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What is a car sales representative and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted experts
Frederik Beuk,
John Cicala Ph.D.

It may be time to update your mental image of a car salesman. As a Car Sales Representative, you're not only an effective communicator and salesperson, but you also need to have quality research, demographic, and marketing understanding.

While landing a sale is always the base goal when talking with an individual or family, you'll need to make sure you can give them the car of their needs and answer any questions they may have. Assess their budget, narrow down the criteria, guide them through the entire selection and buying process, and focus on building positive client relationships. Understanding your inventory and being able to anticipate questions and concerns will be the foundation of being a quality Car Sales Representative.

While it depends on the company, many require at least a high school diploma/GED with several years of experience in sales and the auto industry. You'll also need to go through any certifications to be a licensed salesperson, depending on your state regulations. This is a highly competitive field, so get ready to lock in those opportunities. While this can be either an hourly or full-time position, on average, a Car Sales Representative makes $28,000 per year from their base salary. This will be affected by commissions and bonuses.

What general advice would you give to a car sales representative?

Frederik Beuk

Associate Professor of Marketing, University of Akron

The key consideration is whether you really want to maximize your initial salary. For instance, envision two job opportunities: one offering a salary of $50,000 per year, where you'd be the most junior team member, and the other providing $75,000 per year, with the caveat that you would be the sole sales representative for the firm. The optimal choice is to prioritize learning opportunities. In this context, being the lone salesperson for a company that compensates its highest-earning sales professional $75,000 might not be your superior option. Instead, seek a position that offers the greatest potential for learning. Subsequently, demonstrate your negotiating prowess, a critical sales skill, by securing a slightly higher salary. However, it's essential not to fixate on maximizing your starting salary. Your career requires a long-term strategy, and you have several decades ahead of you to maximize income.
ScoreCar Sales RepresentativeUS Average
Salary
3.4

Avg. Salary $44,026

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
7.1

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
3.8
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.23%

Asian 5.20%

Black or African American 3.88%

Hispanic or Latino 14.48%

Unknown 3.72%

White 72.50%

Gender

female 24.61%

male 75.39%

Age - 48
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 48
Stress level
7.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
4.9

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Car sales representative career paths

Key steps to become a car sales representative

  1. Explore car sales representative education requirements

    Most common car sales representative degrees

    Bachelor's

    36.4 %

    High School Diploma

    27.6 %

    Associate

    22.2 %
  2. Start to develop specific car sales representative skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Customer Service46.73%
    Test Drive33.36%
    Car Sales13.84%
    Customer Satisfaction1.25%
    Automotive Sales1.16%
  3. Complete relevant car sales representative training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New car sales representatives learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a car sales representative based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real car sales representative resumes.
  4. Research car sales representative duties and responsibilities

    • Coordinate and manage services and requests from clients for BMW, Lexus, and Mercedes for auto body repairs and restorations.
    • Open, operate and close POS.
    • Recruit to increase Hyundai and Subaru sales.
    • Select for Chrysler's MVP program this year.
  5. Prepare your car sales representative resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your car sales representative resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a car sales representative resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable car sales representative resume templates

    Build a professional car sales representative resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your car sales representative resume.
    Car Sales Representative Resume
    Car Sales Representative Resume
    Car Sales Representative Resume
    Car Sales Representative Resume
    Car Sales Representative Resume
    Car Sales Representative Resume
    Car Sales Representative Resume
    Car Sales Representative Resume
    Car Sales Representative Resume
  6. Apply for car sales representative jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a car sales representative job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first car sales representative job

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Average car sales representative salary

The average car sales representative salary in the United States is $44,026 per year or $21 per hour. Car sales representative salaries range between $20,000 and $92,000 per year.

Average car sales representative salary
$44,026 Yearly
$21.17 hourly

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How do car sales representatives rate their job?

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Car sales representative reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020
Pros

Communicating and helping my clients.

Cons

The travel was extensive. Sometimes. It took more than month to close a deaĺ.


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A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020
Pros

I love to engage the public and meet new faces. I enjoy explaining all of the benefits of the product I am selling, and making the customer feel important and well informed.


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A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020
Pros

i enjoy the interaction with people, listen the customer in order to convert him/her into your friend, detect and help customer with his/her needs.

Cons

People without vision, dreams and selfishness.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.