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Average Test Development Engineer Salary in United Kingdom for 2026

A test development engineer in United Kingdom earns about 63,400 GBP a year. That's 9% 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 30,200 GBP a year, while the very top stretches to 100,700 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 test development engineer make in United Kingdom?

Average salary
63,400 GBP
5,283 GBP per month
Lowest reported
30,200 GBP
2,516 GBP per month
Highest reported
100,700 GBP
8,391 GBP per month

A typical test development engineer working in United Kingdom brings home around 5,283 GBP a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 30,200 GBP, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 100,700 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 test development 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 test development engineer salary in Guernsey or Jersey, both of which pay in the same currency.

How test development 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 test development engineers in United Kingdom earn less than 66,700 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 45,300 GBP (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 84,800 GBP (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of test development engineers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 30,200 GBP. The highest stretch to 100,700 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.

30,200
Low
66,700
Median
100,700
High
45,300
25th
84,800
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in GBP

Test development engineer pay by experience in United Kingdom

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a test development 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 test development engineer salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    36,400 GBP
  • 2-5 Years
    +30% from previous
    47,200 GBP
  • 5-10 Years
    +40% from previous
    65,900 GBP
  • 10-15 Years
    +28% from previous
    84,600 GBP
  • 15-20 Years
    +4% from previous
    87,900 GBP
  • 20+ Years
    +8% from previous
    95,100 GBP

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 40%. That is the point at which a test development 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.

Test development engineer pay by education in United Kingdom

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

  • Bachelor's Degree
    47,800 GBP
  • Master's Degree
    +61% from previous
    77,000 GBP

Test development 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 test development engineers in United Kingdom earn an average of 66,700 GBP a year, while female test development engineers earn around 64,900 GBP. That works out to a 3% 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.

Test Development Engineer gender pay gap

3%

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

Men 66,700 GBP
Women 64,900 GBP

Pay raises for a test development 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 12% every 15 months, which works out to roughly 10% 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

Test development 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.

58%

58% of test development engineers in United Kingdom reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a test development 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 6% of base salary. The remaining 42% of test development 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

Test development 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

Test development engineer salary by city and region in United Kingdom

Test development 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
  • Leicester
  • Bristol
  • Liverpool
  • Sheffield
  • Birmingham
  • Brighton
  • London
  • Edinburgh
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
EnglandRegion119,700 GBP124,500 GBP58,500-189,800 GBP
ScotlandRegion86,100 GBP82,200 GBP44,500-130,400 GBP
LeicesterCity73,200 GBP70,800 GBP38,100-108,200 GBP
BristolCity72,800 GBP72,000 GBP34,400-112,700 GBP
LiverpoolCity72,400 GBP68,200 GBP35,600-109,700 GBP
SheffieldCity71,600 GBP73,500 GBP33,800-111,700 GBP
BirminghamCity70,000 GBP74,700 GBP32,600-112,700 GBP
BrightonCity70,000 GBP63,500 GBP35,400-102,700 GBP
LondonCity69,700 GBP74,300 GBP34,100-112,700 GBP
EdinburghCity69,200 GBP66,900 GBP37,100-105,800 GBP
BelfastCity68,900 GBP71,200 GBP31,700-107,700 GBP
AberdeenCity68,900 GBP60,800 GBP35,600-100,700 GBP
NottinghamCity68,900 GBP64,300 GBP35,500-103,600 GBP
NewcastleCity68,800 GBP65,500 GBP38,100-105,800 GBP
SomersetCity68,800 GBP66,100 GBP37,200-107,700 GBP
LeedsCity68,500 GBP73,100 GBP35,100-109,700 GBP
CoventryCity68,200 GBP73,500 GBP33,600-108,200 GBP
ManchesterCity67,900 GBP67,900 GBP35,500-105,200 GBP
CardiffCity67,800 GBP70,100 GBP36,600-107,700 GBP
GlasgowCity67,800 GBP70,500 GBP34,000-109,700 GBP
ArmaghCity67,600 GBP61,300 GBP35,500-101,400 GBP
DerbyCity66,900 GBP66,900 GBP33,000-103,600 GBP
BradfordCity66,900 GBP66,900 GBP32,900-100,700 GBP
SwanseaCity66,100 GBP61,700 GBP37,100-102,700 GBP
Kingston upon HullCity65,800 GBP63,500 GBP36,600-103,600 GBP
PeterboroughCity65,800 GBP64,800 GBP35,300-103,600 GBP
PlymouthCity65,700 GBP72,800 GBP30,200-107,700 GBP
WolverhamptonCity64,900 GBP70,900 GBP31,200-102,700 GBP
DundeeCity64,500 GBP63,500 GBP29,600-101,400 GBP
PortsmouthCity63,900 GBP68,900 GBP27,300-100,700 GBP
SouthamptonCity63,400 GBP59,800 GBP34,000-97,300 GBP
OxfordCity63,200 GBP64,500 GBP29,300-94,800 GBP
PooleCity63,000 GBP62,600 GBP32,200-97,200 GBP
LincolnCity62,600 GBP67,500 GBP31,200-99,700 GBP
NorwichCity61,800 GBP62,600 GBP30,100-98,800 GBP
NewportCity61,700 GBP66,400 GBP29,600-97,300 GBP
ChesterCity61,600 GBP58,500 GBP33,200-92,600 GBP
YorkCity61,600 GBP61,600 GBP29,100-95,000 GBP
WalesRegion61,600 GBP57,200 GBP35,100-94,300 GBP
DerryCity61,400 GBP58,200 GBP32,200-92,400 GBP
CambridgeCity61,400 GBP58,200 GBP32,200-92,400 GBP
SalisburyCity61,400 GBP54,100 GBP32,600-89,400 GBP
StirlingCity61,400 GBP60,400 GBP31,400-93,100 GBP
GloucesterCity61,200 GBP56,900 GBP33,000-96,000 GBP
HartlepoolCity60,000 GBP63,200 GBP29,300-95,000 GBP
WellsCity58,600 GBP60,200 GBP27,300-88,300 GBP
BangorCity58,600 GBP62,600 GBP26,500-91,700 GBP
AbingdonCity58,600 GBP62,600 GBP26,500-91,700 GBP
ExeterCity58,400 GBP58,400 GBP30,100-91,200 GBP
KirkwallCity58,100 GBP60,000 GBP27,000-91,000 GBP
DurhamCity57,900 GBP61,600 GBP24,800-92,300 GBP
WinchesterCity57,400 GBP58,100 GBP31,300-89,900 GBP
LisburnCity56,800 GBP59,500 GBP28,800-89,900 GBP
NewryCity56,400 GBP54,200 GBP31,200-86,100 GBP
Northern IrelandRegion56,100 GBP56,400 GBP25,800-84,800 GBP
TruroCity55,700 GBP57,900 GBP25,800-87,500 GBP
WakefieldCity54,200 GBP52,800 GBP27,300-86,800 GBP
CanterburyCity54,200 GBP57,100 GBP27,300-86,600 GBP
RiponCity53,600 GBP53,600 GBP27,100-81,300 GBP
InvernessCity52,800 GBP52,000 GBP26,400-81,300 GBP
StromnessCity52,800 GBP57,400 GBP22,800-87,300 GBP
St DavidsCity51,900 GBP51,900 GBP25,800-82,200 GBP
StrontianCity51,300 GBP51,300 GBP26,600-79,600 GBP

Test Development Engineer in United Kingdom: FAQs

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

    A test development engineer in United Kingdom earns about 5,283 GBP a month before tax, based on an annual average of 63,400 GBP.

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

    Entry-level test development engineers in United Kingdom start near 30,200 GBP. Top-end pay reaches around 100,700 GBP. The middle 50% of earners sit between 45,300 and 84,800 GBP.

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

    The median is 66,700 GBP, higher than the average of 63,400 GBP. Half of test development engineers in United Kingdom earn below the median, half earn above it.

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

    Men working as a test development engineer in United Kingdom earn around 3% more than women on average (66,700 vs 64,900 GBP a year).

  • Do test development engineers in United Kingdom get bonuses?

    About 58% of test development engineers in United Kingdom reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6% of base salary.

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

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

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

    A test development engineer in United Kingdom sees a raise of around 12% every 15 months, equivalent to roughly 10% a year.