Test Automation Engineer Salary UK 2025
Last updated: June 2025 • 7 min read • Written by: ClickMasters HR Team • Reviewed by: Reviewed annually
Direct Answer
Test Automation Engineer salaries range from £30,000 to £680–£960/day. Playwright expertise (replacing Selenium as the UK standard) commands a 10–20% premium. k6 performance testing experience is increasingly valued for UK eCommerce and FinTech. Accessibility automation (Axe integration in CI/CD) is an emerging premium specialism for public sector and regulated sector roles.
Market Outlook
Test Automation Engineers who specialise in building and maintaining automated test suites are in growing demand across UK software development. The shift from manual-only QA to automation-first testing — driven by CI/CD adoption and Agile delivery — has significantly increased the value of engineers who can write maintainable test code.
Salary benchmarks by Seniority
IR35 Tax Position
Day rates assume outside IR35. Inside IR35 contractor day rates in the UK are typically 15–25% higher to compensate for the lack of tax efficiency and additional payroll costs. ClickMasters engineers are directly employed by us, representing **zero IR35 risk** for clients.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about test automation engineer salary standards.
Approximately £72,000–£105,000 mid-level. London +20–30%.
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