How much does a car salesman earn from commission from selling a vehicle? Ask a question, get a great answer. Learn from experts and access insider knowledge. The short answer is that most car salespeople don’t earn a whole hell of a lot of money. However, that’s not the whole story. Almost all dealerships set a minimum commission amount, which is the least amount of money you can earn when selling a car. A car sale that results in the minimum commission is called a «mini» in the car business, and salespeople hate minis. For the most part, new vehicle sales are all minis.