Car Test Driver

As a rule, children don’t dream of working in offices. Instead, they dream of fighting fires, flying fighter planes, walking on the moon, and — Matchbox cars in hand — driving fast cars around real-life racetracks.

A Car Test Driver, or Road Test Driver, has achieved every little boy’s — and some little girls’ — fantasy: They’re paid by car manufacturers such as Ferrari, Porsche, BMW, and Mercedes to test their vehicles by driving them, usually around the company’s own private track.

Of course, “testing” requires a lot more than playing with the volume on the stereo, seeing how fast the car can go on the highway, and making sure the sunroof works on a sunny day. Just as much work as play, being a Car Test Driver demands an intimate knowledge of automobile engineering and anatomy, as you’re responsible for methodically checking the functionality of every inch of a test car — which, it’s worth noting, is often a prototype instead of a finished vehicle — including everything from its tailpipe and turn signals to its interior and engine.

As a Car Test Driver, you do scientifically designed tests on braking, acceleration, speed, and handling in collaboration with Mechanical Engineers, pushing the car to its limits on high-speed tracks in order to assess its performance. Frequently, you’ll also do tests at normal speeds on actual roads in order to assess things like visibility, drivability, usability, and comfort.

At the end of the day, your job is to nitpick new cars so manufacturers can make them better, faster, stronger, and safer. And in return, you get not just one company car, but hundreds!