Side-by-side distribution
Automotive Engineer
$157,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 46.7%
- Live roles
- 377
Petroleum Engineer
$98,200
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 10%
- Live roles
- 40
Highest-paying jobs
Principal Engineer, Embedded Vehicle Software
Senior Manufacturing Engineer (Arc Vehicle)
Staff Robotics Software Engineer, Air Vehicle Autonomy
Staff Robotics Software Engineer, Air Vehicle Autonomy
Staff Robotics Software Engineer, Air Vehicle Autonomy
Site Reliability Engineering Manager, Vehicle Software
Automotive System Engineer
Chief Engineer, Space Vehicle Autonomy
Chief Engineer, Software-Defined Vehicle Platform
Principal Systems Engineer, Air Vehicle Systems
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Anduril Industries
|
$193,000 | 37 |
Northrop Grumman
|
$142,500 | 16 |
Relativity Space
|
$144,000 | 14 |
The Aerospace Corporation
|
$172,100 | 11 |
Scout Motors
|
$122,500 | 10 |
General Motors
|
$150,210 | 9 |
|
Inversion
|
$130,500 | 9 |
Rocket Lab Corporation
|
$122,500 | 8 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Chevron
|
$90,608 | 2 |
Ovintiv
|
$200,000 | 1 |
Residential Home Health and Hospice
|
$88,400 | 1 |
Automotive Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Denver | $219,831 | 3 |
| Seattle | $193,000 | 10 |
| Boston | $193,000 | 5 |
| Los Angeles | $155,000 | 9 |
Automotive Engineer vs Petroleum Engineer: which pays more?
The median for Automotive Engineer is $157,000 per year (typically $130,000–$193,000), versus $98,200 for Petroleum Engineer ($84,604–$131,000). That puts Automotive Engineer about 60% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Automotive Engineer and Petroleum Engineer are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.