Car sales salary: what dealership and used car postings pay, and how a car sales commission works

A car salesperson at a US dealership earns a median of $44,680 a year, commission included, by the government's count for May 2025, and the top tenth earn more than $87,570 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics). What a dealer's posting states is a different and smaller figure: most dealers pay their sales consultants mainly on commission, so a posting names an hourly rate, a draw or nothing at all. CarMax's consultant postings state an hourly rate and add that "this position is eligible for commission," and Lithia's say pay "includes commission based off individual payable gross and bonuses based on individual units sold." This guide shows which dealers post pay and what they post, explains how a dealership pay plan turns a sale into commission, and measures every board figure again whenever the board changes.

Right now this board has 1,237 open car sales roles at dealer groups and used car retailers, 1,014 of them open to US candidates, and 507 of those (50%) state their pay. Where most of a dealer's postings state a range, the board names its typical pay: each posting's range on a full year's scale (an hourly rate times 2,080 hours), one sample per title, and the median and typical band across them. Where fewer than half do, it names none, because a figure from the few that post pay would describe those few, not the dealer. The car sales jobs page lists every open seat.

Contents

1. The short answer
2. Pay by dealer and title
3. How car sales commission works
4. Posted pay against the government's figures
5. Getting in without experience
6. How to judge a pay plan
7. How these figures are counted
8. Quick answers

1. The short answer

A dealer's posted pay mixes two kinds of figure. Some dealers post an hourly rate paid beside commission, which says little about earnings; others post a yearly figure that includes expected commission. Read a car sales posting's pay line for what its figure counts before comparing it with another.

2. Pay by dealer and title

The table names a dealer's typical pay only where most of its postings state a range and they hold at least three distinct ranges; a dealer whose postings mostly leave pay out reads "Too few stated", with the share that do.

• Sales consultants and sales associates sell new and used vehicles on the floor, by phone and online. CarMax's consultant postings state an hourly rate with commission on top that the posting does not price, and many of Lithia & Driveway's and AutoNation's leave pay out, which is common where most of a seller's earnings are commission.
• Business development center (BDC) roles answer the dealership's leads and set appointments for the floor. They are usually hourly with a bonus per appointment or sale: one Lithia BDC posting reads "$17-$20 + $200-$500 in bonus potential."
• Sales managers and desk managers run the floor, approve deals and coach the consultants.
• Commercial and fleet sellers sell trucks and vans to businesses. Lithia's commercial vehicle postings describe pay that "includes commission based off individual payable gross and bonuses based on individual units sold and manufacturer approvability."

3. How car sales commission works

A dealership pay plan usually pays the seller a share of the gross profit on each vehicle sold, not a share of its price. CarEdge, a car-buying advice company run by former dealers, describes plans where a salesperson earns "35% of gross profit or 15% of gross profit on a deal," after a pack, "a predetermined dollar amount that will be subtracted from the deal's gross profit" before the commission is worked out, and puts the typical commission on a car at "between $400 to $500" (CarEdge, How much can a car salesman make, updated 23 January 2025). On top come unit bonuses for the number of cars sold in the month, manufacturer bonuses on certain models, and goals for customer satisfaction scores.

Two things follow for anyone weighing an offer:

• The pack and the gross decide the commission, not the sticker price. Two dealers paying the same percentage can pay very different amounts per car, depending on the pack and on how much gross a typical deal leaves.
• New sellers are often paid a salary or a guarantee first. CarEdge notes new hires may start on "a salary based pay plan for the first 90 days" before moving to commission, and that more dealerships now run hybrid plans with a salary plus commission.

4. Posted pay against the government's figures

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 225,610 retail salespersons at automobile dealers in May 2025, with a median annual wage of $44,680 and a mean of $54,330; a quarter earned less than $34,910, a quarter more than $63,550, and the top tenth more than $87,570 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, industry 441100, occupation 41-2031). Those are wages actually earned, commission included, and they run well above the same job across all of retail, whose median is $35,410. Dealership sales managers earned a median of $138,970.

The postings on this board state what a dealer offers before commission, so an hourly rate or draw here is a floor, not a forecast, and the BLS spread is the better guide to what the commission adds.

5. Getting in without experience

Car sales is one of the sales jobs most open to people without a sales record. CarMax's consultant postings say the role "offers paid training and mentorship, equipping you with the tools to succeed in auto sales without prior experience," and Ken Garff Automotive Group's postings list "Guaranteed paid training." What the dealers' postings ask for most often is a valid driver's license and a clean driving record, since a consultant drives customers and the dealership's cars: Lithia's, AutoNation's and Ken Garff's postings name it. The sales jobs without a degree guide covers the other seats that hire on drive rather than a resume.

6. How to judge a pay plan

• Ask what the commission is a share of. The front-end gross only, or the finance and add-on products too, and how large the pack is.
• Ask for the unit bonus ladder. What a sale with little gross pays, and what the tenth, fifteenth and twentieth car in a month add.
• Ask what new consultants actually earned. In their first three months and in their first year, in total, not the top seller's month.
• Ask how leads reach you. Walk-ins and internet leads shared in turn, or only the customers you find yourself.
• Ask about the guarantee. How much, for how long, and whether it is a draw you pay back from later commission.

7. How these figures are counted

• The roles: every open sales role on this board at a company whose line of business is selling cars (franchise dealer groups and used car retailers), read from each company's own careers system and checked again as the board refreshes. A role leaves every figure when it closes.
• The pay: each posting's own range on a full year's scale, an hourly rate times 2,080 hours, one sample per employer and title, and the median and band of the samples. Commission a posting does not price is not in these figures, and neither is a ceiling a dealer advertises as "up to" or "earn up to", which many car sales postings use: that is a promise about the best sellers, not a stated range.
• When they change: every board figure here is measured again each time the board changes; the government's figures are dated where they are cited. The methodology page explains the board's measures in full.

8. Quick answers

How much do car salespeople make? The government counts a median of $44,680 a year for retail salespersons at automobile dealers in May 2025, commission included, and a top tenth above $87,570. On this board, 50% of US car sales postings state their pay, mostly an hourly rate or a draw before commission.

Do car salesmen get paid hourly? Some dealers pay an hourly rate or a draw against commission, such as CarMax's posted hourly rate; most of what a consultant earns still comes from commission and bonuses.

What percentage do car salesmen get? A share of the gross profit on each car rather than its price, between about 15% and 35% depending on the dealer, after a pack is taken off (CarEdge, January 2025).

Can you get a car sales job with no experience? Yes: dealers such as CarMax and Ken Garff state paid training for people without sales experience; earnings then depend on how many cars you sell.

Where can I see car sales jobs? The car sales jobs page lists every open seat with the pay it posts.