, you may not be able to restart it without another working key.
  • Carrying a spare key (or at least making sure your spare has a fresh battery) is more important than many people realize.
  • Before driving away, take one last glance to make sure your key isn’t sitting on the roof.

Final Thoughts

In today’s world of smart keys and connected vehicles, I was surprised there wasn’t a better recovery option once the fob was gone.

Thankfully, this happened in Michigan—not somewhere remote or in extreme heat. I also had help from an Uber driver who went above and beyond to help us recover the key.

If you own an EV, learn from my mistake. It only takes a few seconds to double-check that your key is actually in your pocket before you pull away.