Installation, Maintenance, and Repair · Holland code RC

Automotive Body and Related Repairers

Repair and refinish automotive vehicle bodies and straighten vehicle frames.

Also called: Auto Body Man, Automotive Body Technician (Auto Body Tech), Body Man, Body Technician (Body Tech), Auto Body Repair Technician (Auto Body Repair Tech), Auto Body Repairman, Collision Repair Technician (Collision Repair Tech), Collision Technician (Collision Tech).

O*NET 49-3021.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $54,890; Middle half earn $45,750 to $69,200. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED); 42% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 2 of 5; Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

File, grind, sand, and smooth filled or repaired surfaces, using power tools and hand tools.
Inspect repaired vehicles for proper functioning, completion of work, dimensional accuracy, and overall appearance of paint job, and test-drive vehicles to ensure proper alignment and handling.
Fit and weld replacement parts into place, using wrenches and welding equipment, and grind down welds to smooth them, using power grinders and other tools.
Prime and paint repaired surfaces, using paint sprayguns and motorized sanders.
Follow supervisors' instructions as to which parts to restore or replace and how much time the job should take.
Sand body areas to be painted and cover bumpers, windows, and trim with masking tape or paper to protect them from the paint.
Chain or clamp frames and sections to alignment machines that use hydraulic pressure to align damaged components.
Position dolly blocks against surfaces of dented areas and beat opposite surfaces to remove dents, using hammers.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Active Listening3.0 / 5
Speaking3.0 / 5
Critical Thinking3.0 / 5
Monitoring3.0 / 5
Reading Comprehension2.9 / 5
Active Learning2.9 / 5

Knowledge areas

Mechanical3.6 / 5
Customer and Personal Service3.3 / 5
Production and Processing3.1 / 5
Mathematics3.0 / 5
English Language3.0 / 5
Transportation3.0 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic100
Investigative10
Artistic7
Social1
Enterprising8
Conventional39

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

vehicle glazier · DE Fahrzeugglaser/Fahrzeugglaserin · FR vitrier automobile/vitrière automobile
transport equipment painter · DE Fahrzeuglackierer/Fahrzeuglackiererin · FR peintre pour les équipements de transport
vehicle technician · DE Kraftfahrzeugmechatroniker Schwerpunkt Personenkraftwagentechnik/Kraftfahrzeugmechatronikerin Schwerpunkt Personenkraftwagentechnik · FR technicien de véhicules/technicienne de véhicules
coachbuilder · DE Karosserie- und Fahrzeugbaumechaniker Fachrichtung Karosseriebautechnik/Karosserie- und Fahrzeugbaumechanikerin Fachrichtung Karosseriebautechnik · FR carrossier/carrossière
refurbishing technician · DE Kraftfahrzeugmechatroniker in der Fahrzeugmodernisierung/Kraftfahrzeugmechatronikerin in der Fahrzeugmodernisierung · FR technicien en remise à neuf de véhicules/technicienne en remise à neuf de véhicules
restoration technician · DE Oldtimerrestaurator/Oldtimerrestauratorin · FR technicien en restauration de véhicules/technicienne en restauration de véhicules

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Tyre, exhaust and windscreen fitters (8145)12,600 employed
Glaziers, window fabricators and fitters (5317)33,400 employed
Upholsterers (5411)12,800 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Craft and related trades workers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Craft and related trades workers, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€40,086
Germany	€38,638
Austria	€38,194
Sweden	€37,856
Netherlands	€37,077
Ireland	€36,098
France	€27,145
Italy	€26,488
Spain	€22,817
Portugal	€11,142
Poland	€10,099

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -1.18. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (49-3021).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test