Dacia & Renault: The Shared Key Tech Explained

Lock City09 July 2026

If you own a Dacia, one fact does more than any other to explain how your key works and what a replacement costs: a Dacia is essentially a Renault underneath. Dacia is Renault’s value brand within the Renault-Nissan group, and its cars are built on Renault mechanicals — which means the key, the transponder and the immobiliser coding all mirror the equivalent Renault. Here is what that shared technology means for you.

One family, shared platforms

Dacia and Renault develop cars together. The latest Sandero and Jogger sit on Renault’s CMF-B platform — the same underpinnings as the Renault Clio and Captur — while earlier Dacias borrowed older Renault architecture. Because the electrical and security systems come from the same parts bin, a Dacia locksmith is really a Renault locksmith using the same dealer-level tools.

The blades: VA2 and NE73

Dacias use Renault-style blade profiles — commonly the VA2 on older cars and the NE73 on newer ones — folded into a conventional flip/remote key [verify against your VIN]. One important difference from some Renaults: Dacia does not use the credit-card “key card” that certain Renaults have. Dacia keeps things simple and cheap with a proper flip key, which is one reason a replacement is usually less costly.

The transponder: Hitag2 to Hitag AES

Inside the key, the transponder chip is the part that actually starts the car. Older Dacias (like older Renaults) use a Hitag2 chip, often the PCF7961 type; newer cars move to the more secure Hitag AES (PCF7961M) [verify against your VIN]. Both are well-understood by a Renault-literate specialist.

The immobiliser: the Renault UCH

The heart of the system is the UCH — Unité Centrale Habitacle, the body control unit Renault has used for years. It is what the key talks to, and what has to be read to code a key when all keys are lost. Because this is the same module family found across the Renault range, a specialist who knows Renault knows your Dacia.

What the shared tech means for your key

Parts and coding are widely available and well-documented — no waiting on obscure components.
Most jobs, including all-keys-lost, can be done at the roadside rather than at a dealer.
As a value marque with a conventional flip key, a Dacia spare is usually one of the cheaper keys to replace.

The one caveat is the hands-free Keyless system on higher-trim Duster and Jogger models, which is a more involved part than a standard flip key — but even that uses the same Renault foundations [verify against your VIN].

Sort your Dacia key with Lock City

As a Renault- and Dacia-literate mobile locksmith we code both marques with the same dealer-level kit — see our Dacia key programming and key replacement services, or the Dacia key replacement hub for your model, such as the Duster or Logan. Own a Renault too? See our Renault key replacement page. Lost every key? Read our all-keys-lost guide, then tell us your reg.