Vehicle technicians, mechanics and electricians: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time vehicle technicians, mechanics and electricians in the UK earned a median £37,458 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): £1,581 below the all-jobs median of £39,039.
What the figures show
That puts it 167th of 382, in the middle third of occupations.
One in ten full-time jobs paid under £24,685; one in ten paid over £52,670.
Median full-time pay: women £32,584 a year, men £37,486 a year.
Paid hours are long: a full-time median of 40.8 a week including overtime, against 37.5 across all jobs.
ASHE counts roughly 109,000 employee jobs, 93% full-time.
Since 2021 the median has risen 32.5% (from £28,271), faster than the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 165,500 people in this line of work, 16% of them in South East.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, annual | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £24,685 | £494.70 | £12.52 | £21,999 | £440.10 | £12.30 |
| 20th percentile | £28,143 | £558.10 | £13.56 | £26,861 | £529.10 | £13.33 |
| 25th percentile | £30,000 | £595.70 | £14.28 | £28,667 | £557.70 | £14.00 |
| 30th percentile | £31,671 | £620.40 | £15.00 | £30,673 | £596.60 | £14.71 |
| 40th percentile | £34,463 | £660.90 | £16.00 | £33,455 | £640.00 | £15.94 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £37,458 | £709.10 | £17.25 | £36,560 | £690.30 | £16.95 |
| 60th percentile | £39,764 | £766.60 | £18.40 | £39,104 | £750.40 | £18.24 |
| 70th percentile | £42,960 | £833.70 | £19.76 | £42,383 | £812.40 | £19.66 |
| 75th percentile | £44,594 | £873.30 | £20.20 | £44,299 | £860.40 | £20.13 |
| 80th percentile | £46,697 | £912.50 | £21.24 | £46,025 | £900.20 | £21.18 |
| 90th percentile | £52,670* | £1,063.60 | £23.89 | £52,385* | £1,047.80 | £23.74 |
| Mean | £38,213 | £752.20 | £17.82 | £37,039 | £723.60 | £17.73 |
Pay since 2021
| ASHE year | Full-time, annual median | Full-time, weekly median | Full-time, hourly median | All, annual median | All, weekly median | Jobs (thousands, indicative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 revised | £28,271 | £536.60 | £12.95 | £28,075 | £531.70 | 92 |
| 2022 revised | £30,000 | £594.70 | £14.12 | £29,503 | £585.30 | 104 |
| 2023 revised | £32,287 | £628.60 | £15.06 | £31,710 | £615.10 | 99 |
| 2024 revised | £35,492 | £678.10 | £16.12 | £34,605 | £664.10 | 106 |
| 2025 provisional | £37,458 | £709.10 | £17.25 | £36,560 | £690.30 | 109 |
Vehicle technicians, mechanics and electricians by region
UK: 165,500 (± 15,800), April 2025 to March 2026. 1 of the 12 regions and nations have samples too small to publish.
| Region or nation | People in employment | 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 26,000* | ± 6,400 |
| Scotland | 18,600* | ± 4,900 |
| North West | 18,300* | ± 5,200 |
| West Midlands | 18,100* | ± 5,600 |
| East of England | 17,300* | ± 5,700 |
| South West | 14,000* | ± 4,300 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 13,100* | ± 4,200 |
| East Midlands | 11,600* | ± 4,500 |
| North East | 9,300* | ± 3,000 |
| Northern Ireland | 7,800* | ± 2,800 |
| Wales | 5,100* | ± 2,000 |
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What vehicle technicians, mechanics and electricians do
Vehicle technicians, mechanics and electricians diagnose, maintain, repair and test mechanical, electrical and electronic systems in light vehicles, heavy goods vehicles, buses and coaches, motorcycles and specialist vehicles. (ONS SOC 2020, 5231)
Also covers: auto electrician, car mechanic, HGV mechanic, mechanic (garage), MOT tester, motor mechanic, motor vehicle technician, technician (vehicles), vehicle technician, roadside Technician (motor vehicles), adjuster (vehicles), automobile electrician, automobile fitter, automotive technician, bay operator, bus engineer, bus mechanic and car stripper (120 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Visually checks, test drives or uses test equipment to diagnose engine and mechanical faults
- Removes, dismantles, repairs and replaces defective parts and prepares new parts using appropriate tools
- Reassembles, tests, adjusts and tunes the appropriate parts, systems or entire engine
- Carries out routine maintenance checks on oil and air filters, brakes and other vehicle parts/systems
- Diagnoses faults in electrical/electronic circuitry, removes faulty components and fits replacements
- Checks condition of electrical/electronic systems and carries out servicing tasks
There are no formal academic entry requirements, although some employers may require GCSEs/S grades or an equivalent qualification. Training is undertaken Off and on-the-job. Apprenticeships at NVQ/SVQ levels 2 and 3 are available and take three to four years to complete.
Related
Vehicle trades (median £37,917) · Vehicle body builders and repairers · Vehicle paint technicians · salary percentile · Average weekly hours worked in the UK · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026