Automotive Salaries
Min: £19,250.00 Max: £45,240.00
Average Automotive Salary in UK: £33,039.33
The average Automotive salary is
£33,039.
Working in Automotive you can earn between
£19,250 and
£45,240.
The starting salary for junior Automotive jobs is £19,250.
The hourly pay range for Automotive jobs is £9.25 to £21.75.
Quick Links
- Automotive Overview
- Core responsibilities in Automotive
- Core Automotive skills
- What to expect from a career in Automotive
- How to earn more in Automotive roles
More than 180,000 people work in automotive manufacturing in the UK, with a further 800,000 people working across the broader automotive industry. There is clearly a career for everyone in the automotive sector if they have a strong interest in vehicles, engines, or design.
Career paths can lead you into roles such as engineering, mechanics, CAD design, maintenance, body repair, glass installation, and automotive electricians. You might find yourself working in a parts store, for an insurance company, as an educator, racing team member, or in a bus depot.
The automotive sector gives you a genuine opportunity to turn a hobby into a career.
You can start an automotive career with an apprenticeship, a nationally accredited certification, or a mechanical engineering degree. This creates a wide bracket of potential earnings, but with the right qualifications and skilled experience, an automotive engineer or CAD technician earns on average £13,100 per year.
As you further develop your mechanical or electrical aptitude, highly experienced automotive engineers can earn £69,700 per year or more.
Core responsibilities in Automotive
Your core responsibilities might include restoring vehicles, maintaining a company’s fleet, or keeping agricultural machinery up and running. Your daily tasks can include running diagnostics with special testing equipment, critical thinking, or see you designing vehicle concepts.
Keeping up with the latest technological and mechanical innovations will be essential. You will be just as likely to be working on hybrid and electric vehicles as you are on combustion engines.
The role can be critically important in protecting people’s safety by assessing a vehicle’s roadworthiness. You shouldn’t be surprised to find yourself disassembling and assembling engines or overhauling components. Specialising as an automotive electrician will see you working on computer-controlled electric ignition systems, fuel injectors, suspension, airbags, cruise control, air conditioning, and automatic transmissions.
Core Automotive skills
Great automotive technicians are good with their hands, have a familiarity with vehicles, and are relatively fit. Your practical skills will need to be matched with prowess in problem-solving, and you should have a talent for analytical thinking.
Good eyesight, hand-eye coordination, and an organised approach will see you succeed. CAD technicians will need excellent design and computer skills, and your communication skills will be needed to work in a team or meet customers successfully.
What to expect from a career in Automotive
An automotive career can be extremely satisfying, with almost endless opportunities and career paths. From small local firms servicing cars, trucks, and motorcycles to working in the great outdoors at open sites such as quarries, your career could be as unique as you.
You should have a strong desire to keep learning, whether you have a desk-based role or find yourself in a workshop.
Min: £19,250.00 Max: £45,240.00
Average Automotive Salary in UK: £33,039.33
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Automotive Salaries by Region
Compare Automotive salaries across different regions
| Region | Salary |
|---|---|
| East Midlands | £32,641.42 |
| Eastern | £33,819.22 |
| London | £35,570.79 |
| North East | £32,552.04 |
| North West | £32,036.94 |
| Northern Ireland | £26,039.83 |
| Scotland | £31,782.50 |
| South East | £34,786.25 |
| South West | £32,106.48 |
| Wales | £30,520.06 |
| West Midlands | £32,255.85 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | £30,635.34 |
Top Paying Locations for Automotive Jobs in the UK
The average salary for Automotive professionals in the United Kingdom is significantly influenced by location. The general region and area will affect your base salary in Automotive jobs. However, you are not alone if relocating is not something you want to consider, and it doesn't mean that you can't make a higher income.
For example, you could choose to work for an Automotive business that is city-based. While London leads the way, working for employers located in cities such as Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh, Reading, Leeds, and Cardiff will help you earn higher wages per year, compared to companies situated in smaller villages and towns.
Automotive Professional Development
The answer to 'how much do Automotive professionals earn?' can only be answered by considering where along the career path the individual and job title sit. The total year's experience in the Automotive sector will change what the employer is prepared to offer. An entry-level Automotive salary will be the lowest, followed by fully qualified workers, senior-level staff, and management.
While you can expect a starting salary for Automotive workers to be at the bottom of the pay scale, graduates with a relevant qualification have a higher worth, commanding a better starting salary. UK training opportunities are plentiful, so even if attaining a university degree is out of the question, increasing your skills through workshops and online courses will help you raise the money you can earn a year in your chosen role.
How much are Automotive professionals paid? Our data and graphs give you guidance on the wage range and earning per annum for junior, intermediate, and senior roles.
Automotive Work Experience
Gaining Automotive pre-entry work experience can be crucial in helping you secure employment and a decent rate per hour. Work placements, internships, apprenticeships, shadowing, and vacation work can all help you gain the experience you need. If you cannot find work experience in the Automotive industry, you might be able to show potential employers that you have acquired transferable skills elsewhere.
Automotive Working Hours
As with all business sectors, the working hours in Automotive will affect what you earned during the month. Small, medium, and larger firms may pay a higher overtime rate or offer more money if you work unsociable hours, such as evenings, nights, weekends, and national holidays.
Salaries of part-time, full-time, permanent, temporary, and contract staff all differ and will affect your decision on whether you are earning fair compensation.
Automotive Salary Negotiations
Before you enter salary negotiations with employers, hiring managers, or the head of HR, it pays to get prepared. Compare the salaries for the Automotive sector on this page to help determine what you are worth. You can perform a salary search for different job titles and locations.
It is worth remembering that you can profit from more than just financial benefits and performance-related commission. Is a high salary in the UK worth more than the freedom to work from home, have more paid holiday, a gym membership, or have private healthcare benefits?
Automotive Job Search
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