Automotive designer vs design engineer

The differences between automotive designers and design engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an automotive designer and a design engineer. Additionally, a design engineer has an average salary of $77,134, which is higher than the $69,782 average annual salary of an automotive designer.

The top three skills for an automotive designer include industrial design, sketch and powertrain. The most important skills for a design engineer are C++, UL, and project management.

Automotive designer vs design engineer overview

	Automotive Designer	Design Engineer
Yearly salary	$69,782	$77,134
Hourly rate	$33.55	$37.08
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	76,806	138,173
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	6	6

Automotive designer vs design engineer salary

Automotive designers and design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Automotive Designer	Design Engineer
Average salary	$69,782	$77,134
Salary range	Between $44,000 And $108,000	Between $57,000 And $102,000
Highest paying City	Belmont, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	California
Best paying company	Meta	Meta
Best paying industry	Automotive	Technology

Differences between automotive designer and design engineer education

There are a few differences between an automotive designer and a design engineer in terms of educational background:

	Automotive Designer	Design Engineer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common major	Mechanical Engineering	Mechanical Engineering
Most common college	Northwestern University	Michigan Technological University

Automotive designer vs design engineer demographics

Here are the differences between automotive designers' and design engineers' demographics:

	Automotive Designer	Design Engineer
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 80.2% Female, 19.8%	Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 11.0% White, 70.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between automotive designer and design engineer duties and responsibilities

Automotive designer example responsibilities.

Manage documentation of existing projects, perform ECN resolutions.
Design of brackets and torsion bar components are validated using FEA inSolidworks.
Designate as group training mentor during transition from CADAM to Unigraphics V9.
Complete several fully fillet and draft angle solid models on Unigraphics for direct manufacturing.
Perform mechanical engineering design for facilities including calculate building HVAC requirements to ensure adequate capacity of system air flow.
Release drawings and BOMs in PDM/Link Windchill.

Design engineer example responsibilities.

Utilize CREO surfacing to achieve stylize toilets and components.
Lead innovative cost reduction activities for MBD which lead to industry wide changes.
Develop software in MATLAB & LabVIEW to post-process data, analyze images, and automate test modules.
Participate in new product design reviews, lead DFM sessions with suppliers, and develop part specifications.
Validate specifications that achieve function requirements and Honda standards using FTA, FMEA, simulation, design logic & team collaboration.
Develop tools using Perl script to automate integration/verification process.

Automotive designer vs design engineer skills

Common automotive designer skills

Industrial Design, 24%
Sketch, 19%
Powertrain, 13%
FEA, 11%
Cost Reduction, 9%
Catia V5, 8%

Common design engineer skills

C++, 4%
UL, 4%
Project Management, 4%
Work Ethic, 4%
Engineering Design, 4%
RF, 3%