An automotive technician — often called an auto mechanic, car mechanic or service tech — inspects, maintains and repairs cars and light trucks.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts technician and mechanic as one occupation, automotive service technicians and mechanics, with about 825,800 US jobs in 2025.
This guide covers the daily work, the employers, the shop levels from lube tech to master tech, training routes, pay and job outlook.
What is an automotive technician?
An automotive service technician is a worker who inspects, maintains and repairs cars and light trucks.
That is the Bureau of Labor Statistics' definition, and BLS notes these workers are often called "service technicians" or "service techs".
BLS groups the work under one occupation, automotive service technicians and mechanics (SOC 49-3023).
Because the federal data counts them together, "auto mechanic" and "automotive technician" are two titles for the same job.
Diesel specialists have their own separate BLS profile.
The modern job is electronic as much as mechanical.
BLS notes technicians must be familiar with electronic systems and sensors — braking, transmission and accident-avoidance systems — in addition to traditional mechanical systems.
Within the occupation, BLS names example specialties: automotive air-conditioning technicians, brake technicians, diagnostic technicians, front-end technicians, and transmission technicians and rebuilders.
The occupation is large by any count, and the two federal sources size it differently.
BLS's Occupational Outlook Handbook reports about 825,800 jobs in 2025, a count that includes self-employed technicians.
BLS's Current Population Survey, a household survey, counted about 901,000 people in the occupation in 2025 — women were 1.8% of them, against 47.1% of all employed workers, and 27.6% were Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Black and 3.4% Asian.
What does an auto mechanic do day to day?
BLS's duty list runs the full repair loop.
Technicians identify problems, often with computerized diagnostic equipment, and test parts and systems to confirm the cause.
They do basic maintenance such as changing oil and fluids and rotating tires, and repair or replace worn parts such as brake pads, wheel bearings and sensors.
Repairs are held to a standard: technicians repair vehicles to manufacturer and customer specifications.
They document the work — parts used, hours worked, vehicle condition — and explain the problems and repairs to the customer.
Two of the highest-rated tasks in O*NET's profile of the occupation are following checklists so every important part is examined, and testing and adjusting repaired systems to meet manufacturers' performance specifications.
Technicians also review work orders, discuss work with supervisors, troubleshoot fuel, ignition and emissions systems with electronic test equipment, and keep the work area clean.
The work runs under fixed rules.
BLS says technicians must follow safety procedures and environmental rules, for example when working around high-voltage electric vehicle systems or when disposing of oil and other hazardous materials.
Equipment ownership is split.
The shop typically owns the computerized diagnostic tools and power tools — pneumatic wrenches, lathes, welding torches, jacks and hoists — while common hand tools such as wrenches, pliers, sockets and ratchets are typically the technician's own.
BLS names the qualities the bay demands: customer-service skills, detail orientation, dexterity, mechanical skills, physical strength and problem-solving skills.
Where do automotive technicians work?
Two employer types dominate.
In BLS's 2025 breakdown, automobile dealers employed 32% of automotive service technicians and automotive mechanical and electrical repair and maintenance shops 25%.
Self-employed workers made up 15%, automotive parts, accessories and tire retailers 6%, and other automotive repair and maintenance 4%.
Dealership service departments are a big share of that.
NADA's 2025 data counted 16,990 franchised light-vehicle dealers in the US, with 278,424 technicians working at franchised dealerships, including body shop technicians — an average of 16 per dealership.
Technicians were the largest single job group in dealerships at 25.2% of dealership employees.
The setting is mostly indoors.
BLS describes repair shops as usually well-ventilated and well-lit, with technicians commonly working with greasy parts and tools, sometimes in uncomfortable positions.
Beyond BLS's five categories, the wider service bench — quick-lube stores, fleet garages, glass and detailing shops, used-car reconditioning — is where this board's other service roles sit.
What are the technician levels from lube tech to master tech?
Our research found no federal or industry-wide definition of technician levels.
BLS does not split the occupation into levels — it counts automotive service technicians and mechanics under the single occupation code 49-3023 — and each employer defines its own titles and pay steps.
Titles you will see include lube technician, tire technician, general service technician, line technician and master technician — and what each one means is set by the employer that uses it.
Employers publish their own ladders.
Valvoline Instant Oil Change's service-center ladder, for example, runs Entry-Level Lube Technician, Certified Technician, Senior Technician, Assistant Service Center Manager and Service Center Manager.
Its technicians perform what the company calls top and bottom-side services: light and wiper checks, fluid top-offs, oil changes and tire rotations.
Deepening can also mean specializing.
BLS names example specialties within the occupation: air-conditioning, brakes, diagnostics, front-end and transmission work.
Its profile of diagnostic technicians describes people with extensive knowledge of engine management and fuel, electrical, ignition and emissions systems, often using scan tools and multimeters to find what keeps engines from performing efficiently.
What do you need to become an auto mechanic?
The typical entry route, as BLS lists it, needs no related work experience: a postsecondary nondegree award plus short-term on-the-job training after hire.
Technicians typically complete an automotive service technology program, though some enter with a high school diploma and learn on the job.
Programs run at high schools, community colleges and technical institutes and may lead to a certificate or an associate degree.
Some are sponsored by manufacturers or dealers and focus on one vehicle brand; others concentrate on a single subject such as brakes or engine performance.
Skipping the program is possible but slower.
BLS says workers without a program usually need longer on-the-job training and may start as trainee technicians, technicians' helpers or lubrication workers, learning gradually from experienced technicians.
Apprenticeship is another route: it usually combines paid on-the-job training with technical instruction.
O*NET places the occupation in Job Zone Three, with one or two years of training that mixes on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers.
Two credential points come up early.
Federal law requires anyone who repairs or services a vehicle's air-conditioning system for pay to be trained and certified through an EPA-approved Section 609 program.
Employers, meanwhile, may require or prefer that technicians become industry certified — and some pay for it.
Certification specialties include automatic transmission/transaxle, brakes and electrical/electronic systems, and technicians typically need previous experience and must pass an exam.
O*NET lists ASE, the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence, among the certification bodies for this occupation.
Rules change — confirm before you enroll or test
How much do automotive technicians make?
BLS's Occupational Outlook Handbook puts the median annual wage for automotive service technicians and mechanics (SOC 49-3023) at $50,620 as of May 2025 — $24.34 an hour.
The lowest 10% earned under $34,660 and the highest 10% earned more than $81,790.
Pay differs by employer type.
The median was $59,920 at automobile dealers, $49,630 at automotive mechanical and electrical repair shops, $45,700 at parts, accessories and tire retailers, and $35,730 in other automotive repair and maintenance.
How the paycheck is built varies too: BLS notes some repair shops pay technicians hourly while others pay based on the amount of work completed — the flat-rate system.
For the full BLS tables, including state medians, see the automotive technician salary page.
Is being a mechanic a good career?
Demand is steady.
BLS projects employment of automotive service technicians and mechanics to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the average for all occupations — a gain of 40,900 jobs, from 825,800 to 866,700.
About 66,200 openings are projected each year on average over the decade, mostly from workers transferring into other occupations or leaving the labor force, for example to retire.
BLS names three drivers behind that outlook: more vehicles in use, owners keeping vehicles longer, and more demand for calibrations and repairs of advanced safety systems.
The fleet is aging along with those drivers — S&P Global Mobility's 2025 analysis put the average US light vehicle at a record 12.8 years old.
There is a physical cost to weigh.
BLS says technicians usually stand for most of the day, may lift and maneuver heavy objects such as tires, may be exposed to fumes, chemicals and noise, and occasionally work outdoors in all weather.
Most technicians work full time, and evening or weekend work may be required.
In O*NET's survey, 52% of technician respondents said they work more than 40 hours a week, and 52% reported time pressure every day.
The honest summary: openings are steady, pay spans a wide range with the dealer median ($59,920) above the repair-shop median ($49,630), and the work is physical.
It tends to fit people who like problem-solving with their hands and want a skilled trade that does not require a bachelor's degree to enter.
Find automotive technician jobs near you
The employer mix gives you several doors into the trade: dealerships employed 32% of technicians in 2025 and automotive mechanical and electrical repair shops 25%; BLS's breakdown also counts self-employed workers (15%), parts, accessories and tire retailers (6%) and other automotive repair and maintenance (4%).
Automotive technician jobs on AutoTechHires collect openings from repair shops, dealership service departments, tire stores and fleets.
Filter by city, pay range and benefits to find bays near you.
When you compare offers, ask three things: how the shop pays — hourly or flat rate; what tools the shop provides against what you bring; and what training or certification the shop pays for.
Career information, not licensing, legal, tax, insurance or safety advice. Training, certification and pay practices vary by employer, program and agency — confirm current requirements with the employer, certifying body or agency involved.