Tyre Fitter
Tyre fitters remove, repair and fit the tyres on cars, trucks and other vehicles, then balance and align the wheels so a vehicle steers and brakes the way it should.
- Median salary*
- $59,800
4.2%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 6,600
0.0%vs last year
- Projected growth
- +4.6%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Low
- automation risk
- Average hours
- 46/wk
+6h vs all jobs
- Shortage status
- Not in shortage
national
Tyre fitters work in tyre shops, service stations and automotive workshops, fitting new tyres, repairing punctures and balancing and aligning wheels. The job is narrower than a motor mechanic's, because fitters specialise in tyres, wheels and suspension geometry rather than engines, brakes or electrical systems, though the two often work side by side in the same workshop. Most of the work is passenger cars, 4WDs and light commercials, while some fitters move into truck, bus and earthmoving tyres, which need heavier equipment and different safety procedures.
How much do tyre fitters earn?
The median full-time salary for a tyre fitter is $59,800 per annum, before tax, up $12,500 since 2018.
What you earn depends heavily on what you are fitting, because passenger car work sits near the lower end of the automotive trades while truck, bus and earthmoving tyres pay more for the heavier equipment and safety procedures involved. Mine-site and fleet work pays more again, reflecting rosters and site conditions rather than the work itself. Overtime, weekend work and supervising a small crew add to the total in many shops.
What does a tyre fitter do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Removing and fitting tyres with a mounting machine and a pneumatic impact wrench, then torquing the wheel nuts to the manufacturer's setting
- Balancing wheels on a balancer and adjusting alignment to fix a vibration or a pull to one side
- Repairing punctures and checking sidewalls and tread for damage that makes a tyre unsafe
- Measuring tread depth and setting pressures before a vehicle goes back on the road
- Talking customers through what their tyres need and explaining why a repair is not always possible
What skills do tyre fitters need?
Employers look for hand and power tool work, plant and equipment operation, backed by tyre mounting machine fluency and strong attention to detail.
Specialist skills
- Hand and power tool work
- Plant and equipment operation
Software and tools
- tyre mounting machine
- wheel balancer
- pneumatic impact wrench
- tread depth gauge
- wheel alignment equipment
General skills
- Attention to detail
- Customer service
- Safety and compliance awareness
- Problem solving
- Physical stamina and dexterity
Is the job growing?
About 6,600 people work as tyre fitters in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 4.6% over the decade to 2035. That's modest growth: demand is steady rather than booming.
How do you become a tyre fitter?
Here's the path most tyre fitters take, step by step.
- 1Finish Year 10 or Year 12
There is no formal prerequisite to start and most people come in straight from school. Among those working in the trade, 65% hold Year 12 or below as their highest qualification and 24% hold a certificate III or IV, which fits a job you mostly learn on the shop floor. Employers generally want a current driver's licence, since moving vehicles in and out of the bay is part of the day.
- 2Take a traineeship or entry-level job in a tyre shop
The usual way in is a paid traineeship with a tyre retailer, service station or workshop, where you learn mounting, balancing and puncture repair while you work. Training is often structured around the Certificate II in Automotive Tyre Servicing Technology (AUR21926) (AUR21920), which usually takes about 12 months.
- 3Gain the licences the vehicles and sites require
A heavy vehicle licence opens up truck and bus tyre road service, a forklift licence helps where large tyre stock is moved around a warehouse, and a White Card is needed before you work on construction sites. These are short courses rather than long qualifications, and most people pick them up as the work demands.
- 4Specialise in heavy or off-the-road tyres
Truck, earthmoving and mining tyres use heavier equipment, higher torque settings and strict safety procedures, and this is where the better-paying shift and roster work sits. Experience here is what most people use to lift their earnings without leaving the trade.
- 5Consider the mechanic apprenticeship for the broader trade
A Certificate III in Light Vehicle Mechanical Technology (AUR30620) is a four-year apprenticeship that covers engines, brakes and electrical work, and it is the standard route if you later want to work as a motor mechanic rather than in tyre work.
Study routes we have checked
Qualifications that are a recognised way into this role, and what else you need.
- Certificate II in Automotive Tyre Servicing Technology
A recognised route into this role
Tyre-servicing duties within the qualification's training and workplace safety scope.
Ready to apply as a tyre fitter?
Whether you're working toward becoming a tyre fitter or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can a tyre fitter move to?
Moving into Miner typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $91,400 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miner Tyre fitters can move into mining work, where heavy vehicle and site experience helps, after reskilling for mine operations.Known move | +$91,400 | 40% | reskill |
| Truck Driver Tyre fitters can move into truck driving after gaining a heavy vehicle licence and completing reskilling for the role.Known move | +$42,100 | 16% | reskill |
| Motor Mechanic Tyre fitters can move into motor mechanic work, where wheel and suspension knowledge carries over, but a full apprenticeship is required.Known move | +$24,500 | 45% | requalify |
| Machine Operator Production machine operating is a common next move, with reskilling needed to run plant and manufacturing equipment.Known move | +$21,000 | 30% | reskill |
| Vehicle Accessories Fitter Fitting vehicle accessories builds on tyre fitting skills, with a short course covering electrical and trim installation.Known move | +$5,200 | 57% | short course |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as a tyre fitter?
The typical tyre fitter is 32 years old; 99% are men, 84% work full-time, and full-timers average 46 hours a week.
- 32
- Median age
- 1%
- Female share
- 84%
- Full-time
- +6h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a tyre fitter?
The work has a steady rhythm: vehicles arrive, tyres come off, tyres go back on, and the queue rarely stops. Days are physical and often timed per job, so a tyre shop suits people who like finishing something visible and are comfortable on their feet all day. Roadside callouts and urgent punctures break up the routine, and a customer waiting at the counter adds a little pressure to each job.
What people like
- You finish what you start. A car comes in with a problem and leaves fixed, often within the hour, which suits people who like a clear result at the end of each job.
- A quick, paid way into the trade. You can earn while you train and the Certificate II usually takes about a year, so the path in is shorter than most trades and there is no unpaid study to get through first.
- Something different in every bay. Passenger cars, 4WDs, light trucks and the occasional odd size keep the work from being identical, and chasing down a vibration or a slow leak takes real diagnosis.
- Room to specialise later. Heavy vehicle, earthmoving and off-the-road tyres are a different job again, and time on those opens up mine-site, fleet and road service work.
What people find hard
- Heavy, physical work. Full-time workers in this trade average 46 hours a week, much of it standing, crouching and lifting, and back, knees and hands carry the wear over a career.
- Repetition and time pressure. A busy Saturday can be one car after another with a set time allowed per job, which makes the work feel like a production line rather than a trade.
- Delivering news customers don't want. Telling someone their tyre is unsafe to repair, or that they need four rather than one, is part of the job and not always well received at the counter.
- Noise, fumes and weather. Workshops are loud and hot in summer, and road service means changing a wheel in the rain or on the shoulder of a highway.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ tyre fitters?
Other Services employs the largest share of tyre fitters, followed by Retail Trade.
Top employing industries
- 1Other Services
- 2Retail Trade
- 3Manufacturing
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Year 12 or below | 64.9% | |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate III/IV | 24.2% | |
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 2.1% | |
| Bachelor degree | 1.6% | |
| Postgraduate | 0.3% |
Will AI replace tyre fitters?
Tyre fitting is one of the least exposed trades to automation. Someone still has to raise the vehicle, break the bead, seat and balance the new tyre and torque the nuts, and no machine does that in a general workshop. Booking systems, alignment software and tyre pressure monitoring already handle the measuring and record keeping, which changes the paperwork rather than the job itself.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Fitting, balancing and repairing tyresMounting a tyre on a rim, seating the bead, balancing it and torquing the nuts all need hands on the vehicle and a feel for when a wheel is not sitting right.45%low
- Wheel alignment and diagnostic checksAn alignment rig measures and calculates the angles for you, but someone still has to drive the car, hear the customer's complaint and decide what to adjust.20%moderate
- Bay setup, stock and vehicle checksStock ordering and vehicle check-in can be partly automated, but jacking up the car, checking pressures and shifting tyres around the bay cannot.20%low
- Advising customers and quoting jobsQuoting software prices a set of tyres and books the job in, but a worn shoulder or a bulging sidewall still needs a person to look at it and tell the customer a repair will not hold.15%moderate
Common questions about becoming a tyre fitter
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much does a tyre fitter earn?
The median for full-time tyre fitters is $59,800 per year before tax. Where you sit against that depends on the vehicles you work on and the hours you do, since heavy vehicle and mine-site work pays more than passenger car work and shift or weekend work attracts loadings.
How do you become a tyre fitter?
Most people start with a paid traineeship or entry-level job in a tyre shop and learn on the job while working toward the Certificate II in Automotive Tyre Servicing Technology (AUR21926). It generally takes about 12 months, no prior qualification is required, and employers expect you to hold a driver's licence.
Are tyre fitters in demand?
Tyre fitters are currently not in shortage, and employment is projected to grow 4.6% over the decade to 2035. The work is spread across tyre retailers, service stations, dealerships and workshops, and it holds up through the year rather than swinging with a season.
Will AI or automation replace tyre fitters?
Not in the near term, because the centre of the job is physical work on a vehicle that no machine handles in an ordinary shop. Software has taken over parts of quoting, stock ordering and alignment measurement, and tyre pressure monitoring now warns drivers before a tyre fails, but someone still removes, repairs and refits the tyre.
Where else can tyre work take you?
One common move is across to vehicle accessories fitting, which uses the same wheel and trim skills and pays $5,200 more. Becoming a motor mechanic means a full apprenticeship, while truck driving or mining pays $91,400 more for anyone who gains a heavy vehicle licence or reskills for site work. Plenty of people in this trade also open their own mobile van or shop, which is often where earnings grow.
Do you need a licence to work as a tyre fitter?
You do not need a trade licence to do this work, but a current driver's licence is expected because you will be moving vehicles around the shop. A heavy vehicle licence helps for truck tyre road service, and a White Card is required before you work on construction sites.
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