Optimus Prime is the leader of the Autobots, a faction of heroic robots from the planet Cybertron who wage their battles to destroy the evil forces of the Decepticons, for control of their homeworld, and by extension, peace in the universe. The immensely kind and compassionate Prime puts all his talent to use to improve the world around him, and has dedicated himself to the protection of all life, particularly the inhabitants of Earth; he will battle his foes with unyielding resolve to uphold this belief. In power and intelligence, Optimus Prime has no equal, known as one of the greatest heroes on both Cybertron and Earth.

Hot Rod has a youthful attitude, and serves as an older brother figure to Daniel Witwicky, son of Autobot ally Spike Witwicky. He has a sort of mentor-student relationship with the veteran Autobot, Kup. Later in life, he temporarily bears the Autobot Matrix of Leadership and becomes Rodimus Prime and leader of the Autobots.

Wheeljack is described as the mad scientist of the Autobot forces as he is always inventing new weapons and gadgets. These weapons and gadgets, while derived from the desire to benefit the Autobot cause, often bring great danger and introduce unpredictable elements into critical situations. He is the most accomplished driver (while in car mode) among the Autobots and enjoys displaying his skill level through various road stunts. Wheeljack possesses the ability to fly for relatively short distances (800 miles) using solid-fuel rockets in his arms. From his shoulder mounted cannons, Wheeljack can shoot magnetic inducer, shrapnel-needle, and gyro-inhibitor shells which can disrupt a target's sense of balance. He is often his own worst enemy due to the explosive and potentially damaging nature of his experiments.

A commander could want no finer a soldier than Ultra Magnus. Despite his incredible fighting skills, courage and unmatched talent for improvisation on the battlefield, Ultra Magnus is most comfortable when carrying out orders, and is naturally uncomfortable if the mantle of leadership should ever find itself placed upon him. In Ultra Magnus's mind, he is a follower, not a commander, and his reluctance to change that will see to it that he expends all options before accepting the idea that he is required to lead. And when that time comes about, there is no question that he is resolute, fair and courageous, ever-ready to sacrifice himself for the greater good of his companions and mission, and unyielding in preparation for protection of those under his command. Although not interested in overall command, Ultra Magnus was the City Commander for Autobot City in Transformers The Movie, and his toy also featured him in the role of City Commander (a title also held by his original opposite number, the Decepticon leader Galvatron), which indicates that he at least is willing to accept a leadership role in a smaller capacity rather than as supreme commander, a role filled by both Optimus Prime and later Rodimus Prime.

Blurr is the fastest Autobot on land. He was used primarily by the Autobots as a high speed messenger. Blurr was also portrayed having extremely fast speaking mannerisms, and a nervous streak when dealing with his superiors. Despite this he is a loyal warrior and friend. When he became a Targetmaster he was paired with Haywire, an impulsive and excitable Nebulan youngster.

Perceptor was originally part of an Autobot group in the "Dead End" region of Cybertron. Serving as the group's scientist, Perceptor would nonetheless lead a mission to save the captured Blaster from being executed by the local Decepticon commander Lord Straxus. Later, he was opposed to the plan to save the captive scientist Spanner, but was outvoted. Accompanying the others to blow up the Decepticon base, they were horrified to discover that the Decepticons had built Spanner into the Space Bridge itself. Destroying the Bridge as a mercy-killing, Perceptor and his comrades (Beachcomber, Blaster, Cosmos, Powerglide, Seaspray and Warpath), with no chance of escaping to Cybertron, crossed the bridge to Earth.

Bumblebee is the "little brother" of the heroic Autobot faction, constantly striving to prove himself in the eyes of the taller, stronger robots that he idolises - especially his commander, Optimus Prime. So strong is this desire, he often takes risks that put him in danger. Although a bit of a wise-cracker, he is a capable and reliable messenger and spy, his small size allowing him to go places that his larger comrades cannot. He is highly fuel efficient, has great visual acuity, is particularly adaptable to undersea environments and transforms into a Volkswagen Beetle.

Cliffjumper was part of the original Autobot crew of the Ark. When the Autobots and Decepticons were reawakened, Cliffjumper was given the alternate mode of an Earth car. Cliffjumper and Hound were sent to scout out the location of the Decepticons. Although ordered not to engage the Decepticons, Cliffjumper took the opportunity to try to shoot Megatron, revealing their existence to the Decepticons. Because of this, Hound was blown off the road by Laserbeak - something that made Cliffjumper regret his impulsiveness. Hound, however, didn't blame him, quipping that he was only sorry he missed.

Sideswipe was part of the initial crew of Autobots aboard the Ark when it crash-landed on Earth four million years ago. He awakened along with his fellow Transformers in 1984, with both he and brother being reformatted into Lamborghini sports cars. Sideswipe loaned Optimus Prime the use of his rocket pack when the Decepticons nearly escaped from Earth with a starship full of energon.

Seaspray's bio painted him as even more at home on Earth than any of the other Autobots. Earth's natural oceans are a far cry from Cybertron, and Seaspray's job is to explore as much of it as possible. He loves the thrill of naval battles, despite the risks involved, and hates having to assume his robot mode on land.

A young Autobot, Wheelie's function is listed as "survivalist" (pretty much a given, considering he's spent who knows how many years trapped on Quintessa). He despises the Quintessons and their Sharkticon minions, but only fights when he has no alternative (no doubt a survivalist trait).

Jazz is the "very cool, very stylish, very competent" member of the Autobots. Self-possessed, calm, and utterly collected, Jazz is head of Special Operations, with his own dedicated roster of agents.
He often gives the most dangerous assignments to himself. It's not a matter of ego—he just really is the coolest head for the toughest missions. Jazz's ease extends to whatever environment he finds himself in, no matter how weird or wonderful. He effortlessly tunes in to the local culture, assimilating and improvising, and making creative command decisions, making him an indispensable right-hand bot to Optimus Prime.

Blaster, like the Autobot Jazz, has a great love of Earth culture, rock music and other forms of music as long as it is "good, hard and loud". He's normally at the forefront of any given situation. As an AM/FM stereo cassette player, he can perform as a deck, plus receive radio signals on a variety of frequencies. Acting as the Autobot communications center, he can transmit signals within a 4,000 mile radius.

Prowl's logic center is unquestionably the most powerful of all the Autobots', giving him the ability to analyze any combat situation almost instantaneously and then advise on the optimal course of action - a skill that makes him eminently suited to his role as the Autobots' military strategist and analyst. For example, he can compute the paths of movement of 800 separate moving objects and determine the proper countermove in half a second. In robot mode, he is armed with a pair of shoulder-mounted cannons which fire wire-guided incendiary missiles, and a semi-automatic rifle that shoots pellets filled with a highly corrosive acid. He transforms into a police car version of a Datsun Fairlady 280ZX.

Despite being known for being part of the Autobot security detail and Optimus Prime's bodyguard, Ironhide was most often seen in the capacity of a warrior, often fighting in battle without Optimus Prime, or a specific worksite/person/cargo to protect. He was also used as an officer, leading a team of Autobots just as would Optimus's advisors, Prowl and Jazz. Ironhide seemed to develop a bond with the Autobots' human allies, engaging with them on a friendly basis as much as protecting them. Ironhide was good friends with the female Autobot Chromia.

Grimlock, the most fearsome and powerful member of the Dinobots, is never happier than in battle. Grimlock can be cold, merciless and contemptuous of those he considers beneath him, such as human beings, and at times, even Autobot leader Optimus Prime himself, who Grimlock would gladly supplant as Autobot leader if he were able, suggesting he has a superiority complex. Nevertheless, he is a valiant warrior whose actions command respect from all who are witness to them, both friend and foe. One of his most distinguishing features is his famous speech impediment, which leads him to shorten sentences and refer to himself constantly as "Me," never "I" - the reason for this varies from depiction to depiction, with some making it the result of true mental limitations, and others a ruse Grimlock perpetrates to allow others to think of him as less intelligent than he actually is.