Auto body technician vs collision repair technician

The differences between auto body technicians and collision repair technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a collision repair technician has an average salary of $43,760, which is higher than the $39,232 average annual salary of an auto body technician.

The top three skills for an auto body technician include spray guns, customer service and collision repair. The most important skills for a collision repair technician are body shop, collision repair, and ASE.

Auto body technician vs collision repair technician overview

	Auto Body Technician	Collision Repair Technician
Yearly salary	$39,232	$43,760
Hourly rate	$18.86	$21.04
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	17,467	45,740
Job satisfaction	2	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 32%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	-	-

Auto body technician vs collision repair technician salary

Auto body technicians and collision repair technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Auto Body Technician	Collision Repair Technician
Average salary	$39,232	$43,760
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $55,000	Between $29,000 And $65,000
Highest paying City	Sacramento, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	W&W	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between auto body technician and collision repair technician education

There are a few differences between an auto body technician and a collision repair technician in terms of educational background:

	Auto Body Technician	Collision Repair Technician
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 32%
Most common major	Automotive Technology	Automotive Technology
Most common college	-	-

Auto body technician vs collision repair technician demographics

Here are the differences between auto body technicians' and collision repair technicians' demographics:

	Auto Body Technician	Collision Repair Technician
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 95.2% Female, 4.8%	Male, 95.0% Female, 5.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.1% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.6% Asian, 1.7% White, 66.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.1% Asian, 1.8% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between auto body technician and collision repair technician duties and responsibilities

Auto body technician example responsibilities.

Attain ICAR and ASE master technician status.
Replace inner and outer body panels using MIG and spot welding machines.
Repair all makes and models (big jobs/small jobs) A/C work.
Disassemble cars fenders, chrome trim, badges.
Load aluminum body side onto jig for automate welding.
Steel, aluminum, and fiberglass repair and fabrication.

Collision repair technician example responsibilities.

Provide consistent sheet metal reconstruction, repair, rust and car component removal to OEM.
Develop acute attention to detail and high level of dexterity require for repair of intricate mechanisms common in photographic equipment.
Enter invoices electronically using CCC one and store invoices inside their specific file.

Auto body technician vs collision repair technician skills

Common auto body technician skills

Spray Guns, 23%
Customer Service, 20%
Collision Repair, 8%
ASE, 6%
Repair Vehicles, 6%
Work Ethic, 6%

Common collision repair technician skills

Body Shop, 22%
Collision Repair, 16%
ASE, 16%
Auto Body Repair, 7%
Repair Vehicles, 6%
Repair Procedures, 4%

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Auto Body Technician
Auto Body Technician vs Collision Repair Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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