What are the main factors that influence a Vehicle Engineer's salary?

The primary factors are: 1) Experience Level, 2) Geographic Location, 3) Education/Skills, 4) Company Size & Industry

How does experience change A Vehicle Engineer's salary?

A Vehicle Engineer's salary grows with experience: a Software Quality Assurance Engineer I (0-2 years)earns $73,838, a Vehicle Engineer (2-4 years)earns $94,766, a Software Quality Assurance Engineer III (4-7 years)earns $114,892, a Software Quality Assurance Engineer IV (7+ years)earns $132,677, a Software Quality Assurance Engineer V (7-10 years)earns $155,152,

What are the highest paying states for a Vehicle Engineer?

Vehicle Engineer salary varies significantly by state. The top 3 highest paying states for Vehicle Engineer roles are District of Columbia $104,220, California $103,824, Massachusetts $102,441. These tech hubs typically pay 10-15% above the national average.

How much do different types of Vehicle Engineer roles make?

Salaries for Vehicle Engineer level roles vary by specialization: Senior C Software Engineer Vehicle Infra Team: $151,973; Vehicle Test Engineer: $115,805; Vehicle Control Engineer: $113,317; Vehicle Dynamics Engineer: $110,263; Vehicle Integration Engineer: $106,162.

How do different companies affect a Vehicle Engineer's salary?

Company size, industry, and compensation structure create significant salary variations for Vehicle Engineer roles. Large, established industry leaders like C R Bard Inc ($128,509) and Henry Schein Canada ($124,697) offer base salaries 35-40% above the national average. In contrast, smaller firms or startups may offer closer to $82,041.

Vehicle Engineer Salary in the United States

How much does a Vehicle Engineer make in the United States?

As of June 01, 2026, the average salary for a Vehicle Engineer in the United States is $94,129 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $45.

However, a Vehicle Engineer's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

Top Earners (90th percentile): $108,022
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $84,953 to $101,401
Entry-Level (10th percentile): $76,599

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Vehicle Engineer Salaries by Percentile

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$101,401	$8,450	$1,950	$49
Average	$94,129	$7,844	$1,810	$45
25th Percentile	$84,953	$7,079	$1,634	$41

You may get higher pay by adjusting the following factors:

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Key Factors That Influence Vehicle Engineer Salaries

A Vehicle Engineer's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Vehicle Engineer Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Vehicle Engineer's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $73,838
Early Career (1-2 years): $94,766
Mid-Level (2-4 years): $114,892
Senior-Level (5-8 years): $132,677
Expert (over 8 years): $155,152

Levels	Salary
Software ... Level Vehicle Engineer	$73,838
Vehicle E... Level Vehicle Engineer	$94,766
Software ... Level Vehicle Engineer	$114,892
Software ... Level Vehicle Engineer	$132,677
Software ... Level Vehicle Engineer	$155,152

View as Graph

What Am I Worth?

How Do Vehicle Engineer Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Vehicle Engineers. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:

District of Columbia: $104,220.
California: $103,824.
Massachusetts: $102,441.

District of Columbia $104,220 California $103,824 Massachusetts $102,441 Washington $102,064 New Jersey $102,026 Alaska $101,895 Connecticut $100,596 New York $100,069

Hawaii $98,384 Rhode Island $97,593 Maryland $97,056 Minnesota $96,322 Colorado $96,040 Illinois $95,946 Oregon $95,588 Delaware $95,324

New Hampshire $95,159 Virginia $94,788 Pennsylvania $93,705 Nevada $93,159 North Dakota $92,981 Michigan $92,698 Wisconsin $92,595 Vermont $92,388

Texas $91,813 Maine $91,776 Arizona $91,719 Ohio $91,653 Georgia $90,787 Indiana $90,354 Wyoming $90,270 Utah $90,138

Iowa $90,081 Kansas $89,630 Louisiana $89,498 North Carolina $89,451 Missouri $89,432 Florida $89,065 Montana $88,867 Nebraska $88,679

Kentucky $88,575 South Carolina $88,199 Tennessee $87,964 Idaho $87,869 New Mexico $87,182 Oklahoma $87,032 Alabama $86,476 South Dakota $85,544

Arkansas $85,036 West Virginia $84,763 Mississippi $83,944

Top Paying Cities for Vehicle Engineers

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

San Jose: $118,725
San Francisco: $117,425
Oakland: $114,950

San Jose, CA $118,725

San Francisco, CA $117,425

Oakland, CA $114,950

New York, NY $108,379

Paramus, NJ $107,061

Queens Village, NY $107,057

Passaic, NJ $106,967

Bergenfield, NJ $106,959

Stamford, CT $106,752

Huntington, NY $106,713

Newark, NJ $106,017

Bridgeport, CT $105,819

Vallejo, CA $105,632

New Brunswick, NJ $105,594

Petaluma, CA $105,537

Middlesex, NJ $105,359

Somerset, NJ $105,293

Santa Cruz, CA $105,170

Boston, MA $104,596

Monterey, CA $104,266

Seattle, WA $104,050

Santa Rosa, CA $104,031

Los Angeles, CA $104,003

Juneau, AK $103,758

Washington, DC $103,655

Orange, CA $103,320

Santa Ana, CA $103,071

Long Beach, CA $102,977

Anaheim, CA $102,958

Anchorage, AK $102,911

Santa Maria, CA $102,629

Everett, WA $102,610

Danbury, CT $102,279

Bremerton, WA $102,149

Tacoma, WA $101,810

New Suffolk, NY $101,808

Sacramento, CA $101,782

Santa Barbara, CA $101,678

Trenton, NJ $101,575

San Diego, CA $101,575

Brockton, MA $101,471

Fairbanks, AK $101,240

Lompoc, CA $101,000

Lowell, MA $100,924

Ventura, CA $100,906

Nashua, NH $100,887

Stockton, CA $100,878

Modesto, CA $100,191

Poughkeepsie, NY $99,984

Olympia, WA $99,805

Kennewick, WA $99,805

New Haven, CT $99,767

Lawrence, MA $99,428

Hartford, CT $99,334

Riverside, CA $99,316

New Bedford, MA $99,221

Richland, WA $99,221

Bakersfield, CA $99,090

San Bernardino, CA $99,052

New Britain, CT $99,043

Atlantic City, NJ $99,043

New London, CT $99,005

Norwich, CT $98,977

Portsmouth, NH $98,958

Boulder, CO $98,758

Portland, OR $98,628

Worcester, MA $98,619

Minneapolis, MN $98,327

Philadelphia, PA $98,195

Honolulu, HI $97,885

Saint Paul, MN $97,840

Vineland, NJ $97,819

Providence, RI $97,546

Chicago, IL $97,273

Bellingham, WA $97,160

Springfield, MA $97,085

Baltimore, MD $97,056

Chico, CA $96,821

Pittsfield, MA $96,567

Manchester, NH $96,388

Spokane, WA $95,974

Denver, CO $95,965

Albany, NY $95,522

Troy, NY $95,484

Nassau, NY $95,384

Schenectady, NY $95,287

Wilmington, DE $95,211

Burlington, VT $95,080

Salem, OR $95,042

Portland, ME $94,750

Yakima, WA $94,656

Rochester, MN $94,364

Reno, NV $94,317

Fresno, CA $94,317

Milwaukee, WI $94,233

Detroit, MI $94,138

Ann Arbor, MI $94,122

Allentown, PA $94,110

Colorado Springs, CO $93,950

Syracuse, NY $93,903

Carson City, NV $93,903

Houston, TX $93,771

Eugene, OR $93,724

Gary, IN $93,611

Springfield, OR $93,536

Bismarck, ND $93,517

Galveston, TX $93,451

Medford, OR $93,310

Fort Collins, CO $93,272

Concord, NH $93,225

Austin, TX $93,197

Mesa, AZ $92,999

Reading, PA $92,990

Phoenix, AZ $92,981

Dallas, TX $92,952

Saint Cloud, MN $92,862

Madison, WI $92,736

Utica, NY $92,482

Rochester, NY $92,331

Des Moines, IA $92,322

Raleigh, NC $92,312

Atlanta, GA $92,171

Battle Creek, MI $92,143

Salt Lake City, UT $92,115

Lancaster, PA $91,973

Harrisburg, PA $91,842

Kansas City, MO $91,748

Champaign, IL $91,729

Kansas City, KS $91,729

Fort Worth, TX $91,719

Columbus, OH $91,703

Boca Raton, FL $91,682

Pittsburgh, PA $91,644

Richmond, VA $91,606

Indianapolis, IN $91,588

Cleveland, OH $91,578

Las Vegas, NV $91,465

Cincinnati, OH $91,465

Petersburg, VA $91,324

Huntsville, AL $91,183

Lansing, MI $91,120

Lebanon, PA $91,107

Pueblo, CO $91,098

Appleton, WI $91,070

Buffalo, NY $91,032

Dayton, OH $91,004

Racine, WI $90,985

Charlotte, NC $90,976

Saint Louis, MO $90,947

York, PA $90,891

Elkhart, IN $90,891

Gastonia, NC $90,873

Billings, MT $90,850

Beaumont, TX $90,825

Lorain, OH $90,806

Benton Harbor, MI $90,787

Toledo, OH $90,769

Binghamton, NY $90,722

Rock Hill, SC $90,712

Rockford, IL $90,665

Springfield, IL $90,627

Elyria, OH $90,618

Fargo, ND $90,618

Flagstaff, AZ $90,552

Fort Lauderdale, FL $90,496

Duluth, MN $90,439

Miami, FL $90,439

Cheyenne, WY $90,373

Grand Forks, ND $90,373

Bangor, ME $90,166

Cedar Rapids, IA $90,063

Durham, NC $90,023

Louisville, KY $90,016

Grand Rapids, MI $89,997

Hialeah, FL $89,987

Casper, WY $89,856

Scranton, PA $89,743

New Orleans, LA $89,714

Virginia Beach, VA $89,705

Akron, OH $89,658

Peoria, IL $89,536

Sarasota, FL $89,517

Nashville, TN $89,451

Omaha, NE $89,451

Green Bay, WI $89,451

Baton Rouge, LA $89,404

Charleston, SC $89,385

Jamestown, NY $89,338

Davenport, IA $89,338

Tucson, AZ $89,291

Saint Petersburg, FL $89,234

Tampa, FL $89,215

Evansville, IN $89,159

Port Arthur, TX $89,159

Bradenton, FL $89,121

Santa Fe, NM $88,952

Orlando, FL $88,782

Clearwater, FL $88,754

Canton, OH $88,557

La Crosse, WI $88,557

Albuquerque, NM $88,500

Newport News, VA $88,491

High Point, NC $88,462

Ogden, UT $88,425

Corpus Christi, TX $88,349

Norfolk, VA $88,293

Laramie, WY $88,293

Rock Island, IL $88,237

Saginaw, MI $88,218

Jacksonville, FL $88,208

Salisbury, NC $88,189

Boise, ID $88,171

Moline, IL $88,124

Fort Myers, FL $88,095

Memphis, TN $88,077

Tulsa, OK $88,029

Waterloo, IA $87,973

Spartanburg, SC $87,879

Lincoln, NE $87,832

Fort Wayne, IN $87,813

Provo, UT $87,804

Cedar Falls, IA $87,691

San Antonio, TX $87,653

Greensboro, NC $87,615

South Bend, IN $87,606

Savannah, GA $87,502

Muskegon, MI $87,465

Birmingham, AL $87,455

Winston Salem, NC $87,409

Lake Charles, LA $87,182

Anderson, IN $87,163

Lexington, KY $87,135

Augusta, GA $87,107

Greenville, SC $87,107

Lima, OH $87,032

Wichita, KS $87,022

Tuscaloosa, AL $87,022

Columbia, SC $86,938

Springfield, OH $86,919

Asheville, NC $86,768

Bloomington, IN $86,702

Knoxville, TN $86,363

Shreveport, LA $86,354

Wilmington, NC $86,232

Roanoke, VA $86,232

Topeka, KS $86,062

Frankfort, KY $86,052

Oklahoma City, OK $85,987

Chillicothe, OH $85,949

Longview, TX $85,940

Melbourne, FL $85,930

Sioux Falls, SD $85,780

Mobile, AL $85,770

Terre Haute, IN $85,733

Altoona, PA $85,676

Amarillo, TX $85,610

Killeen, TX $85,582

Fayetteville, AR $85,507

Chattanooga, TN $85,479

Sioux City, IA $85,394

Idaho Falls, ID $85,375

Lynchburg, VA $85,300

Gainesville, FL $85,177

Portsmouth, OH $85,130

Little Rock, AR $85,111

Lafayette, LA $85,074

Youngstown, OH $85,074

Daytona Beach, FL $85,017

Clarksville, TN $85,008

Pensacola, FL $84,998

Temple, TX $84,992

Hopkinsville, KY $84,716

Erie, PA $84,697

Florence, SC $84,660

Charleston, WV $84,509

Great Falls, MT $84,462

Macon, GA $84,330

Tallahassee, FL $84,321

Fayetteville, NC $84,302

Waco, TX $84,283

Helena, MT $84,217

Pine Bluff, AR $84,181

Vincennes, IN $84,067

Lubbock, TX $84,029

Alamogordo, NM $83,972

Twin Falls, ID $83,888

Rapid City, SD $83,860

Jackson, MS $83,690

Huntington, WV $83,684

Greenville, MS $83,681

Parkersburg, WV $83,585

Montgomery, AL $83,568

Wichita Falls, TX $83,474

Springfield, MO $83,474

Biloxi, MS $83,427

Monroe, LA $83,332

Johnstown, PA $83,267

Sumter, SC $83,229

Columbus, GA $83,219

Pascagoula, MS $83,041

Abilene, TX $83,041

Kingsport, TN $82,796

Albany, GA $82,796

Gulfport, MS $82,768

Alexandria, LA $82,457

Fort Smith, AR $82,222

El Paso, TX $81,968

Las Cruces, NM $81,544

Harlingen, TX $81,305

Pocatello, ID $81,290

Florence, AL $81,167

Brownsville, TX $81,149

Mcallen, TX $80,951

Dothan, AL $80,819

Columbus, MS $80,260

Altus, OK $79,821

Lawton, OK $79,643

Pierre, SD $79,304

What Skills Can Increase a Vehicle Engineer's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

Analysis (Mentioned in 4.58% Job Postings): Analysis is the process of considering something carefully or using statistical methods in order to understand it or explain it.
Test Scripts (Mentioned in 2.95% Job Postings): A test script in software testing is a set of instructions that will be performed on the system under test to test that the system functions as expected. There are various means for executing test scripts. Manual testing. These are more commonly called test cases. Automated testing. Short program written in a programming language used to test part of the functionality of a software system. Test scripts written as a short program can either be written using a special automated functional GUI test tool (such as HP QuickTest Professional, Borland SilkTest, IBM TPNS and Rational Robot) or in a well-known programming language (such as C++, C#, Tcl, Expect, Java, PHP, Perl, Powershell, Python, or Ruby). As documented in IEEE, ISO and IEC. Extensively parameterized short programs a.k.a. Data-driven testing Reusable steps created in a table a.k.a. keyword-driven or table-driven testing.
Automated Testing (Mentioned in 1.83% Job Postings): Test automation is the use of software to control the execution of tests and the comparison of predicted to actual outcomes.

See More Skills

Skills	Demand Percentage
Analysis	4.58%
Test Scripts	2.95%
Automated Testing	1.83%

What skills can make your compensation higher?

Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Vehicle Engineer's salary.

Innovation: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.
Collaboration: Can increase your salary by up to 2%.
Debugging: Can increase your salary by up to 2%.

Skill	Salary	Salary % Increase
Innovation	$96,953	3%
Collaboration	$96,012	2%
Debugging	$96,012	2%
Programming	$96,012	2%
Process Improvement	$96,012	2%
Quality Management	$96,012	2%

Get Latest Data

How Education impacts a Vehicle Engineer's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Vehicle Engineers enter the field with a Bachelor's Degree degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Vehicle Engineer with a Bachelor's Degree is between $85,394 and $90,297).

Vehicle Engineer Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Vehicle Engineer

No Diploma 0.4%

High School 10.1%

Associates 8.3%

Bachelors 58.0%

Masters 22.4%

Doctorate 0.8%

view as table

Degree Level	% of user with this level of education
No Diploma	0.4%
High School	10.1%
Associates	8.3%
Bachelors	58.0%
Masters	22.4%
Doctorate	0.8%

view as graph

Vehicle Engineer Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Vehicle Engineer's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on June 01, 2026

$84,953

Average $94,129/year

$101,401

$7,079

Average $7,844/month

$8,450

$1,634

Average $1,810/week

$1,950

$41

Average $45/hour

$49

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$101,401	$8,450	$1,950	$49
Average	$94,129	$7,844	$1,810	$45
25th Percentile	$84,953	$7,079	$1,634	$41

Salaries of jobs related to Vehicle Engineer

Salary Trends for Vehicle Engineer

Salaries for a Vehicle Engineer can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $94,733 in 2023 to around $93,854 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Vehicle Engineer salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Vehicle Engineer Over Time

2022

$???

2023

$94,733

2024

$94,955

2025

$93,854

2026

$???

2027

$???

Year	Average Annual Salary
2022	View More
2023	$94,733
2024	$94,955
2025	$93,854
2026	View More
2027	View More

Most common benefits for Vehicle Engineer

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Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

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