PSA vs Stellantis: Why Your Peugeot or Citroën Key Depends on the Year

Lock City02 June 2026

Two Peugeot 208s can need two completely different keys. So can two Citroën C3s, or two C4s. To the owner they are the same car with the same badge; to a locksmith they can be as different as a house key and a bank card. The thing that separates them is not the model — it is the year, and behind the year sits a corporate and engineering story worth understanding before you order a key or judge a quote.

PSA and Stellantis — what actually changed

For decades Peugeot and Citroën were owned by PSA Group (Peugeot Société Anonyme), which is why they share so much under the skin — including their key systems. In January 2021, PSA merged with Fiat Chrysler (FCA) to form Stellantis, a giant group that now also spans Vauxhall/Opel, Fiat, Jeep, DS and more. The merger did not rewrite your key overnight, but it sits on top of a decade of platform and electronics changes that steadily moved Peugeot and Citroën keys from simple and cheap to secure and specialist.

The chip is the real dividing line

The single biggest thing that changed is the transponder chip inside the key — the part that answers the car’s immobiliser:

Older cars (roughly 2005–2018): the Hitag2 (ID46) chip. Well understood, usually programmable by OBD, and the cheaper key to replace.
Newer cars (later PSA and Stellantis-era): the secure Hitag AES chip on the current 208, 2008, 3008, 5008, 308, current C3 and new C4. It needs up-to-date software and the correct blank — and it is the dearer key.

This is why the same model name spans two different jobs. A 2015 Hitag2 208 and a 2021 AES 208 wear the same badge but are not the same key, the same blank or the same programming.

The blade changed too

Alongside the chip, the mechanical blade moved from the older external-cut VA2 to the newer high-security HU83 across the range — again, not on one fixed date for every model. On a keyless car the blade is just the emergency key inside the fob. Our Citroën VA2-vs-HU83 guide breaks down the two blades in full, and the same profiles apply to Peugeot.

Platforms: the engineering behind the split

PF1/PF2-era cars: the older 207/307/C3/C4 generation — VA2 blades, Hitag2 chips, the classic PSA key.
EMP2 (from ~2013): the 308, 3008 and 5008 generation — HU83, more keyless options, and the move toward secure chips.
CMP/e-CMP (from ~2019): the current 208, 2008, C3 and new C4 — secure AES keys and proximity fobs across much of the range.

Platform and cut-over years vary by model and market [verify against your VIN]. The point is not to memorise the platforms — it is to understand why “it’s a Peugeot 3008” is not enough information to price or programme a key. The year fills in the rest.

Why this matters to you (not just to us)

A quote that looks high or low usually reflects the chip: an AES proximity key is a genuinely different, dearer part to a Hitag2 flip key.
An all-keys-lost on a newer AES car takes current software and the correct blank — one reason some general locksmiths turn these away.
If you are buying a used spare or an aftermarket fob, the wrong chip or blade simply will not work, however cheap it looked.

It also explains a related trap on Stellantis vans and on Vauxhall: models that changed platform mid-life (the Vauxhall Vivaro switched to a Stellantis platform in 2019, for example) can need a totally different key before and after the change. For Peugeot and Citroën, the practical takeaway is simple — the year is not a detail, it is the key.

Not sure which one you’ve got? That’s our job

You should not have to work this out yourself. Give us your registration and we will identify the exact blade, chip and key type before we quote or travel — no fabricated prices, no guesswork. We programme and replace both the older Hitag2 and the newer AES keys at the roadside across Bristol, Bath and South Gloucestershire through our key programming, key replacement and lost car keys services. Whether it is a Peugeot — the 208, 308, 2008 or 3008 — or a Citroën — the C3 or C4 — we will confirm the job before we set off. Call 07967 097 899, Monday to Friday, 8am–5:30pm.