How to become a parts salesperson
Official title: Parts salesperson
Also called: Parts interpreter, Parts manager, Automotive parts sales representative, Car parts salesperson
Parts salespeople sell automotive and electronic parts and equipment in shops. They may provide customer service and price, order and restock products.
Main tasks
- Sell automotive and electronic parts
- Find the right parts for customers
- Explain what different parts do
- Answer customer questions
- Take parts orders
- Arrange delivery of parts
- Process sales and payments
- Check parts are in stock
How to become one
You learn on the job to become a parts salesperson and a qualification may be useful. You usually don’t need specific NCEA levels for this job. Other requirements: a driver licence; experience in similar work; a New Zealand Certificate in Automotive Parts and Accessories (Level 3).
Ways in
- Certificates and diplomas: Entry certificates in automotive engineering and mechanics. TEC links this job to study in automotive engineering and technology. Qualifications: NZ Cert in Automotive Engineering. Usually 1 year. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $51,000 a year one year after study and $60,000 five years after; 66% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).
Pay · Past change
- Most common pay: $61,000 to $89,000 a year (median $72,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
- Lower: $52,000 a year · Upper: $112,000 a year
- TEC shows pay for this job by the hour: median $34.62 an hour.
- TEC's pay figures are estimates only. TEC says they must not be used to set pay, in pay negotiations or in visa applications.
- Change in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses: Increase (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
Who does this work
- About 3,000 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
Related jobs
- Sales supervisor
- Wholesale and retail buyer
- Online merchant
- Advertising sales representative
- Sales representative
- Solar sales representative
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Questions people ask
How do I become a parts salesperson?
You learn on the job to become a parts salesperson and a qualification may be useful. You usually don’t need specific NCEA levels for this job. Other requirements: a driver licence; experience in similar work; a New Zealand Certificate in Automotive Parts and Accessories (Level 3).
How much does a parts salesperson earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $72,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $61,000 to $89,000 a year.
Has the number of people working as a parts salesperson grown in New Zealand?
It has grown: TEC records an increase in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses. This is past change, not a forecast.
Sources
- Tertiary Education Commission (Tahatu Career Navigator): Tahatu career ideas: descriptions, tasks, pay estimates, people employed, employment change 2018 to 2023, entry requirements, registration, interest scores (Site scrape 2026-10 (816 career ideas, sitemap lastmod 2026-10-01)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
This content is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahatu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. All or some of the information has been modified by Peernovo. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this content.
Qualification information from NZQA, used under CC BY 3.0 NZ.
This work is based on/includes Stats NZ's data which are licensed by Stats NZ for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Census data via Figure.NZ.
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Sources: Tertiary Education Commission, Tahatū Career Navigator (career ideas, pay estimates, entry requirements and study options, CC BY 4.0, modified by Peernovo); Stats NZ, 2023 Census (via Figure.NZ) and the National Occupation List (CC BY 4.0); NZQA qualification information (CC BY 3.0 NZ); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Links between career ideas and ANZSCO groups, degree fields and broad job groups are Peernovo's.
These results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Graduate outcomes: these results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Updated 4 October 2026