Electronic Equipment Installers and Repairers, Motor Vehicles
Also called: Auto Tech (Automotive Technician), Car Alarm Installer, Car Audio Installer, Car Electronics Installer, Car Stereo Installer, Electronic Equipment Installer, Electronic Technician, Electronics Installer
Install, diagnose, or repair communications, sound, security, or navigation equipment in motor vehicles.
What Electronic Equipment Installers and Repairers, Motor Vehicles do
Typical tasks
- Estimate costs of repairs, based on parts and labor charges.
- Install equipment and accessories, such as stereos, navigation equipment, communication equipment, and security systems.
- Inspect and test electrical or electronic systems to locate and diagnose malfunctions, using visual inspections and testing instruments, such as oscilloscopes and voltmeters.
- Diagnose or repair problems with electronic equipment, such as sound, navigation, communication, and security equipment, in motor vehicles.
- Confer with customers to determine the nature of malfunctions.
- Record results of diagnostic tests.
- Splice wires with knives or cutting pliers, and solder connections to fixtures and equipment.
- Run new speaker and electrical cables.
- Remove seats, carpeting, and interiors of doors and add sound-absorbing material in empty spaces, reinstalling interior parts.
- Replace and clean electrical or electronic components.
- Cut openings and drill holes for fixtures and equipment, using electric drills and routers.
- Build fiberglass or wooden enclosures for sound components, and fit them to automobile dimensions.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
Electronic Equipment Installers and Repairers, Motor Vehicles salary
The median annual wage for Electronic Equipment Installers and Repairers, Motor Vehicles is $48,420 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $35,590 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $70,170. The mean annual wage is $51,560.
The mean hourly wage of $24.00 is 3.3× the federal minimum wage of $7.25. State minimums are higher in most large states. Minimum wage by state →
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for Electronic Equipment Installers and Repairers, Motor Vehicles (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $48,420 → in 3 years $52,000 → in 5 years $54,500 → in 10 years $61,300 (10-year range $52,800–$71,200). The model assumes pay growth of +2.4% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Electronic Equipment Installers and Repairers, Motor Vehicles
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Electronic Equipment Installers and Repairers, Motor Vehicles? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Electronic Equipment Installers and Repairers, Motor Vehicles
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
Skills, education and requirements for Electronic Equipment Installers and Repairers, Motor Vehicles
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Education of workers
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 3 — medium preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★★☆☆☆ Fairly easy (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become Electronic Equipment Installers and Repairers, Motor Vehicles
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as Electronic Equipment Installers and Repairers, Motor Vehicles
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.