Car salesperson Job Information | National Careers Service

Job profiles

Car salesperson

Hours

40 per week
Starting salary

£10,000 + per year

As a car salesperson, or vehicle sales executive, you would sell new and used cars, and possibly other vehicles such as vans and motorbikes. If you are interested in motor vehicles and have a persuasive manner, this job could be ideal for you.

To be good at this job you should also have self-confidence. You should have good maths skills for working out costs. You should be able to explain technical matters in a clear way to people who are not experts.

It can help you get into this job if you have previous sales experience. However, some employers place more importance on your confidence, personality, your ability to persuade people, and your knowledge of cars and the motor industry. In most jobs you would be expected to have a full, clean driving licence. You may be able to get into this job through an Apprenticeship scheme.

The work

As a car salesperson, your duties would vary according to the type and size of your dealership, but would usually include:

discussing the customers' needs and advising them on the most suitable vehicle
discussing the features of different vehicles and what would suit the customer best
arranging test-drives
negotiating the sale price, including any ‘trade-in’ value for customers' old cars
working out finance arrangements, including cash payments and car loans
highlighting extra products to customers, such as accessories or after-sales service
completing related paperwork and pre-delivery inspections
updating stock lists, placing orders for new cars from manufacturers and buying in used cars
keeping existing and potential customers informed about new vehicles and deals
keeping the forecourt and vehicles clean and tidy.

In large dealerships, you may work as part of a team, specialising in one aspect of selling. In smaller garages, you could be involved in all areas of the job.

Hours

You would usually work a basic 40 hour week, between 8am and 6pm, which will include some evening and weekend work to cover busy periods.

Overtime is likely to be expected around the "new licence plate" times of year if you are selling new cars.

You would normally work in a showroom and office. You would spend some of your time showing customers around cars on the forecourt and taking people for test-drives.

Income

Sales staff work on commission and to targets, so a new entrant may earn £10,000 a year basic but could earn as much on top of this with bonuses.

New entrants earn between £10,000 and £13,000 a year. Experienced staff can earn a basic salary of £14,000 to £17,000, rising to £25,000. Top earners can make over £35,000 a year.

Figures are intended as a guideline only.

Entry requirements

You will often be expected to have previous sales experience, although some employers place more importance on your confidence, personality, your ability to persuade people, and your knowledge of cars and the motor industry. They may test your ability to ‘close a sale’ as part of the interview.

You will need a full, clean driving licence for most jobs. Some employers may look for GCSE maths and English but you do not usually need formal qualifications.

You could get into this career through a vehicle sales Apprenticeship scheme. For more details about this route, visit the Apprenticeships or Institute of the Motor Industry website.

See the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) website for more information about careers in the motor industry or their careers portal Autocity.

Autocity

Training and development

You would be given on-the-job training under the supervision of an experienced salesperson, usually covering sales techniques and assessing used vehicles.

As it is becoming more important to gain qualifications within the industry, you could be encouraged to work towards NVQ Levels 2 and 3 in Vehicle Sales.

City and Guilds offer NVQ Level 2, 3 and 4 in Sales and Sales Management
IMI Awards offer NVQ Level 2 and 3 in Vehicle Sales
IMI Awards offer a Certificate or Diploma in Vehicle Sales (100/3336/1).

You may also be asked to attend short courses offered by car manufacturers. These are designed to improve your selling techniques, update you on mechanical and electronic advances, and to introduce new features and models of cars. When a new model of car is released sales staff need to learn about its features and selling points, which your employer should organise.

Skills and knowledge

To be a car salesperson you should have:

a polite and professional approach
self-confidence and an outgoing personality
good negotiating skills and a persuasive manner
a genuine interest in motor vehicles
good maths skills for working out costs
good IT skills
good business sense
the ability to explain technical information to people who are not experts
the ability to remain calm under pressure and work to targets
the ability to work alone without direct supervision.

More information

Institute of the Motor Industry (Opens new window)
Fanshaws
Brickendon
Hertford
SG13 8PQ
Tel: 01992 511521
www.motor.org.uk

City & Guilds (Opens new window)
1 Giltspur Street
London
EC1A 9DD
Tel: 0844 543 0000
www.cityandguilds.com

Opportunities

You could work for franchised dealerships set up by manufacturers to sell only new cars, dealerships selling both new and used vehicles or a car "supermarket" selling various makes of used cars.

With experience, you could be promoted to showroom supervisor, senior sales adviser, dealership administrator, or sales and marketing manager. You may be able to move into vehicle leasing or set up your own business, running your own dealership.

You may find the following useful for job vacancies and general reading (links open in a new window):

Job profiles are based on the latest information supplied to us by industry bodies, such as Sector Skills Councils. Please be aware that with the introduction of the Qualifications and Credit Framework there has been, and will continue to be, changes to vocational qualifications. For more information, please check with industry bodies directly.

We do not accept responsibility for the content of external sites.

Related industry information

Industry summary

The vehicle sales industry is part of the automotive retail sector, represented by the IMI Automotive Sector Skills Council, which also includes: vehicle maintenance and repair; vehicle rental; and vehicle parts, distribution and supply. The UK automotive retail sector employs an estimated 514,572 people, accounting for 1.9% of the UK workforce. Future growth for the whole sector is forecast to be an increase of 2% by 2017.

The vehicle sales industry covers all forms of sales of all types of motor vehicles, including the following activities:

Wholesale and retail sale of new cars, light motor vehicles and other new motor vehicles including lorries, trailers and semi‐trailers, camping vehicles and off road motor vehicles.
Wholesale and retail sale of used cars & light motor vehicles and other used motor vehicles including lorries, trailers and semi‐trailers, camping vehicles and off road motor vehicles.
Wholesale and retail sale of new and used motor cycles as well as the sale of related parts and accessories.

Key facts:

There are an estimated 188,789 people working in the industry.
The sales of motor vehicles accounted for 72% of the automotive retail sector’s turnover in 2007.
The number of business enterprises dealing with vehicle sales has decreased by 33% over the last decade.
Most vehicle sales people ‘tend’ to be over the age of 21 years due to insurance purposes.

Jobs in the industry include: marketing manager, business manager, sales manager, dealer principle, sales advisor.

National and regional data

East Midlands – There is an estimated 15,547 jobs in the industry. The East Midlands accounts for 9% of all employment within the vehicle sales industry. The automotive retail sector as a whole is set to decline by 4% in the region by 2017.

East of England – There is an estimated 21,884 jobs in the industry. The East of England accounts for 13% of all employment within the industry. The automotive retail sector as a whole is set to increase by 4% in the region by 2017.

London – There is an estimated 13,077 jobs in the industry, which is a fall of 41% since 1998. London accounts for 8% of all employment within the vehicle sales industry. The automotive retail sector as a whole is forecast to decline by 14% in the region by 2017.

North East – There is an estimated 7,836 jobs in the industry, which is a fall of 21% since 1998. The North East accounts for 5% of all employment within the industry. The automotive retail sector as a whole is forecast to decline by 11% in the region by 2017.

North West – There is an estimated 22,164 jobs in the industry, which is a fall of 21% since 1998. The region accounts for 13% of all employment within the vehicle sales industry. The automotive retail sector as a whole is forecast to decline by 4% in the region by 2017.

South East – There is an estimated 32,093 jobs in the industry, which is a fall of 26% since 1998. The South East accounts for 19% of all employment within the vehicle sales industry. The automotive retail sector as a whole is set to increase by 17% in the region by 2017.

South West – There is an estimated 19,692 jobs in the industry, which is a decline of 15% since 1998. The region accounts for 12% of all employment within the industry. The automotive retail sector as a whole is forecast to decline by 16% in the region by 2017.

West Midlands – There is an estimated 18,032 jobs in the industry, which is a fall of 22% since 1998. The region accounts for 11% of all employment within the industry. The automotive retail sector as a whole is forecast to increase by only 1% in the region by 2017.

Yorkshire and the Humber – There is an estimated 15,353 jobs in the industry, which is a fall of 33% since 1998. The region accounts for 9% of all employment within the industry. The automotive retail sector as a whole is forecast to increase by 15% in the region by 2017.

Scotland – There is an estimated 14,122 jobs in the industry, which is a decline of 30% since 1998. Scotland accounts for 7% of all employment within the vehicle sales industry. The automotive retail sector as a whole is forecast to increase by 1% by 2017.

Wales – There is an estimated 8,989 jobs in the industry, which is a fall of 8% since 1998. Wales accounts for 5% of all employment within the industry. The automotive retail sector as a whole is forecast to decline by 2% by 2017.

The following data are for the automotive retail sector as a whole:

Northern Ireland – The automotive retail sector has seen a growth in employment over the past decade, to an estimated 13,893 jobs. Employment is forecast to continue to increase by 17% by 2017. It accounts for 3% of all national employment within the automotive retail sector.