Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between automotive engineers and 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 engineer and an engineer. Additionally, an engineer has an average salary of $92,077, which is higher than the $82,211 average annual salary of an automotive engineer.
The top three skills for an automotive engineer include CAD, ISO and adaptive. The most important skills for an engineer are python, cloud, and C++.
| Automotive Engineer | Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $82,211 | $92,077 |
| Hourly rate | $39.52 | $44.27 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 104,464 | 618,207 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.33 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
An automotive engineer specializes in designing and developing vehicles for public or private use. Their job entails conducting extensive research and analyses, conceptualizing plans with fellow experts, building prototypes and structures, troubleshooting problems, and implementing multiple test procedures to identify how the vehicle operates at different conditions and ensure its quality adheres to standards and regulations. Besides developing new vehicles, an automotive engineer may also modify existing models, which requires them to study the market and consumers' feedback, identify the strengths and weaknesses of existing systems, and coordinate upgrades.
Engineers are highly trained professionals who determine the feasibility of various projects, usually related to the construction industry. They are considered experts in mathematics and science, two disciplines that they need to use in designing and coming up with plans for projects. They should also be well-versed in different construction or industrial materials, and they ensure that appropriate materials are used for the project. They also ensure that the projects meet the requirements of the groups that hired them. They create spaces that would both address the needs of the end-users and the industry standards. They also ensure that the projects they make would stand the test of time.
Automotive engineers and engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Automotive Engineer | Engineer | |
| Average salary | $82,211 | $92,077 |
| Salary range | Between $57,000 And $118,000 | Between $65,000 And $130,000 |
| Highest paying City | Belmont, CA | Huntsville, AL |
| Highest paying state | California | New Hampshire |
| Best paying company | Cal | Fort Bend County |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Automotive |
There are a few differences between an automotive engineer and an engineer in terms of educational background:
| Automotive Engineer | Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between automotive engineers' and engineers' demographics:
| Automotive Engineer | Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.0% Female, 7.0% | Male, 86.3% Female, 13.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.6% Asian, 15.9% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 15.0% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |