What companies hire automotive engineers?

Automotive manufacturers, automotive suppliers, and research and development centers hire automotive engineers. These companies value the expertise of automotive engineers in designing, developing, and improving vehicles and automotive technologies. Top companies that hire automotive engineers include;

How To Become An Automotive Engineer: What It Is and Career Path

What is an automotive engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

An automotive engineer is an engineering professional who specializes in designing the mechanisms and systems of automobiles. They troubleshoot potential issues and solve problems utilizing engineering concepts, along with complex math and science. They also design prototypes for cars, and car parts, and test them for functionality and safety.

Automotive engineers oversee the manufacturing of automobiles and all of the involved processes. They often conduct design reviews and also set down production and quality control standards and protocols. They might include developing new or improved overall designs for vehicles, or more specifically, on one component, such as engines, transmission, or other automotive systems.

Automotive engineers most often work for car companies and might also specialize in hybrid or electric vehicles. They work alongside other engineers and also manufacturing employees and officials. Here they also facilitate the proper manufacturing processes for their designs and systems and make sure they follow the proper quality control and safety procedures.

Automotive engineers must be proficient in computer-based programs that help them perform their jobs. Common skills include creativity, problem-solving, math- and science-based skills, and organizational and communication skills.

To become an automotive engineer, you must have at least a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or another related engineering field. Most employers also require at least three years of professional engineering experience to be considered for a position.

ScoreAutomotive EngineerUS Average

Salary

6.4

Avg. Salary $82,211

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

7.4

Growth Rate 2%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.11%

Asian 15.86%

Black or African American 3.24%

Hispanic or Latino 8.59%

Unknown 4.55%

White 67.65%

Gender

female 7.05%

male 92.95%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress Level

7.4

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.6

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

5.1

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an automotive engineer

Explore automotive engineer education requirements

Most common automotive engineer degrees

Bachelor's

71.4 %

Master's

12.6 %

Associate

8.6 %

Start to develop specific automotive engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
CAD	13.82%
ISO	9.22%
Adaptive	8.02%
MATLAB	7.55%
Engineering Support	6.81%

Complete relevant automotive engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New automotive engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an automotive engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real automotive engineer resumes.

Research automotive engineer duties and responsibilities

Manage Jenkins security by providing specific access to authorize developers/testers using project base matrix authorization strategy.
Design system components using SolidWorks and perform FEA structural analysis.
Calculate building heating/cooling loads using HVAC system design software to accurately size HVAC equipment for different applications.
Exercise judgement filling DFMEA, design validation with accept practices and policies.

Get automotive engineer experience

Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become an automotive engineer. The most common roles before becoming an automotive engineer include internship, engineering internship team lead and design engineer.

Prepare your automotive engineer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your automotive engineer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an automotive engineer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Automotive Engineer Resume templates

Build a professional Automotive Engineer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Automotive Engineer resume.

Apply for automotive engineer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an automotive engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do automotive engineers rate their job?

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Automotive Engineer reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2020

Pros

Everything about weapons engineering isnso intresting

Cons

Nothing cause everything seems fun