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Average Quality Engineer Salary in United Kingdom for 2026

A quality engineer in United Kingdom earns about 44,300 GBP a year. That's 36% below the national average of 69,700 GBP.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in United Kingdom sit around 20,400 GBP a year, while the very top stretches to 66,900 GBP. Everything on this page is in British pound (GBP, 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 United Kingdom, 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.

To turn a gross salary in United Kingdom into a take-home figure, use our United Kingdom salary after tax calculator, which works the latest tax brackets and contributions through the math for you.

How much does a quality engineer make in United Kingdom?

Average salary
44,300 GBP
3,691 GBP per month
Lowest reported
20,400 GBP
1,700 GBP per month
Highest reported
66,900 GBP
5,575 GBP per month

A typical quality engineer working in United Kingdom brings home around 3,691 GBP a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 20,400 GBP, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 66,900 GBP 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 quality 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. For a cross-country comparison, see the quality engineer salary in Guernsey or Jersey, both of which pay in the same currency.

How quality engineer pay ranges in United Kingdom

A good way to think about salary in United Kingdom is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all quality engineers in United Kingdom earn less than 39,700 GBP 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 27,200 GBP (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 51,800 GBP (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of quality engineers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 20,400 GBP. The highest stretch to 66,900 GBP, 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.

20,400
Low
39,700
Median
66,900
High
27,200
25th
51,800
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in GBP

Quality engineer pay by experience in United Kingdom

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a quality engineer in United Kingdom, 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 quality engineer salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    23,700 GBP
  • 2-5 Years
    +43% from previous
    34,000 GBP
  • 5-10 Years
    +32% from previous
    45,000 GBP
  • 10-15 Years
    +18% from previous
    53,300 GBP
  • 15-20 Years
    +6% from previous
    56,600 GBP
  • 20+ Years
    +10% from previous
    62,500 GBP

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 0 - 2 Years to 2 - 5 Years, where pay rises by about 43%. That is the point at which a quality 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.

Quality engineer pay by education in United Kingdom

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving quality engineer pay in United Kingdom. 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 quality engineer salary in United Kingdom broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • Bachelor's Degree
    36,600 GBP
  • Master's Degree
    +35% from previous
    49,300 GBP

Quality engineer gender pay gap in United Kingdom

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and United Kingdom is no exception. Male quality engineers in United Kingdom earn an average of 44,900 GBP a year, while female quality engineers earn around 42,500 GBP. That works out to a 6% 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.

Quality Engineer gender pay gap

5%

Men earn this much more than women on average in United Kingdom.

Men 44,900 GBP
Women 42,500 GBP

Pay raises for a quality engineer in United Kingdom

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 United Kingdom 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 United Kingdom, the national average raise is around 9% every 15 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in United Kingdom:

  • Banking
  • Energy
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
  • 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 Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Quality engineer bonus rates in United Kingdom

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.

54%

54% of quality engineers in United Kingdom reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a quality engineer 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 5% of base salary. The remaining 46% of quality engineers reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in United Kingdom

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

Quality engineer: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in United Kingdom is about 7% 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

6%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in United Kingdom on average.

Public sector 72,700 GBP
Private sector 68,200 GBP

Quality engineer salary by city and region in United Kingdom

Quality engineer pay is not even across United Kingdom. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities and regions in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • England
  • Scotland
  • Sheffield
  • London
  • Bristol
  • Leicester
  • Manchester
  • Leeds
  • Edinburgh
  • Glasgow
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
EnglandRegion88,300 GBP81,900 GBP44,200-134,100 GBP
ScotlandRegion63,900 GBP64,800 GBP29,100-98,000 GBP
SheffieldCity52,000 GBP50,500 GBP27,100-80,200 GBP
LondonCity51,800 GBP57,200 GBP26,200-83,300 GBP
BristolCity51,300 GBP49,700 GBP25,800-78,200 GBP
LeicesterCity50,800 GBP49,100 GBP25,300-78,200 GBP
ManchesterCity50,700 GBP49,300 GBP27,400-76,900 GBP
LeedsCity50,600 GBP49,300 GBP26,500-80,800 GBP
EdinburghCity50,000 GBP49,200 GBP22,200-74,300 GBP
GlasgowCity50,000 GBP43,800 GBP27,600-73,100 GBP
NottinghamCity49,200 GBP51,400 GBP25,300-78,200 GBP
BirminghamCity49,100 GBP52,800 GBP22,800-78,700 GBP
LiverpoolCity48,600 GBP48,600 GBP22,400-73,700 GBP
CoventryCity48,500 GBP43,100 GBP27,300-73,100 GBP
SomersetCity48,300 GBP48,300 GBP23,600-75,800 GBP
NewcastleCity48,200 GBP49,200 GBP23,200-73,500 GBP
CardiffCity48,200 GBP48,200 GBP23,500-72,700 GBP
BelfastCity48,200 GBP43,100 GBP26,200-72,800 GBP
BrightonCity46,900 GBP51,400 GBP21,500-78,200 GBP
ExeterCity46,400 GBP45,000 GBP23,800-69,200 GBP
WolverhamptonCity46,400 GBP49,200 GBP23,000-74,100 GBP
NewportCity46,400 GBP49,200 GBP23,000-74,100 GBP
OxfordCity46,300 GBP44,300 GBP22,400-69,400 GBP
ArmaghCity46,300 GBP47,400 GBP20,000-72,800 GBP
DerbyCity46,100 GBP46,100 GBP22,200-73,700 GBP
BradfordCity46,000 GBP45,200 GBP22,000-72,800 GBP
SouthamptonCity45,900 GBP50,000 GBP22,100-71,400 GBP
AberdeenCity45,800 GBP50,700 GBP23,400-73,300 GBP
PlymouthCity45,600 GBP40,200 GBP22,400-65,700 GBP
PooleCity45,200 GBP45,200 GBP23,700-69,600 GBP
LincolnCity45,100 GBP39,300 GBP23,500-64,800 GBP
PortsmouthCity45,000 GBP49,700 GBP23,000-71,700 GBP
GloucesterCity44,900 GBP46,700 GBP21,100-69,100 GBP
ChesterCity44,800 GBP45,300 GBP23,000-66,200 GBP
DundeeCity44,700 GBP43,400 GBP22,200-68,100 GBP
YorkCity44,500 GBP44,300 GBP23,400-67,200 GBP
PeterboroughCity44,500 GBP45,200 GBP20,100-68,200 GBP
Kingston upon HullCity44,500 GBP49,400 GBP20,400-71,400 GBP
SwanseaCity44,200 GBP46,700 GBP21,100-73,700 GBP
CambridgeCity43,500 GBP45,000 GBP20,900-66,100 GBP
NewryCity43,400 GBP45,000 GBP23,000-68,900 GBP
WinchesterCity42,600 GBP42,600 GBP19,300-65,500 GBP
NorwichCity42,500 GBP41,100 GBP22,300-64,500 GBP
LisburnCity41,500 GBP41,700 GBP23,800-63,500 GBP
InvernessCity41,400 GBP44,300 GBP21,200-67,000 GBP
WakefieldCity41,300 GBP41,900 GBP19,100-63,700 GBP
HartlepoolCity41,000 GBP38,000 GBP20,000-62,600 GBP
StirlingCity41,000 GBP41,000 GBP20,200-64,800 GBP
TruroCity40,900 GBP35,400 GBP20,200-61,400 GBP
AbingdonCity40,700 GBP36,900 GBP23,800-63,700 GBP
BangorCity40,500 GBP36,500 GBP21,400-58,400 GBP
RiponCity40,500 GBP39,400 GBP20,500-59,100 GBP
WellsCity40,300 GBP36,700 GBP20,100-62,600 GBP
StrontianCity40,000 GBP37,900 GBP22,000-59,800 GBP
KirkwallCity39,800 GBP36,400 GBP20,000-58,800 GBP
St DavidsCity39,800 GBP36,500 GBP18,200-60,200 GBP
DerryCity39,700 GBP42,800 GBP19,100-66,000 GBP
WalesRegion39,500 GBP42,300 GBP19,200-65,500 GBP
Northern IrelandRegion39,300 GBP38,700 GBP23,000-60,100 GBP
DurhamCity38,700 GBP43,500 GBP17,100-63,500 GBP
SalisburyCity38,000 GBP41,000 GBP17,100-61,700 GBP
CanterburyCity37,900 GBP34,800 GBP21,200-60,500 GBP
StromnessCity35,400 GBP41,300 GBP15,700-60,500 GBP

Quality Engineer in United Kingdom: FAQs

  • How much does a quality engineer make per month in United Kingdom?

    A quality engineer in United Kingdom earns about 3,691 GBP a month before tax, based on an annual average of 44,300 GBP.

  • What's the salary range for a quality engineer in United Kingdom?

    Entry-level quality engineers in United Kingdom start near 20,400 GBP. Top-end pay reaches around 66,900 GBP. The middle 50% of earners sit between 27,200 and 51,800 GBP.

  • Is the median quality engineer salary in United Kingdom higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 39,700 GBP, lower than the average of 44,300 GBP. Half of quality engineers in United Kingdom earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for quality engineers in United Kingdom?

    Men working as a quality engineer in United Kingdom earn around 6% more than women on average (44,900 vs 42,500 GBP a year).

  • Do quality engineers in United Kingdom get bonuses?

    About 54% of quality engineers in United Kingdom reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 5% of base salary.

  • Do quality engineers earn more in the public or private sector in United Kingdom?

    In United Kingdom, the public sector pays a quality engineer about 7% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do quality engineers in United Kingdom get a pay raise?

    A quality engineer in United Kingdom sees a raise of around 11% every 16 months, equivalent to roughly 8% a year.