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Automotive engineer

Automotive engineer

Automotive engineers design, develop, test and build cars and motorbikes.

Average salary (a year)

£20,000 Starter

£45,000 Experienced

Typical hours (a week)

39 to 41 a week

You could work

evenings on shifts

How to become an automotive engineer

You can get into this job through:

a university course
an apprenticeship

University

You’ll usually need a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree, before joining a company training scheme.

Relevant subjects include:

mechanical engineering
electrical or electronic engineering
design engineering
manufacturing engineering
automotive engineering

A course with a work placement or an internship will be especially useful.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

at least 1 A level, or equivalent, for a foundation degree
between 1 and 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a higher national diploma or degree

More information

Apprenticeship

You could get into this job through a manufacturing engineer degree apprenticeship or product design and development engineer degree apprenticeship.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a degree apprenticeship

More information

Further information

You can find out more about careers in the automotive industry through Autocity and Your Future in Automotive.

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

maths knowledge
knowledge of engineering science and technology
design skills and knowledge
knowledge of physics
to be thorough and pay attention to detail
analytical thinking skills
the ability to use, repair and maintain machines and tools
thinking and reasoning skills
to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

You might work on:

body, chassis and engine systems
electrical and electronic instrumentation and control systems
thermodynamics, aerodynamics and fluid mechanics
fuel technology and emissions

You could work in:

design – turning ideas into blueprints for development and testing, taking into account safety, cost-effectiveness, environmental impact and look
development – building and testing prototypes using computer simulations and physical models to assess components' strengths, weaknesses, performance and safety
production – planning the production run, including redesigning machine tools, equipment and processes to make new parts, monitoring costs and production schedules, and overseeing quality control

Working environment

You could work in an office, at a research facility or at a manufacturing plant.

Career path and progression

With experience, you could progress to senior engineer roles, project team management, general management or consultancy.

Current opportunities

Apprenticeships In England

Mechanical Maintenance Apprentice

Wage : To be agreed upon appointment
Location: London N18 3AG

Product Design and Development Engineer Apprentice

Wage : £20,022.00 Annually
Location: Peterborough PE1 5FQ

Find apprenticeships near you

Courses In England