If using your iPhone as your car’s key seems like the future, you haven’t been living in the present. There are a number of car brands that support digital keys in general, some of which have included the option on all models released since 2020. Apple’s Wallet app supports the feature, and has for about five years now, but adoption has been relatively slow—although it’s soon to pick up.
How Apple Wallet’s car keys work
If your car supports car keys through the Wallet app on iPhone or Apple Watch, you’ll be able to control your vehicle in three different ways—depending on the model. Some cars let you lock, unlock, and start your car with “passive entry”: As you approach your car with your device, it will lock; once inside, you can start it; and as you leave your car with your device, it locks.
Other cars support a “proximity” version of this feature instead. In that case, you hold up your device to a sensor on the door to lock or unlock it. Then, you hold your device to a key reader to start the car.
Finally, there’s the remote option, which lets you lock, unlock, or start your car from the Wallet app itself.
You can learn more about how to set up the feature from our guide here.
Cars that already support car keys in Apple Wallet
Apple doesn’t make it easy to find official stats on the cars that support Wallet’s car key feature at this time. Where you’ll find that info is in Apple’s list of CarPlay-compatible cars. Apple says there are “more than 800 models to choose from,” but that’s just as far as CarPlay is concerned. Cars that support Wallet’s car keys have a key icon next to their name, which requires you to scroll through the entire list of 800+ cars to identify them all. From my scrolling, that includes the following:
BMW
2021 – 2024 1 Series
2021 – 2024 2 Series
2021 – 2024 3 Series
2021 – 2024 4 Series
2021 – 2024 5 Series
2021 – 2024 6 Series
2021 – 2024 8 Series
2021 – 2024 X5
2021 – 2024 X6
2021 – 2024 X7
2021 – 2024 X5 M
2021 – 2024 X6 M
2021 – 2024 Z4
2022 – 2024 i4
2022 – 2024 iX
2022 – 2024 iX1
2022 – 2024 iX3
2023 i3
2023 – 2024 i7
2024 i5
BYD
2022 – 2024 HAN
Genesis
2023 – 2024 GV60
2023 – 2024 G90
2024 G70
Hyundai
2023 – 2024 Palisade
2023 – 2024 IONIQ 6
Kia
2023 – 2024 Telluride
2023 – 2024 Niro
2024 Seltos
2024 EV9
Lotus
2024 Eletre
2024 Emeya
Mercedes-Benz
2024 E‑Class
RAM
2025 RAM 1500
Vehicles that will support Apple Wallet car keys “soon”
Apple lists a number of new vehicle brands that will adopt this digital key feature “soon.” Unfortunately, there isn’t a set timeline here, but at least we know which brands are coming next. In all, there are 13:
Acura
Cadillac
Chery
Chevrolet
GMC
Hongqi
Lucid
Porsche
Rivian
Smart
Tata
Voyah
WEY
