UK AI Exposure · Skilled trades occupations
Vehicle technicians, mechanics and electricians
Vehicle technicians, mechanics and electricians accept calls for help and repair and service the mechanical parts and electrical/electronic circuitry and components of cars, lorries, buses, motorcycles and other motor vehicles, and repair and service auto air-conditioning systems.
- Employees (UK)
- 98k
- Median annual pay
- £36,560
- Exposure score ?
- 0.4/10 Minimal direct 0.4 · with tools 1.4
- Wage exposure
- £143m
Higher exposure than 23% of the 379 UK occupations we scored.
What this score means
Most of this role's work is still genuinely hard for AI to do. Physical presence, bodily skill, high-context judgment, direct human care - the things that don't translate to text.
If you're in this role, here's what to do now
You're not in the firing line today. But the frontier moves. Build enough AI fluency now that you can direct it for the parts of your work that could benefit. People in unexposed roles who understand AI become unusually valuable inside their organisations.
The tasks in this role, ranked by AI exposure
Below are the real tasks O*NET records for this occupation, sorted highest exposure first. "AI can do this" means a language model can already handle the task directly. "AI can help" means an LLM can assist but not replace. "Human work" means today's AI doesn't touch it. Importance is O*NET's 1–5 rating of how central each task is to the role.
1 of 30 tasks in this role are things an AI can already do today. Task list mapped via O*NET "Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics" (49-3023.00).
Plan work procedures, using charts, technical manuals, and experience.
Inspect vehicles for damage and record findings so that necessary repairs can be made.
Test drive vehicles and test components and systems, using equipment such as infrared engine analyzers, compression gauges, and computerized diagnostic devices.
Test and adjust repaired systems to meet manufacturers' performance specifications.
Repair, reline, replace, and adjust brakes.
Review work orders and discuss work with supervisors.
Conduct visual inspections of compressed natural gas fuel systems to identify cracks, gouges, abrasions, discoloration, broken fibers, loose brackets, damaged gaskets, or other problems.
Estimate costs of vehicle repair.
Confer with customers to obtain descriptions of vehicle problems and to discuss work to be performed and future repair requirements.
Align vehicles' front ends.
Align wheels, axles, frames, torsion bars, and steering mechanisms of automobiles, using special alignment equipment and wheel-balancing machines.
Tear down, repair, and rebuild faulty assemblies, such as power systems, steering systems, and linkages.
Perform routine and scheduled maintenance services, such as oil changes, lubrications, and tune-ups.
Follow checklists to ensure all important parts are examined, including belts, hoses, steering systems, spark plugs, brake and fuel systems, wheel bearings, and other potentially troublesome areas.
Maintain cleanliness of work area.
Change spark plugs, fuel filters, air filters, and batteries in hybrid electric vehicles.
Repair and service air conditioning, heating, engine cooling, and electrical systems.
Disassemble units and inspect parts for wear, using micrometers, calipers, and gauges.
Test electronic computer components in automobiles to ensure proper operation.
Rebuild parts, such as crankshafts and cylinder blocks.
Overhaul or replace carburetors, blowers, generators, distributors, starters, and pumps.
Repair or replace parts such as pistons, rods, gears, valves, and bearings.
Rewire ignition systems, lights, and instrument panels.
Troubleshoot fuel, ignition, and emissions control systems, using electronic testing equipment.
Diagnose and replace or repair engine management systems or related sensors for flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) with ignition timing, fuel rate, alcohol concentration, or air-to-fuel ratio malfunctions.
Tune automobile engines to ensure proper and efficient functioning.
Repair, replace, or adjust defective fuel injectors, carburetor parts, and gasoline filters.
Install, adjust, or repair hydraulic or electromagnetic automatic lift mechanisms used to raise and lower automobile windows, seats, and tops.
Repair or rebuild transmissions.
Retrofit vehicle fuel systems with aftermarket products, such as vapor transfer devices, evaporation control devices, swirlers, lean burn devices, and friction reduction devices, to enhance combustion and fuel efficiency.
Where a project with Alex usually starts for this role
This role's strict α score is low because its top tasks are judgment, not drafting. But those same tasks compress dramatically when AI is paired with the right context and tools. The three highest-stakes tasks below are usually where we start.
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Inspect vehicles for damage and record findings so that necessary repairs can be made.
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Test drive vehicles and test components and systems, using equipment such as infrared engine analyzers, compression gauges, and computerized diagnostic devices.
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Test and adjust repaired systems to meet manufacturers' performance specifications.
Every role has three or four wedges like these. Finding them takes an hour. Turning them into a workflow your team actually uses takes a few days. Talk to Alex about a project →
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Methodology
This role's exposure score comes from Eloundou et al's 2023 GPT task labels, aggregated by O*NET importance within each O*NET-SOC code, then bridged to UK SOC 2020 via ISCO-08 (ONS Vol 2 coding index) and US SOC 2010 (BLS crosswalk). Employment and median pay come from ONS ASHE Table 14.7a, 2025 provisional. ASHE covers employees only, so self-employed workers are not counted.
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