How to Become a Collision Repair Technician

What a Collision Repair Technician Does

BLS describes automotive body and glass repairers as workers who restore, refinish and replace vehicle bodies and frames, windshields and window glass. Body repairers review damage reports, prepare cost estimates and plan the work, inspect cars for structural damage, and remove damaged parts such as bumpers, fenders, hoods, grilles and trim.

They realign car frames and chassis to repair structural damage, hammer out or patch dents and other minor damage, fit, attach and weld replacement parts, and sand, buff and prime repaired surfaces before applying a new finish. This page covers the body repairer occupation; glass installers are a separate BLS occupation with their own pay figures.

• Review damage reports and prepare cost estimates
• Realign frames and chassis, and repair dents and minor damage
• Fit, attach and weld replacement parts
• Sand, prime and apply a new finish

Work Environment and Pay Structure

BLS says body repairers work indoors in body shops, which are often noisy. Most shops are well ventilated so that dust and paint fumes can be dispersed, and the work can be physically demanding. Most work full time, and overtime is common when a shop has a backlog.

BLS also says the majority of repair shops and auto dealers pay body and glass repairers on an incentive basis. A median wage describes straight-time pay across the occupation, so an individual repairer paid by the job can land well above or below it.

Training Paths

How to become an auto body technician depends on the route a person takes, and this section sets out the training the Bureau of Labor Statistics describes.

BLS says most employers prefer to hire body and glass repairers who completed a training program in body or glass repair, though many new repairers begin work without previous training. Trade and technical school programs typically award certificates after 6 months to 1 year of study, and some community colleges offer 2-year programs in collision repair.

After school or without it, BLS says some body repairers become trained in as little as 1 year, but they generally need 2 or 3 years of hands-on training to become fully independent.

Accredited Programs That Train for This Job

The school route to this job runs through accredited programs, and these ranked lists compare them.

• Auto Body and Collision Repair Schools ASE accredited collision repair and refinishing programs 59

ASE Collision Repair Certification

ASE certifies individual collision repair technicians in its B-series tests. A technician certified in tests B2 through B5 (painting and refinishing, non-structural analysis and damage repair, structural analysis and damage repair, and mechanical and electrical components) is recognized as an ASE Certified Master Collision Repair Technician.

The repair technician tests require two years of full-time hands-on experience, or the part-time equivalent. ASE credits completion of an ASE-accredited collision repair and refinish program as one year of that experience. The ASE Education Foundation accredits the programs; ASE certifies the people.

BLS says certification is not required but is recommended because it shows competence and usually brings higher pay, and that in some instances it is required for advancement beyond entry-level work.

Collision Repair Technician Pay

BLS reports a May 2025 median of $54,890 a year for automotive body and related repairers (SOC 49-3021). The lowest-paid tenth earned under $36,910 and the highest-paid tenth over $87,940. Percentiles are points in the wage distribution, not stages of a career, and OEWS counts wage and salary jobs only.

Among states with at least 500 jobs in the occupation, the highest medians are in Rhode Island ($72,490) , California ($66,860) , and New Jersey ($62,400) .

The collision repair technician salary page has the full state and metro tables, and the salary hub compares all five trades.

Job Outlook

BLS projects employment of automotive body and glass repairers to grow 4 percent from 2025 to 2035, about as fast as the average for all occupations, with about 13,900 openings a year. The BLS profile covers automotive body repairers and automotive glass installers and repairers together, so its outlook describes both.

BLS says new vehicles increasingly carry safety features and systems designed to prevent collisions, and that more of these workers are projected to be needed as repair work takes more time to work around an increasing number of cameras and sensors.

Related Pages

• Collision Repair Technician SalaryMedian $54,890, BLS May 2025
• Auto Mechanic CareerInspects, maintains and repairs cars and light trucks. Median $50,620, BLS May 2025.
• Diesel Mechanic CareerRepairs and overhauls buses, trucks and other diesel vehicles. Median $61,770, BLS May 2025.
• Aircraft Mechanic CareerDiagnoses and repairs aircraft, with an FAA A&P certificate. Median $79,870, BLS May 2025.
• Heavy Equipment Mechanic CareerRepairs construction, farm and rail equipment. Median $65,510, BLS May 2025.