Average Automotive Test Engineer Salary in Saudi Arabia for 2026
An automotive test engineer in Saudi Arabia earns about 124,400 SAR a year. That's 38% below the national average of 200,000 SAR.
Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in Saudi Arabia sit around 58,860 SAR a year, while the very top stretches to 195,200 SAR. Everything on this page is in Saudi riyal (SAR, symbol ر.س), 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 Saudi Arabia, 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 test engineer make in Saudi Arabia?
A typical automotive test engineer working in Saudi Arabia brings home around 10,366 SAR a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 58,860 SAR, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 195,200 SAR 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 test engineer 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.
How automotive test engineer pay ranges in Saudi Arabia
A good way to think about salary in Saudi Arabia is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all automotive test engineers in Saudi Arabia earn less than 130,400 SAR 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 83,900 SAR (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 172,200 SAR (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of automotive test engineers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.
The very lowest reported salaries sit around 58,860 SAR. The highest stretch to 195,200 SAR, 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 test engineer pay by experience in Saudi Arabia
Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for an automotive test engineer in Saudi Arabia, 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 test engineer salary changes as you move through the career ladder.
- 0-2 Years67,360 SAR
- 2-5 Years+38% from previous92,720 SAR
- 5-10 Years+41% from previous130,400 SAR
- 10-15 Years+24% from previous161,300 SAR
- 15-20 Years+7% from previous172,200 SAR
- 20+ Years+9% from previous187,500 SAR
The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 41%. That is the point at which a automotive test engineer 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 test engineer pay by education in Saudi Arabia
Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving automotive test engineer pay in Saudi Arabia. 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 test engineer salary in Saudi Arabia broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.
- Bachelor's Degree92,720 SAR
- Master's Degree+86% from previous172,200 SAR
Automotive test engineer gender pay gap in Saudi Arabia
The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Saudi Arabia is no exception. Male automotive test engineers in Saudi Arabia earn an average of 134,600 SAR a year, while female automotive test engineers earn around 119,500 SAR. That works out to a 13% 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 Test Engineer gender pay gap
11%
Men earn this much more than women on average in Saudi Arabia.
Pay raises for an automotive test engineer in Saudi Arabia
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 Saudi Arabia sees a raise of about 10% every 18 months, which works out to roughly 7% 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 Saudi Arabia, the national average raise is around 8% every 17 months.
By industry
Industries with the highest pay raises in Saudi Arabia:
- 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 test engineer bonus rates in Saudi Arabia
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.
31% of automotive test engineers in Saudi Arabia reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes an automotive test engineer a low-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 0% to 4% of base salary. The remaining 69% of automotive test engineers reported no bonus at all over the same period.
Which careers pay bonuses in Saudi Arabia
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 test engineer: public vs private sector pay
Public-sector pay in Saudi Arabia is about 8% 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
7%
Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in Saudi Arabia on average.
Automotive test engineer salary by city in Saudi Arabia
Automotive test engineer pay is not even across Saudi Arabia. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities in the dataset, followed by the full location table.
- Mecca
- Riyadh
- Jeddah
- Medina
- Dammam
- Khubar
- Tabuk
- Abha
- Taif
| Location | Type | Average | Median | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mecca | City | 136,200 SAR | 134,600 SAR | 70,260-209,700 SAR |
| Riyadh | City | 136,200 SAR | 136,200 SAR | 67,300-209,700 SAR |
| Jeddah | City | 128,500 SAR | 138,200 SAR | 58,000-204,000 SAR |
| Medina | City | 128,500 SAR | 139,100 SAR | 60,160-204,000 SAR |
| Dammam | City | 125,100 SAR | 116,780 SAR | 66,020-190,500 SAR |
| Khubar | City | 124,400 SAR | 136,100 SAR | 56,640-197,600 SAR |
| Tabuk | City | 116,540 SAR | 119,320 SAR | 58,440-180,500 SAR |
| Abha | City | 116,380 SAR | 107,320 SAR | 63,320-176,800 SAR |
| Taif | City | 113,220 SAR | 117,380 SAR | 55,140-175,900 SAR |
Automotive Test Engineer in Saudi Arabia: FAQs
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How much does an automotive test engineer make per month in Saudi Arabia?
An automotive test engineer in Saudi Arabia earns about 10,366 SAR a month before tax, based on an annual average of 124,400 SAR.
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What's the salary range for an automotive test engineer in Saudi Arabia?
Entry-level automotive test engineers in Saudi Arabia start near 58,860 SAR. Top-end pay reaches around 195,200 SAR. The middle 50% of earners sit between 83,900 and 172,200 SAR.
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Is the median automotive test engineer salary in Saudi Arabia higher or lower than the average?
The median is 130,400 SAR, higher than the average of 124,400 SAR. Half of automotive test engineers in Saudi Arabia earn below the median, half earn above it.
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What's the gender pay gap for automotive test engineers in Saudi Arabia?
Men working as an automotive test engineer in Saudi Arabia earn around 13% more than women on average (134,600 vs 119,500 SAR a year).
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Do automotive test engineers in Saudi Arabia get bonuses?
About 31% of automotive test engineers in Saudi Arabia reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4% of base salary.
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Do automotive test engineers earn more in the public or private sector in Saudi Arabia?
In Saudi Arabia, the public sector pays an automotive test engineer about 8% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.
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How often do automotive test engineers in Saudi Arabia get a pay raise?
An automotive test engineer in Saudi Arabia sees a raise of around 10% every 18 months, equivalent to roughly 7% a year.