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Motor vehicle parts person

Motor vehicle parts persons supply individuals, dealerships and garages with spare parts.

Annual Salary

£19,000 to £28,000

Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)

Working hours

43 to 45 a week

You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; on a rota

1.5%
Future employment

There will be 1.5% fewer Motor vehicle parts person jobs in 2027.

Day to day tasks

In your day-to-day duties you may:

  • advise customers what parts they might need for their vehicle
  • take orders in person, over the phone or by email
  • check availability of parts on computerised stock records
  • get parts from the storeroom or warehouse or order them from suppliers
  • put orders together
  • send orders by courier or make deliveries yourself
  • deal with payments
  • raise invoices and issue receipts
  • maintain shop window and shelf displays
  • order supplies, put stock away and update records

Working environment

You could work in a warehouse, in a stock room or at a car manufacturing plant.

You can get into this job through:

  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
  • applying directly
College

You could take a college course to get some of the skills and knowledge needed for this job. Courses include:

  • Level 1 Certificate in Vehicle Systems Maintenance
  • Level 2 Diploma in Vehicle Fitting Principles
  • Level 2 Extended Certificate in Vehicle Technology

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 or fewer GCSEs at grades 3 to 1 (D to G), or equivalent, for a level 1 course
  • 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course
For more information
  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • funding advice|https://www.gov.uk/further-education-courses/financial-help
  • search for courses|/find-a-course
Apprenticeship

You could get some of the skills and knowledge needed to do this job from an apprenticeship with a car spares supplier. You could follow apprenticeship routes like:

  • customer service practitioner intermediate apprenticeship
  • trade supplier intermediate apprenticeship

This typically takes 12 months to complete as a mix of learning in the workplace and off-the-job study.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
For more information
  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide
Direct application

You may be able to apply for jobs directly if you've got experience in vehicle servicing, retail or stock control. You'll also need good technical knowledge of car parts, motoring accessories and how vehicles work.

Requirements and restrictions

You'll need to:

  • You'll need a full UK driving licence if you have to make deliveries to customers.

More information

Further information

You can get more advice about working in the motor industry from Autocity.

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With experience, you could progress to a supervisor or service adviser job, or move into the service and repair.

You may be able to move into self-employment as a parts supplier.

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

You'll need:

  • the ability to work well with others
  • customer service skills
  • the ability to sell products and services
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • the ability to use your initiative
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
  • active listening skills
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
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