Best Auto Mechanic Schools In Riverside Ranked For 2026

The core Automotive & EV Technology program takes 51 weeks and awards an Associate of Occupational Studies (AOS) degree.

Students combine online instructor-led training with hands-on application in automotive labs.

Course topics include Battery Electric Vehicle Technology, Advanced Technology/Hybrid & Service Advising, and professional automotive service writing alongside mechanical and electrical systems.

Rancho Cucamonga offers the separate 15-week Ford Accelerated Credential Training (FACT) program.

The 51-week Automotive & EV Technology program awards an Associate of Occupational Studies degree.

Core courses include engine building, bolt-on performance, computer performance tuning, advanced electrical applications, hybrid technology, and battery-electric vehicles.

The program prepares graduates for ASE testing, and training can replace one of the two years of work experience required for ASE certification.

BMW FastTrack adds 12 weeks of brand-specific study beyond the core automotive program. Completing it earns seven factory credentials.

Pasadena pairs the All Automotive Systems Certificate of Achievement with an Associate in Science route for students who add general education units.

The program and instructors meet ASE Education Foundation standards for Master Automotive Service Technician instruction, equipment, and curriculum.

The All Automotive Systems curriculum includes ASE Student Certification Exams intended to help students master the National ASE test as part of the broad certificate.

Pasadena says successful completion of the All Automotive Systems curriculum provides one year of industry credit toward an ASE credential.

West Covina lists a hybrid Automotive Technician program with nine modules and an approximate 10-month duration.

Manual Transmissions covers clutches, flywheels, differentials, CV joints, and transmission diagnosis, including disassembly, repair, and reassembly.

Automatic Transmissions examines torque converters, planetary gears, sensors, electronic controls, hybrid transmission design, and four-wheel and all-wheel drive systems.

The preventive-maintenance module includes hybrid diagnostic and safety procedures together with professional communication and service-team workflow.

You need a high school diploma or equivalent to enroll. The West Covina campus is institutionally accredited by ACCET.

The Garden Grove diploma uses online learning and on-site vehicle labs. UEI lists nine modules and completion in as few as 10 months.

Engine performance and ignition study uses onboard diagnostic information, scan testers, and symptom charts to evaluate engine problems and service ignition systems.

Fuel Systems and Emission Control covers electronic fuel delivery, injection diagnosis, intake and exhaust systems, and emissions-control service.

The steering and suspension module combines tire, wheel, and alignment procedures with diagnosis and service of automotive heating and air conditioning.

Admission requires a high school diploma or equivalent. The Garden Grove campus is institutionally accredited by ACCET.

The major requires 26.5–27.5 units: a 24.5-unit required core plus one restricted elective of two or three units.

The core includes California BAR Basic Area Clean Air Car, Enhanced Area Clean Air Car, and Advanced Smog Update Training, alongside electrical and engine-performance courses.

Two-unit Automotive Work Experience is an elective option and should be taken after at least nine program units.

The A.S. requires at least 60 total units, an overall 2.0 GPA, general education, and at least 12 units completed at Saddleback.

Cypress identifies the department as NATEF certified, with instructors who are ASE Master Technician Certified. The program is affiliated with Toyota's T-TEN network and Mazda's MAST program.

Named subjects include technician safety, repair lab, electrical systems, air conditioning, engine repair and machining, chassis and brakes, drivetrains and transmissions, performance, and electronic diagnostics.

The course list includes Toyota Automotive Technology, Toyota Electrical Systems, T-TEN drivetrain and transmissions, Toyota Portfolio, and Toyota Professional Series.

Cypress lists alternative fuels, electric-hybrid vehicles, hybrid vehicle maintenance, ASE test preparation, Automotive Internship, and an Automotive Service Seminar among its study options.

Golden West labels its Automotive Technology offerings free noncredit classes. The published options begin with Automotive Safety and continue through lube, tire and wheel, clean-air, and smog-inspection training.

Automotive Safety covers personal protection equipment, tool and hoist use, and hazardous-waste procedures. Automotive Lube Technician covers vehicle service information and periodic maintenance procedures.

The Tire and Wheel Service course teaches safety, aftermarket wheel and tire replacement, and equipment use for repairing and replacing tires on light trucks and passenger vehicles.

Basic Clean Air introduces California Smog Check rules, five-gas analysis, emissions devices, and OBD II. Smog Level 2 Check Inspector covers OIS and ASM procedures and prepares students for the state inspector examination.

Cerritos describes instruction and hands-on experience in diagnostics, repair, and maintenance across a wide range of vehicle systems for automotive students.

The department partners with General Motors through GM ASEP and Ford through Ford ASSET for cohort-based, brand-specific technician training opportunities.

Cerritos says students may pursue a certificate, associate degree, or transfer to a four-year institution, with automotive roadmaps for several certificate paths.

Cerritos offers dual enrollment with Artesia High School, allowing participating high-school students to earn college units and high-school credit together.

The program map shows a sample two-year A.S. plan with four semesters averaging 15 units; individual schedules can differ.

Three-unit Automotive Workplace Skills teaches concern, cause, and correction documentation, technical writing, and communication with service writers, customers, and coworkers.

Five-unit Engine Repair emphasizes engine teardown, measurement, reassembly, diagnosis, and repair. Students must bring approved safety glasses to the lab.

Three-unit Automotive Emerging Technologies covers connected vehicles, CAN systems, driver assistance and collision avoidance, electric motors, and high-voltage systems.

The Automobile Diagnostic Technician Certificate of Achievement requires 59 units. The curriculum begins with Fundamentals of Automotive Service, Diagnosis and Repair and continues through system-specific courses.

Student outcomes include verifying a customer's complaint, diagnosing the failure, estimating labor and parts, documenting the cause, completing an authorized repair, and confirming the repair corrected the complaint.

Required subjects include engine service, chassis, two electrical and electronic systems courses, manual drivetrain, HVAC, engine controls, and automatic transmissions and transaxles.

The certificate requires four units selected from Automotive Service and Repair Work Experience courses. Citrus says the certificate meets NATEF standards and supports preparation for ASE Master Technician work.

Victor Valley lists the Automotive Technology A.S. as a 24-month program and identifies it as approved for federal financial aid.

The Automotive Technology major requires 18 units from qualifying Automotive Technology courses or courses required in certificates within the discipline.

Students may select Automotive Technology courses numbered 50 through 299, while AUTO 138 may count as elective credit but cannot satisfy major requirements.

The catalog requires 60 degree-applicable units, 12 units through VVC, C grades in major coursework, required general education patterns, and a 2.0 overall GPA.

The hybrid and electrical vehicle route has six required four-unit courses, totaling 24 automotive units.

Required courses include Automotive Principles, Automotive Electrical Systems, and Engine Performance 1 and 2.

The pathway emphasizes high-voltage battery packs, propulsion, charging, and related control systems. Its outcomes include high-voltage shop safety and diagnosis of electrical circuits.

Four-unit AUT-13B, Advanced Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Technology, includes 45 lecture hours and 81 lab hours. Completing AUT-13A is its prerequisite.

The program lists general service and master technician associate routes, plus certificates in electrical systems, engine rebuilding, high-performance engine building, general service, and master technician preparation.

The department describes a fully supplied tool room for student use and a vehicle collection that includes hybrid and all-electric models.

A faculty member explains that Toyota and Ford provide students with access to online manufacturer training modules through the college.

The program describes an apprenticeship initiative developed by automotive instructors to create a more formal connection between students and employers.

LBCC lists an Automotive Technology A.S., a broad Certificate of Achievement, engine and transmission service, engine performance, maintenance, and quick-service credentials at certificate or accomplishment levels.

Course offerings include lubrication, tire service, brake inspection, engine repair, automatic and manual transmissions, wheel alignment, electrical systems, air conditioning, fuel systems, light diesel, emissions, and automotive computers.

The program provides hands-on experience and prepares students for NC3 and Snap-On Tools industry certifications as well as the ASE Certification Exam.

LBCC says a certificate can take as little as one semester depending on the units taken, while a full-time associate degree program can take about two years.

Honda PACT is a two-year specialization that awards an Associate of Science degree in Automotive Technology for Honda and Acura technician preparation. A new Honda PACT cohort begins each summer semester.

American Honda-designed courses incorporate the NATEF curriculum and give students hands-on experience with Honda advanced technology and products during training.

While pursuing the PACT degree or certificate, students can intern at a dealership to learn how a Honda or Acura dealership operates firsthand.

Río Hondo lists certificates for Honda and Acura brakes, suspension and chassis electrical systems; engine repair and engine electrical systems; HVAC; and powertrain and transmission systems.

The current catalog requires five four-unit courses: basic auto mechanics, electrical and electronics, brake systems, engine performance, and suspension, steering, and alignment systems.

MSJC describes the certificate as a non-transfer occupational program with hands-on training and instruction in automotive diagnosis, repair, and maintenance for computerized repair shops.

The Automotive Technology A.S. keeps the 20-unit automotive requirements and adds MSJC Local General Education for a 60-unit associate degree, creating a longer credential route.

The recommended AS course map includes Introduction to Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Technology, advanced engine performance or electrical study, and automotive work-experience education.

ELAC says its Automobile Technology program is NATEF certified in all eight areas of auto repair and includes advanced diagnostic equipment and repair facilities.

The program describes ten repair bays, two alignment racks, a chassis dynamometer, and an engine machine shop for hands-on automotive study.

ELAC lists engine fundamentals, engine repair and performance, brakes, climate control, transmissions, steering, suspension, alignment, and electrical systems in its comprehensive program.

The college says four fast-track skill-set certificates can prepare graduates for specific automotive jobs, alongside the broader Automobile Technology program.

The Automotive Technology Certificate of Achievement requires 33.5 to 41.5 units and is mapped as a three-term pathway in the college's current pathway listing.

Fullerton says students may study in all areas of automotive repair or focus on a series of courses in a particular repair area. Electives can come from related career-technical fields.

Students learn to evaluate vehicle malfunctions, use diagnostic procedures, interpret test results, recommend repairs, and perform work to vehicle manufacturers' specifications.

The learning outcomes include writing vehicle repair estimates with parts and labor, collaborating with staff to inform customers, and summarizing completed work on a repair order using industry-standard practice.

The catalog lists 40 total units for the Automotive Technician A.S. required courses, alongside general education or Cal-GETC graduation requirements.

The required sequence includes separate laboratory courses for brakes, suspension and steering, engine performance, automatic transmissions, manual transmissions, general automotive technology, and engine repair.

The catalog describes the curriculum as concentrating on technically related courses for repairing today’s high-tech computerized automobile and its systems.

Graduates are expected to identify shop safety practices, explain automotive system tools and theory, use hand tools properly, and perform automotive system service and repair.

The program lists safety, service, testing, troubleshooting, brakes, suspension, alignment, engine tune-up, electrical and fuel systems, emissions, transmissions, drivetrains, engine rebuilding, machining, and air conditioning.

Compton says competencies are assessed regularly against Automotive Service Excellence standards. Program outcomes include passing a practice exam or official ASE certification test and building skills for automotive job entry.

The Engine Rebuilding and Repair Technician certificate covers maintenance, diagnosis, and overhaul of electrical and fuel-injection systems, with engine disassembly and reassembly using manufacturer specialty tools and techniques.

The Brakes/Suspension Transmission/Drive Train certificate introduces operating principles and beginning maintenance skills for modern automobile brake, suspension, transmission, and drivetrain systems.

CET describes the Automotive Specialist program as 810 hours. With 30 hours of attendance each week, the school says students usually finish in seven to eight months.

Students work on hands-on projects involving real customer concerns, not only classroom job sheets. CET says Colton students have access to a fully stocked auto repair garage.

The published learning list includes shop safety, automotive math and theory, fuel delivery, emissions, diagnostics and tune-ups, brakes, steering and suspension, basic computers, and customer service.

CET says training supplies, books, and uniforms are included in tuition, subject to change. The program also provides interview, resume, cover-letter, and thank-you-letter preparation through its job-preparation instruction.

The Automotive Service Program takes 950 clock hours and can be completed in four quarters.

Classes meet Monday through Friday, 3:30–9:30 p.m.

You receive a personal tool set at the beginning and must wear black spill-resistant and oil-resistant shoes.

Students gain practical experience working on both personal and customer vehicles while building technical skills in a professional shop environment.