Average Automotive Project Manager Salary in France for 2026
An automotive project manager in France earns about 59,800 EUR a year. That's 20% above the national average of 49,800 EUR.
Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in France sit around 30,800 EUR a year, while the very top stretches to 94,000 EUR. Everything on this page is in Euro (EUR, symbol €), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.
The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in France, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.
How much does an automotive project manager make in France?
A typical automotive project manager working in France brings home around 4,983 EUR a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 30,800 EUR, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 94,000 EUR for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.
The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior automotive project manager working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around. For a cross-country comparison, see the automotive project manager salary in Belgium or Netherlands, both of which pay in the same currency.
How automotive project manager pay ranges in France
A good way to think about salary in France is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all automotive project managers in France earn less than 64,900 EUR a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".
Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 40,300 EUR (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 84,200 EUR (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of automotive project managers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.
The very lowest reported salaries sit around 30,800 EUR. The highest stretch to 94,000 EUR, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.
Automotive project manager pay by experience in France
Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for an automotive project manager in France, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical automotive project manager salary changes as you move through the career ladder.
- 0-2 Years35,300 EUR
- 2-5 Years+42% from previous50,000 EUR
- 5-10 Years+25% from previous62,300 EUR
- 10-15 Years+28% from previous79,700 EUR
- 15-20 Years+7% from previous84,900 EUR
- 20+ Years+10% from previous93,100 EUR
The single largest jump on the ladder is from 0 - 2 Years to 2 - 5 Years, where pay rises by about 42%. That is the point at which a automotive project manager typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.
Automotive project manager pay by education in France
Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving automotive project manager pay in France. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.
Below is the average automotive project manager salary in France broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.
- Bachelor's Degree53,500 EUR
- Master's Degree+42% from previous75,800 EUR
Automotive project manager gender pay gap in France
The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and France is no exception. Male automotive project managers in France earn an average of 61,500 EUR a year, while female automotive project managers earn around 58,800 EUR. That works out to a 5% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.
A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.
Automotive Project Manager gender pay gap
4%
Men earn this much more than women on average in France.
Pay raises for an automotive project manager in France
Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.
A typical worker doing this role in France sees a raise of about 11% every 16 months, which works out to roughly 8% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.
Across all jobs in France, the national average raise is around 9% every 15 months.
By industry
Industries with the highest pay raises in France:
- Banking2%
- Energy
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Travel1%
- Construction
- Education
By experience level
Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.
- Junior Level3% - 5%
- Mid-Career
- Senior Level
- Top Management
Automotive project manager bonus rates in France
Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.
59% of automotive project managers in France reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes an automotive project manager a moderate-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.
Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6% of base salary. The remaining 41% of automotive project managers reported no bonus at all over the same period.
Which careers pay bonuses in France
Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.
- Finance
- Architecture
- Sales
- Business Development
- Marketing / Advertising
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Insurance
- Customer Service
- Human Resources
- Construction
- Transport
- Hospitality
Automotive project manager: public vs private sector pay
Public-sector pay in France is about 12% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.
Public vs private pay gap
11%
Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in France on average.
Automotive project manager salary by city in France
Automotive project manager pay is not even across France. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities in the dataset, followed by the full location table.
- Marseille
- Paris
- Toulouse
- Lyon
- Nice
- Nantes
- Montpellier
- Strasbourg
- Lille
- Bordeaux
| Location | Type | Average | Median | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marseille | City | 65,900 EUR | 69,700 EUR | 28,900-105,800 EUR |
| Paris | City | 65,800 EUR | 69,700 EUR | 30,600-107,300 EUR |
| Toulouse | City | 64,900 EUR | 68,900 EUR | 27,300-100,700 EUR |
| Lyon | City | 64,600 EUR | 58,000 EUR | 35,300-97,100 EUR |
| Nice | City | 61,700 EUR | 59,700 EUR | 32,200-93,600 EUR |
| Nantes | City | 59,800 EUR | 59,700 EUR | 30,200-92,900 EUR |
| Montpellier | City | 59,700 EUR | 59,800 EUR | 29,000-92,900 EUR |
| Strasbourg | City | 58,700 EUR | 55,200 EUR | 31,800-92,000 EUR |
| Lille | City | 55,500 EUR | 53,500 EUR | 27,300-86,600 EUR |
| Bordeaux | City | 55,300 EUR | 56,100 EUR | 31,200-86,800 EUR |
Automotive Project Manager in France: FAQs
-
How much does an automotive project manager make per month in France?
An automotive project manager in France earns about 4,983 EUR a month before tax, based on an annual average of 59,800 EUR.
-
What's the salary range for an automotive project manager in France?
Entry-level automotive project managers in France start near 30,800 EUR. Top-end pay reaches around 94,000 EUR. The middle 50% of earners sit between 40,300 and 84,200 EUR.
-
Is the median automotive project manager salary in France higher or lower than the average?
The median is 64,900 EUR, higher than the average of 59,800 EUR. Half of automotive project managers in France earn below the median, half earn above it.
-
What's the gender pay gap for automotive project managers in France?
Men working as an automotive project manager in France earn around 5% more than women on average (61,500 vs 58,800 EUR a year).
-
Do automotive project managers in France get bonuses?
About 59% of automotive project managers in France reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6% of base salary.
-
Do automotive project managers earn more in the public or private sector in France?
In France, the public sector pays an automotive project manager about 12% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.
-
How often do automotive project managers in France get a pay raise?
An automotive project manager in France sees a raise of around 11% every 16 months, equivalent to roughly 8% a year.