The increased presence of software-based features and systems inside the vehicle has led to a rise in the number of experiences hosted on a smartphone. The most notable of these is the digital key, which sees the user’s smartphone leveraged to unlock/lock and start the vehicle. Today, it is widely seen as a premium feature – with select luxury OEMs offering it as standard and other mass market automakers providing it as an optional feature in premium packages or higher trim models.

In the future, however, digital key systems – especially those that utilize a smartphone – could become an increasingly common user experience. Likewise, as they become more accessible through native vehicle integrations, alongside new partnerships between OEMs and consumer electronics firms, digital keys could replace today's passive smart key systems and, potentially, the key fob altogether.

Updated bi-annually in .PPT and .XLS formats, the Digital Key Guide tracks the latest trends and offerings from OEMs across three major regions. Similarly tracked are the features and pricing models of each system as well as the technologies used to produce them. Through dedicated releases for the USA, Europe, and China, the report understands how the fitment and maturity of digital keys can vary around the world.