Typical entry: No formal educational credential
Automotive sales consultant
Dealership sales consultants sell new and used vehicles, work with the finance office on the paperwork, and manage a customer list. Pay is usually a modest base plus commission and volume bonuses, so earnings swing widely between dealers and between months.
By the Degreeless Jobs research deskUpdated Sep 7, 2026Sources: BLS, O*NET
What an automotive sales consultant makes
Median pay, May 2025, United States
$38,630
$18.57 an hour, median
- 25th percentile
- $33,110
- 75th percentile
- $49,850
- 90th percentile
- $62,890
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Wages of employed workers, not offers.
- Typical entry education
- No formal educational credential
- BLS
- Workers without a bachelor's
- 86%
- O*NET
- Growth, 2025 to 2035
- +3.0%
- BLS projections
- Openings a year
- 30,000
- BLS projections
How people get in without a degree
No degree is required and most states need no license; dealerships hire on people skills, persistence, and a clean driving record, then train on their own process and software. Retail, hospitality, and call-center experience transfers directly. Ask any dealer for the pay plan in writing before you accept, because the difference between a fair plan and a bad one is larger than the difference between the dealers' advertised numbers.
The work, as O*NET defines it: Sell spare and replacement parts and equipment in repair shop or parts store.
The next step
Dealer-provided training; a few states also require a salesperson license
- Typical cost
- Usually free; state salesperson licenses, where required, are $50 to $200
- Time to complete
- 1 to 4 weeks of dealer training
Check your state's motor vehicle department: California, Nevada, and a few others license salespeople.
Costs and durations are ranges gathered from provider and state sources; confirm the current price and your state's rules before you pay anything. Never pay a fee to apply for a job.
Pay by state
Median pay for parts salespersons by state, May 2025, sorted by annual median. States without a published estimate are omitted.
| State | Hourly median | Annual median | 25th to 75th | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Dakota | $23.37 | $48,600 | $42,090 to $59,320 | 1,610 |
| Colorado | $22.91 | $47,660 | $36,400 to $59,210 | 4,840 |
| Minnesota | $22.61 | $47,030 | $36,980 to $56,330 | 5,790 |
| Washington | $22.51 | $46,830 | $39,550 to $57,400 | 6,230 |
| Iowa | $22.44 | $46,670 | $35,980 to $57,560 | 3,810 |
| New Hampshire | $22.30 | $46,370 | $36,940 to $56,590 | 1,500 |
| Vermont | $22.24 | $46,260 | $38,450 to $53,870 | 780 |
| Alaska | $22.18 | $46,130 | $37,870 to $58,970 | 710 |
| Arizona | $22.13 | $46,020 | $37,160 to $58,220 | 3,890 |
| New Jersey | $21.88 | $45,510 | $35,280 to $57,350 | 4,810 |
| Wisconsin | $21.82 | $45,380 | $35,980 to $50,700 | 5,200 |
| South Dakota | $21.81 | $45,370 | $37,760 to $50,770 | 2,100 |
| Maine | $21.81 | $45,350 | $36,240 to $49,920 | 1,630 |
| Oregon | $21.73 | $45,190 | $37,290 to $58,400 | 3,880 |
| New York | $21.72 | $45,180 | $36,880 to $56,500 | 7,460 |
| Hawaii | $21.69 | $45,120 | $37,490 to $52,820 | 930 |
| Nebraska | $21.68 | $45,100 | $34,590 to $49,780 | 2,360 |
| Montana | $21.66 | $45,060 | $37,330 to $49,900 | 1,860 |
| Massachusetts | $21.47 | $44,660 | $37,690 to $57,660 | 4,080 |
| Idaho | $21.43 | $44,580 | $36,160 to $58,270 | 1,980 |
| California | $21.37 | $44,440 | $37,090 to $56,060 | 26,990 |
| Connecticut | $21.34 | $44,400 | $36,640 to $52,000 | 3,400 |
| Michigan | $21.19 | $44,070 | $36,560 to $57,500 | 7,520 |
| Maryland | $20.41 | $42,460 | $35,660 to $50,930 | 4,370 |
| Illinois | $20.31 | $42,240 | $35,450 to $54,250 | 8,500 |
| Missouri | $19.11 | $39,740 | $33,660 to $48,670 | 5,330 |
| Utah | $18.84 | $39,190 | $34,270 to $51,120 | 3,080 |
| Nevada | $18.63 | $38,740 | $34,370 to $52,940 | 2,250 |
| Wyoming | $18.57 | $38,620 | $29,790 to $48,800 | 750 |
| Pennsylvania | $18.52 | $38,520 | $30,790 to $48,640 | 10,430 |
| Virginia | $18.30 | $38,070 | $31,760 to $48,700 | 7,370 |
| Delaware | $18.29 | $38,050 | $36,000 to $47,890 | 980 |
| Indiana | $18.03 | $37,500 | $29,860 to $48,550 | 7,080 |
| Florida | $17.88 | $37,190 | $29,720 to $48,420 | 16,200 |
| Georgia | $17.78 | $36,970 | $29,440 to $49,070 | 9,760 |
| Kansas | $17.76 | $36,940 | $28,600 to $48,470 | 3,700 |
| New Mexico | $17.74 | $36,890 | $30,320 to $46,830 | 1,410 |
| West Virginia | $17.69 | $36,800 | $28,510 to $45,830 | 1,880 |
| Ohio | $17.69 | $36,790 | $29,120 to $46,870 | 10,580 |
| Rhode Island | $17.53 | $36,450 | $34,280 to $44,010 | 920 |
| Kentucky | $17.50 | $36,400 | $28,720 to $48,180 | 4,220 |
| Oklahoma | $17.50 | $36,390 | $27,970 to $46,810 | 3,980 |
| Tennessee | $17.36 | $36,110 | $29,160 to $47,070 | 6,250 |
| Texas | $17.04 | $35,440 | $28,070 to $45,760 | 25,500 |
| Arkansas | $16.98 | $35,320 | $28,420 to $44,650 | 3,330 |
| Mississippi | $16.83 | $35,000 | $28,560 to $45,070 | 2,940 |
| Alabama | $16.26 | $33,820 | $28,960 to $44,360 | 5,880 |
| North Carolina | $15.61 | $32,480 | $27,860 to $43,680 | 11,460 |
| South Carolina | $15.47 | $32,180 | $28,610 to $44,190 | 4,600 |
| Louisiana | $15.05 | $31,310 | $27,180 to $44,460 | 3,960 |
Questions
Do you need a degree to be an automotive sales consultant?
No. BLS lists "no formal educational credential" as the typical education for entry, and 86% of workers in the occupation report less than a bachelor's degree (O*NET). The usual credential is dealer-provided training; a few states also require a salesperson license.
How much does an automotive sales consultant make?
The median pay was $38,630 a year ($18.57 an hour) in May 2025, according to BLS. The middle half earned between $33,110 and $49,850, and the top 10 percent earned more than $62,890.
How long does it take to become an automotive sales consultant?
1 to 4 weeks of dealer training. The typical cost is usually free; state salesperson licenses, where required, are $50 to $200.
Is automotive sales consultant work growing?
BLS projects employment to grow 3.0% from 2025 to 2035 with about 30,000 openings a year from growth and from workers leaving the occupation.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, occupation code 41-2022.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35 (Table 1.2).
- O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA), CC BY 4.0. The share without a bachelor’s degree is our summary of O*NET’s education distribution; USDOL/ETA has not approved or endorsed it.
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profile