How to Set Up Vehicle Keys in FiveM

Without a key system, any player can jump into any vehicle and drive off — which guts the value of car ownership. A vehicle keys script ties driving rights to ownership and makes theft an actual roleplay event. Here's how it works.

What a key system does

• Locks vehicles to their owner (and anyone given a key).
• Lets players lock/unlock and share keys.
• Turns car theft into a hotwire/lockpick mechanic instead of a free-for-all.

1. Pick a keys script

Choose a vehicle keys resource that matches your framework (QBCore or ESX — see our framework guide). Many modern inventories and garages integrate keys directly, and premium options like our partner Glory Scripts bundle keys with theft mechanics out of the box.

2. Integrate with your garage and shop

Keys should be granted automatically when a player buys a car at the dealership or pulls one from a garage. If keys and ownership don't talk to each other, players get locked out of their own cars.

3. Configure theft mechanics

Decide how stealing works — lockpicking, hotwiring, time to break in, and whether police get alerted. This is the dial that sets how punishing your crime RP feels.

4. Test ownership edge cases

• Buy a car → confirm you get keys automatically.
• Give a key to a friend → confirm they can drive it.
• Try a non-owner → confirm they must steal it.

Keys make ownership mean something — the perfect complement to a real dealership economy stocked from our vehicle catalog.