Automotive Engineering Technicians
Assist engineers in determining the practicality of proposed product design changes and plan and carry out tests on experimental test devices or equipment for performance, durability, or efficiency.
$74,510 a year (for the broader BLS group this job sits in).
of the working time. Estimate.
- 19%
- 0%
- 81%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 10%. Today's estimate: 13%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 18 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test performance of vehicles that use alternative fuels, such as alcohol blends, natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, biodiesel, nano diesel, or alternative power methods, such as solar energy or hydrogen fuel cells.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 15% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 2.5 work days | Stays with people | |
| Monitor computer-controlled test equipment, according to written or verbal instructions.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 10% | 1.7 h25 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Improve fuel efficiency by testing vehicles or components that use lighter materials, such as aluminum, magnesium alloy, or plastic.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 9% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 2.5 work days | Stays with people | |
| Perform or execute manual or automated tests of automotive system or component performance, efficiency, or durability.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 9% | 3.3 h50 min to 2.1 work days | Stays with people | |
| Install equipment, such as instrumentation, test equipment, engines, or aftermarket products, to ensure proper interfaces.Done daily by most who do it. | 8% | 3.3 h50 min to 1.7 work days | Stays with people | |
| Participate in research or testing of computerized automotive applications, such as telemetrics, intelligent transportation systems, artificial intelligence, or automatic control.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 8% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 3.3 work days | Stays with people | |
| Analyze test data for automotive systems, subsystems, or component parts.Done daily by most who do it. | 8% | 2.1 h50 min to 5 h | 65%Half by now | |
| Build instrumentation or laboratory test equipment for special purposes.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 6% | 6.7 h3.3 h to 3.3 work days | Stays with people | |
| Analyze performance of vehicles or components that have been redesigned to increase fuel efficiency, such as camless or dual-clutch engines or alternative types of air-conditioning systems.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 5% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 1.7 work days | 32%Half by Jan 2027 | |
| Inspect or test parts to determine nature or cause of defects or malfunctions.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 4% | 1.3 h25 min to 5 h | Stays with people | |
| Document test results, using cameras, spreadsheets, documents, or other tools.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 4% | 50 min17 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Set up mechanical, hydraulic, or electric test equipment in accordance with engineering specifications, standards, or test procedures.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 4% | 1.7 h38 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Calibration Technologists and Technicians17% now, 55% by 2028
- Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians4% now, 17% by 2028
- Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians16% now, 49% by 2028
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians17% now, 49% by 2028
- Robotics Technicians11% now, 26% by 2028
- Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics4% now, 4% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.