Smog technician vs auto technician

The differences between smog technicians and auto technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a smog technician and an auto technician. Additionally, an auto technician has an average salary of $41,435, which is higher than the $39,758 average annual salary of a smog technician.

The top three skills for a smog technician include diagnosis, customer vehicles and customer service. The most important skills for an auto technician are taking care, preventive maintenance, and customer vehicles.

Smog technician vs auto technician overview

	Smog Technician	Auto Technician
Yearly salary	$39,758	$41,435
Hourly rate	$19.11	$19.92
Growth rate	9%	1%
Number of jobs	63,758	131,515
Job satisfaction	-	2
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 32%	High School Diploma, 38%
Average age	38	40
Years of experience	2	2

Smog technician vs auto technician salary

Smog technicians and auto technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Smog Technician	Auto Technician
Average salary	$39,758	$41,435
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $56,000	Between $28,000 And $59,000
Highest paying City	-	Sterling, VA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Deloitte
Best paying industry	-	Retail

Differences between smog technician and auto technician education

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

	Smog Technician	Auto Technician
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 32%	High School Diploma, 38%
Most common major	Automotive Technology	Automotive Technology
Most common college	-	-

Smog technician vs auto technician demographics

Here are the differences between smog technicians' and auto technicians' demographics:

	Smog Technician	Auto Technician
Average age	38	40
Gender ratio	Male, 95.7% Female, 4.3%	Male, 95.1% Female, 4.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 12.3% White, 56.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 5.0% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	8%	2%

Differences between smog technician and auto technician duties and responsibilities

Smog technician example responsibilities.

Manage daily repair activities for high-volume Honda repair facility.
Perform routine maintenance and advance diagnosis on customer cars.
Work with AutoCAD, set up designs and sending information to vinyl printer sending to plotter.
Certify Pass/Fail vehicles, and perform diagnosis and repair for failing vehicles to meet the minimum requirement for air pollution.
Repair Chrysler LLC vehicles with manufacture support diagnostic information and factory service procedures in a fast pace shop environment.
Repair Chrysler LLC vehicles with manufacture support diagnostic information and factory service procedures in a fast pace shop environment.

Auto technician example responsibilities.

Fabricate parts using torches, saws, and welding equipment.
Assist ASE mechanics when need, check-in & inspect cars and keep shop clean.
Replace fuel pumps batteries ac compressors headlights light bulbs oil change transmission service radiator service
Tune ups, heating/cooling systems, A/C systems, brakes systems, electrical systems and engine rebuilds.
Do routine repairs to complete overhauls on engines, transmissions, suspension, brakes, electrical and A/C systems.
Certify by ASE in electrical / electronic systems, enabling diagnosing and repair of specify non-Ford part (s).

Smog technician vs auto technician skills

Common smog technician skills

Diagnosis, 45%
Customer Vehicles, 15%
Customer Service, 15%
R, 7%
Oil Changes, 4%
ASE, 3%

Common auto technician skills

Taking Care, 21%
Preventive Maintenance, 20%
Customer Vehicles, 12%
Customer Service, 7%
Work Ethic, 5%
Diagnosis, 5%

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Smog Technician
Smog Technician vs Auto Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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