Abstract: In accordance with a first aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle access system includes a near field communication (NFC) front-end including a first secure element; and an access controller operatively coupled to the NFC front-end. The access controller includes a second secure element configured to verify data provided by the first secure element. The first secure element and the second secure element are configured to establish a secure communication channel for transmitting said data from the first secure element to the second secure element. In accordance with further aspects of the present disclosure, a corresponding method of operating a vehicle access system and a computer program for carrying out said method are provided.