How To Become An Auto Body Painter: What It Is and Career Path

What is an auto body painter and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Just like the name implies, an auto body painter is an individual who applies paint using brushes and sprays on different means of transportation like cars, boats, trucks, and ships. This job is best for artistic people. As an auto body painter, you need to prepare and polish the surface you're working on before painting. Note that this job takes care and precision, especially as you'll need to guard parts that have not been painted by covering them with paper and mask tape. Auto body painters usually work with firms that deal with transportation services.

An auto body painter should have deep knowledge of the types of auto body paint and finishing that exist. If you wish to thrive in this career, you must also possess an excellent ability to match and coordinate colors. Thankfully, a vocational school certificate is all most employers require. When you get employed, your average salary will be $43,508 yearly.

ScoreAuto Body PainterUS Average

Salary

2.9

Avg. Salary $36,508

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.0

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.54%

Asian 3.36%

Black or African American 10.65%

Hispanic or Latino 21.36%

Unknown 4.00%

White 60.08%

Gender

female 4.38%

male 95.62%

Age - 41.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41.5

Stress level

7.0

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.2

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.4

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an auto body painter

Explore auto body painter education requirements

Most common auto body painter degrees

High School Diploma

56.8 %

Associate

19.1 %

Diploma

11.5 %

Start to develop specific auto body painter skills

Skills	Percentages
Mask	66.13%
Spray Guns	31.49%
Paint Guns	0.63%
Coats	0.35%
Painting Process	0.26%

Complete relevant auto body painter training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New auto body painters learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an auto body painter based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real auto body painter resumes.

Research auto body painter duties and responsibilities

Paint and/or refinish repair areas on vehicle to achieve a better than factory finish.
Apply base coats and clear coats Mig weld frames, body panels, etc.
Certify body repair, painting, refinishing, MIG welding, steel welding, brazing, and soldering.
Paint cars using solvents and water base coats.

Prepare your auto body painter resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your auto body painter resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an auto body painter resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable auto body painter resume templates

Build a professional auto body painter resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your auto body painter resume.