Installation, Maintenance, and Repair · Holland code RCI
Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics
Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul automotive vehicles.
Also called: Auto Mechanic (Automotive Mechanic), Auto Service Tech (Automotive Service Technician), Auto Tech (Automotive Technician), Service Technician (Service Tech), Auto Drivability Tech (Automotive Drivability Technician), Auto Mechanic (Automobile Mechanic), Auto Tech (Automobile Technician), Automatic Transmission Technician (Auto Transmission Tech).
O*NET 49-3023.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $50,620
- Middle half earn $38,900 to $70,430. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 3 of 5
- Medium preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
- US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034
- +4% · As fast as average
- 805,600 jobs in 2024, projected 839,200. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Automotive service technicians and mechanics".
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- Follow checklists to ensure all important parts are examined, including belts, hoses, steering systems, spark plugs, brake and fuel systems, wheel bearings, and other potentially troublesome areas.
- Test and adjust repaired systems to meet manufacturers' performance specifications.
- Perform routine and scheduled maintenance services, such as oil changes, lubrications, and tune-ups.
- Inspect vehicles for damage and record findings so that necessary repairs can be made.
- Align wheels, axles, frames, torsion bars, and steering mechanisms of automobiles, using special alignment equipment and wheel-balancing machines.
- Repair, reline, replace, and adjust brakes.
- Repair, replace, or adjust defective fuel injectors, carburetor parts, and gasoline filters.
- Align vehicles' front ends.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Critical Thinking3.5 / 5
- Active Listening3.3 / 5
- Monitoring3.1 / 5
- Speaking3.0 / 5
- Active Learning3.0 / 5
- Reading Comprehension2.9 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Mechanical4.6 / 5
- Engineering and Technology3.5 / 5
- Computers and Electronics3.4 / 5
- Customer and Personal Service3.2 / 5
- English Language3.2 / 5
- Mathematics3.1 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic100
- Investigative43
- Artistic0
- Social8
- Enterprising10
- Conventional55
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- automotive brake technician · DE Kraftfahrzeugmechatroniker für Bremsanlagen/Kraftfahrzeugmechatronikerin für Bremsanlagen · FR technicien en système de freinage automobile/technicienne en système de freinage automobile
- vehicle technician · DE Kraftfahrzeugmechatroniker Schwerpunkt Personenkraftwagentechnik/Kraftfahrzeugmechatronikerin Schwerpunkt Personenkraftwagentechnik · FR technicien de véhicules/technicienne de véhicules
- diesel engine mechanic · DE Motorenmechaniker für Dieselmotoren/Motorenmechanikerin für Dieselmotoren · FR mécanicien diéséliste/mécanicienne diéséliste
- refurbishing technician · DE Kraftfahrzeugmechatroniker in der Fahrzeugmodernisierung/Kraftfahrzeugmechatronikerin in der Fahrzeugmodernisierung · FR technicien en remise à neuf de véhicules/technicienne en remise à neuf de véhicules
- restoration technician · DE Oldtimerrestaurator/Oldtimerrestauratorin · FR technicien en restauration de véhicules/technicienne en restauration de véhicules
- roadside vehicle technician · DE Pannendienstfahrer/Pannendienstfahrerin · FR dépanneur de véhicules/dépanneuse de véhicules
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Vehicle technicians, mechanics and electricians (5231)165,500 employed
- Rail and rolling stock builders and repairers (5236)16,800 employed
- Metal working production and maintenance fitters and technicians (5223)135,500 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Japan
Japan classifies jobs in its own way. The closest category that names the same work is “自動車整備・修理従事者”, which may be narrower or broader than this occupation.
- Median monthly pay
- ¥297,000
- Middle half earn ¥248,500 to ¥355,800 a month.
- Workers in the category
- 210,280
- Regular employees in firms of ten or more.
Scheduled monthly pay before tax, excluding overtime and bonuses, so it is not comparable to the annual figures above. Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025, via e-Stat, under the Japanese Government Standard Terms of Use. The category match was made by hand.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Craft and related trades workers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €40,086 |
| Germany | €38,638 |
| Austria | €38,194 |
| Sweden | €37,856 |
| Netherlands | €37,077 |
| Ireland | €36,098 |
| France | €27,145 |
| Italy | €26,488 |
| Spain | €22,817 |
| Portugal | €11,142 |
| Poland | €10,099 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
Exposure to AI
This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -0.95. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.
Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.
Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (49-3023).
Related careers
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