Automotive Engineer salary: $145K median
The median advertised Automotive Engineer salary is $145K a year, and the middle half of postings offer $122K to $187K: counted from 76 open roles that publish a yearly US-dollar range: about $70 an hour or $12,083 a month. A tenth of the postings offer $221K or more. Advertised ranges, not verified pay.
Check an offer against these figuresAll automotive engineer jobs
$145Kmedian advertised salary
$122K – $187Kmiddle half of roles
$153Kaverage advertised salary
76roles counted
Automotive Engineer salary by location
| Name | Median salary | Roles counted |
|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸California | $166K | 48 |
| 🇺🇸United States | $145K | 73 |
Skills that pay more for Automotive Engineer roles
| Skill | Median with it | Above the median | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUTOSAR | $202K | +$57K | 10 |
| Hardware testing | $201K | +$56K | 9 |
| CAN bus | $201K | +$56K | 9 |
| Test planning | $194K | +$50K | 9 |
| Mechatronics | $187K | +$42K | 9 |
Top-paying companies
| Name | Median salary | Roles counted |
|---|---|---|
| Waymo | $238K | 5 |
| Zoox | $201K | 5 |
| Lucid Motors | $171K | 16 |
| Harbinger Motors Inc. | $145K | 7 |
| ALTEN Technology USA | $130K | 6 |
| Scout Motors | $122K | 13 |
| Lpadesignstudios | $100K | 3 |
| CannonDesign | $78K | 4 |
Highest-paying open Automotive Engineer roles
All automotive engineer jobs- Sr. Manager, Powertrain Test EngineeringZipline · 🇺🇸South San Francisco, California, USA$220K - $300KSeniorPython
- Lead Noise, Vibration, and Harshness (NVH) EngineerWaymo · 🇺🇸Mountain View, California, USA$230K - $284KLead and aboveTest equipmentDSPFEA
- Staff Vehicle Controls Engineer, SteeringWaymo · 🇺🇸Mountain View, Ca, USA;Novi, Mi, USA$230K - $284KLead and abovePythonC++MATLAB
- Staff Chassis Engineer, Steering and Braking ActuationZoox · 🇺🇸Foster City, CA$195K - $269KLead and aboveJiraAgileComputer Vision
- Staff Machine Learning Engineer – (ADAS/Autonomous Driving)Lucid Motors · 🇺🇸Newark, CA$181K - $265KLead and abovePythonC++Docker
- Staff Embedded Software Engineer - ADAS/ ADLucid Motors · 🇺🇸Newark, CA$179K - $263KLead and aboveC++LinuxC
- Drivetrain Test EngineerRidealso · 🇺🇸Palo Alto$190K - $250KPythonMATLAB
- Chassis Controls Engineer, Brakes & SteeringZoox · 🇺🇸Foster City, CA$157K - $245KPythonJiraMATLAB
- Integration & Test Engineer, PowertrainAnduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$167K - $222KComputer VisionSecurity clearanceTest planning
- Senior Manufacturing Engineer, Chassis FabricationFluidstack · 🇺🇸Phoenix, AZ$169K - $208KSenior
- Staff Powertrain Engineer (Advanced Engineering)Harbinger Motors Inc. · 🇺🇸Garden Grove, CA$170K - $200KLead and aboveCorporate governanceCADFEA
- Sr. Mechatronics Engineer - Actuation & Drivetrain9 Mothers · 🇺🇸Austin$150K - $200KSeniorPythonC++MATLAB
- Advanced Manufacturing Engineer, PowertrainHarbinger Motors Inc. · 🇺🇸Garden Grove, CA$170K - $190KPMPLoad testingCorporate governance
- Scientist II, Antibody Engineering and CharacterizationNautilus Biotechnology · San Carlos$126K - $182KGoPython
- ADAS Calibration & Validation EngineerScout Motors · 🇺🇸Charlotte, North Carolina, United States; Novi, Michigan…$140K - $170KJira
- Manager, Body Exterior Vision SystemsScout Motors · 🇺🇸Novi, Michigan, United States; Charlotte, North Carolina…$140K - $170K
- Scientist, Cell Biology & Antibody EngineeringMedraai · 🇺🇸San Francisco$135K - $170KGo
- Mechanical Engineer - Engineer, Chassis & Vehicle DynamicDoorDash USA · 🇺🇸Oakland, CA$110K - $161KPythonMATLAB
- Powertrain Manufacturing Test EngineerArcher · 🇺🇸San Jose, California, United States$127K - $158KTest equipmentHardware interfacesAnalog design
- Vehicle Dynamics CAE EngineerALTEN Technology USA · 🇺🇸Foster City, California, United States$130K - $150KMATLABSimulinkMedical devices
Questions about Automotive Engineer pay
- What is the average Automotive Engineer salary?
- $153K a year on average and $145K at the median, across 76 open Automotive Engineer postings at companies that state pay (November 2026). The median is the better guide: a few very high offers pull the average up.
- What is the typical range?
- The middle half of the postings offer $122K to $187K a year. A quarter offer less and a quarter offer more.
- Which companies advertise the highest Automotive Engineer pay?
- Waymo ($238K), Zoox ($201K), Lucid Motors ($171K), by the median of their open postings that state pay (three postings or more).
- Is an automotive engineer a high-paying job?
- The median Automotive Engineer posting advertises $145K a year, less than the median of all 55,899 job postings with pay on Jobs Every Hour ($174K). That is 17% below the middle of the market.
- How much can you earn as an automotive engineer?
- A tenth of the postings offer $221K a year or more; the highest open Automotive Engineer role advertises up to $300K. Pay rises with level: see the table by level.
- What is the Automotive Engineer salary per hour and per month?
- The median of $145K a year is about $70 an hour (2,080 working hours) and $12,083 a month before tax. The middle half of postings: $59 to $90 an hour.
- Which skills pay more for Automotive Engineer roles?
- Postings that ask for AUTOSAR (+$57K, 10 postings), Hardware testing (+$56K, 9 postings), CAN bus (+$56K, 9 postings) advertise more than the $145K median of all Automotive Engineer postings with pay.
- Where do these figures come from?
- From the pay ranges employers print in their own job postings, read from their careers pages every hour. The midpoint of each range is counted. These are advertised ranges for open roles, mostly in the United States and in US dollars, not what people are actually paid.
Writing about this? A sentence you can quote
The median advertised salary for Automotive Engineer roles at companies is $145K a year, and the middle half of postings offer $122K to $187K. Counted from 76 open job postings that state pay, November 2026. Source: Jobs Every Hour, https://jobseveryhour.com/salaries/automotive-engineer/
Free to use with the link.