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Maintenance

Motor vehicle breakdown engineer

Motor vehicle breakdown engineers help people whose vehicles have broken down.

Annual Salary

£25,000 to £40,000

Average UK salary in 2022 was £33,200
(source Office for National Statistics)

Working hours

42 to 44 a week

You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; on shifts

4.1%
Future employment

There will be 4.1% fewer Motor vehicle breakdown engineer jobs in 2027.

Day to day tasks

In your day-to-day duties you could:

  • respond to breakdown calls from the control centre
  • make sure the vehicle, driver and passengers are safe
  • examine the vehicle to find and diagnose the fault
  • carry out roadside repairs
  • tow or transport the vehicle to a garage if major repair work is needed
  • arrange transport for the driver of the broken down vehicle
  • complete record sheets for each job

Working environment

You may need to wear protective clothing.

You could work at a garage, from a vehicle or on call-out to wherever the car owner is.

Your working environment may be outdoors some of the time and you'll travel often.

You can get into this job through:

  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
  • applying directly
College

You could take a college course before applying for work as a trainee with a garage or breakdown company.

Relevant courses include:

  • Level 2 Diploma in Light Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Competence
  • Level 3 Diploma in Vehicle Technology
  • T Level in Maintenance, Installation and Repair for Engineering and Manufacturing

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T level
For more information
Apprenticeship

You can get into this career by completing a motor vehicle service and maintenance technician advanced apprenticeship.

This typically takes around 36 months to complete as a mix of learning on the job and study.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
For more information
Direct application

You can apply directly to become a breakdown engineer. You'll need experience and qualifications in motor vehicle maintenance and repair to do this.

Requirements and restrictions

You'll need to:

  • have a driving licence that includes HGV for lorries or PCV for buses

More information

Further information

You'll find more advice about how to become a breakdown engineer from Autocity.

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With experience, you could become a supervisor or manager, or move into training.

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

You'll need:

  • the ability to use, repair and maintain machines and tools
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • the ability to use your initiative
  • analytical thinking skills
  • the ability to repair machines or systems
  • persistence and determination
  • the ability to work well with others
  • customer service skills
  • practical skills for repairing and maintaining equipment
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
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