Automotive service technician and mechanic

National median pay

$50,620

per year · $24.34 per hour

May 2025

Projected employment change

+5%

2025–35

Faster than average

Jobs in the United States

825,800

Projected openings each year: 66,200

Typical entry-level education

Postsecondary nondegree award

On-the-job training

Short-term on-the-job training

What the occupation does

A modern vehicle is a computer network with an engine attached, and the technician's job is to find out which part of it is wrong. That starts with a diagnostic scan and a conversation with the customer about what the car is actually doing, then moves to testing circuits, sensors, and mechanical components. Routine work such as oil changes, brakes, and tyres is still a large part of the job, but the growing share is electrical diagnosis, driver assistance systems, and electric vehicle high-voltage work.

Common daily responsibilities

• Identify problems, usually starting with computerised diagnostic equipment.
• Test parts and systems to confirm the fault before replacing anything.
• Perform routine maintenance: oil, fluids, filters, tyres, and brakes.
• Repair or replace worn parts such as brake pads, bearings, sensors, and components.
• Work to the manufacturer's specifications and follow published repair procedures.
• Document repairs, parts used, hours worked, and the vehicle's condition.
• Explain the problem and the repair to the customer in plain language.
• Follow safety and environmental rules, including for high-voltage systems and hazardous waste.

Typical work environments

• Independent repair shops, where you see a wide variety of makes and ages of vehicle.
• New car dealership service departments, which are more specialised and often have manufacturer training programmes.
• Fleet maintenance shops for a company, city, or utility, with predictable schedules.
• Specialty shops: transmission, brakes, air conditioning, tyres, or electric vehicles.

Skills and abilities needed

• Logical diagnostic thinking: symptoms point to causes, and guessing is expensive.
• Comfort with electrical circuits, multimeters, and computerised scan tools.
• Physical stamina for standing, lifting, and working in awkward positions.
• Hand skills and the patience to work on small, fiddly components.
• Honest communication, because customers are being asked to approve spending money.
• Willingness to keep training as vehicles change, particularly on high-voltage systems.

Ways to enter the occupation

• Automotive technology certificate or associate degree

  The most common route. Community college and technical school programmes run from a short certificate to a two-year degree, and many include an internship with a dealer or shop. Look for programmes with modern scan tools and at least some hybrid or electric vehicle content.

  Typical duration: 6 months to 2 years

• Manufacturer or dealer training programme

  Several manufacturers run their own programmes, sometimes in partnership with a community college. They are often selective and may include a work commitment, but they lead to manufacturer certification.

  Typical duration: 1 to 2 years

• Entry-level job with on-the-job training

  Many technicians start in a shop doing maintenance work and learn diagnosis over time. This route depends entirely on the quality of the shop's mentoring.

  Typical duration: Varies; several years to become a full diagnostic technician

• Military training

  Wheeled vehicle mechanic specialties cover much of the same ground and can translate into civilian experience and sometimes into manufacturer training credit.

  Typical duration: Varies

How long training takes

A certificate takes about six months to a year, and an associate degree about two years. On top of that, employers typically provide a period of supervised work before a technician is trusted with diagnosis on their own, and manufacturer certifications are earned progressively over several years. Electric vehicle high-voltage work requires additional, specific training before you may touch those systems.

Licensing and certification

Automotive repair is generally not licensed as an occupation by the state, with a few exceptions. What is required is certification for specific tasks: handling refrigerants in vehicle air conditioning is federally regulated, and high-voltage electric vehicle work requires specific manufacturer or industry training. Manufacturer and industry certifications are usually voluntary but strongly influence who gets hired and what they are paid. Some states or cities require a repair business registration or a licence to operate a shop, which is a requirement on the business rather than on the individual.

This describes the general pattern. It is not a statement about the rules in your state, and nothing here means a trade is licensed nationwide.

Do requirements differ by state?

Mostly no for the occupation itself, but yes for the business. Individual technicians rarely need a state licence, so requirements do not change much across state lines. Shop owners, however, often face state or local registration, consumer-protection rules, and sometimes emissions-related licensing. Refrigerant certification is federal and applies everywhere.

How to find a legitimate program

Look for a programme accredited by a recognised automotive technician accreditation body, and ask what proportion of graduates are hired in the trade and by whom. Ask whether the programme has a current vehicle fleet, modern scan tools, and any electric vehicle content. Ask whether it includes a paid internship. A programme that cannot show you its shop and its equipment is not worth the tuition.

Career advancement

• Master technician status through manufacturer or industry certification, which usually carries the highest pay in a shop.
• Specialisation: electric vehicle and high-voltage systems, advanced driver assistance and electronics, transmissions, or diesel.
• Service writer or service advisor, moving from the bay to the customer-facing side.
• Shop foreman or service manager, running the technical side of a department.
• Opening your own independent repair shop.

Self-employment

Independent shops are common and are a realistic long-term goal for an experienced technician. It requires capital for equipment and a lift, a business registration, insurance, and usually compliance with consumer-protection rules about estimates and warranties. The technical skill is the easy part; finding and keeping customers is the hard part.

Self-employment usually brings its own requirements on top of the trade itself, such as a business registration, a contractor licence, insurance, or a bond. Those are separate from the occupational licence and are set by your state.

Related occupations

• Diesel service technician and mechanic
• Welder, cutter, solderer, and brazer
• Industrial machinery mechanic, maintenance worker, and millwright
• Electrical and electronic engineering technologist and technician

Official resources and next steps

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Outlook Handbook

  The federal source for the pay, education, and employment projections shown on this page.

• Apprenticeship.gov — U.S. Department of Labor

  The official register of registered apprenticeship programmes. Search by trade and by state, and confirm that a programme is registered before you trust it.

• CareerOneStop — U.S. Department of Labor

  Official wage data for your own area, local training listings, and the American Job Center nearest you.

• O*NET OnLine — U.S. Department of Labor

  A detailed breakdown of the tasks, tools, and knowledge each occupation actually involves, maintained by the Department of Labor.

• U.S. Department of Labor

  Federal rules on wages, safety, and training, and the starting point for finding the state agency that governs a trade.