ASE Certification vs I-CAR Training: Which Should You Get First?

They're Not the Same. They're Not Even Competing.

Every couple of months a student asks me: "Should I get my ASE certification or my I-CAR Platinum first?"

The honest answer is both, but the order matters depending on your career stage. And before you can decide, you need to actually understand what each one is, because most techs in the industry confuse them.

Let me break it down.

What ASE Certification Actually Is

ASE (National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence) is a testing organization. You don't take classes from ASE. You don't watch training videos. You take a 65-question multiple-choice test, you pass or fail, and if you pass you're "ASE certified" in that specific area for 5 years.

For collision repair, the relevant ASE tests are the B-Series:

• B2 — Painting and Refinishing
• B3 — Non-Structural Analysis and Damage Repair
• B4 — Structural Analysis and Damage Repair
• B5 — Mechanical and Electrical Components
• B6 — Damage Analysis and Estimating

You can sit for any of these tests at any time. You need 2 years of relevant work experience (or 1 year + a 2-year technical degree) to officially earn the certification, but you can take the test without the experience and get a "Test Passed" status that converts to full certification once you have the experience.

Cost: $88 per test ($36 registration + $52 test fee). For all 5 B-Series tests, ~$296 over time.

Time commitment: Each test takes 90 minutes. Study time varies — most techs spend 15-30 hours per test if they're serious.

What I-CAR Actually Is

I-CAR (Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair) is a training organization. You take classes — live in-person, virtual instructor-led, or online — and accumulate training hours that build toward role-based certifications.

I-CAR's primary credentials for collision techs:

• ProLevel 1, 2, 3 — Hierarchical skill levels in a specific role (e.g., Structural Technician, Non-Structural Technician, Refinish Technician, Damage Analyst, Steel Structural Technician)
• Platinum Recognition — Achieved when you complete all required courses for a role at all three ProLevels
• Gold Class Shop — A shop-level designation requiring multiple Platinum technicians

I-CAR is structured around continuing education. You're not taking a single test — you're building a body of training over months/years.

Cost: Individual course fees vary, $50-$300+ per course depending on length and delivery. Full ProLevel completion in a role can cost $1,500-$3,000+ over time.

Time commitment: Substantial. ProLevel 1 alone can require 40+ hours of coursework.

The Real Difference: Verification vs. Education

• ASE verifies what you already know. Pass the test = you know the material.
• I-CAR teaches you what to know. Complete the courses = you've learned the material.

A tech can be ASE certified without ever taking an I-CAR course. A tech can be I-CAR Platinum without ever taking an ASE test. They overlap in subject matter but serve different functions.

Which Path Does the Industry Recognize?

Both. But for different things.

ASE certification matters for:

• Insurance company DRP (Direct Repair Program) requirements — many require ASE-certified techs
• Personal credentialing on your resume
• Pay grade tiers in many shops (some shops pay $1-3/hr more for ASE certification)
• Customer trust signals

I-CAR matters for:

• Shop-level Gold Class certification (requires I-CAR Platinum techs on staff)
• OEM repair program eligibility (Ford, GM, Honda, etc. require I-CAR coursework completion to work on warranty/recall work)
• Insurance company DRP requirements (some require I-CAR coursework specifically)
• Skill-building for techs who didn't go through a formal trade school

In a modern collision shop chasing OEM certifications and DRP networks, you basically need both.

Which One Should You Get First?

It depends on your starting point.

If you went through a formal collision repair program (trade school, community college)

You probably already know the material at an ASE-test level. Get your ASE certifications first.

Why: You can knock out 5 ASE tests in two testing windows for under $300. That gives you immediate credentialing for resume + pay grade + insurance network eligibility. I-CAR coursework can come over the following 1-2 years.

If you came up entirely through shop work, no formal training

Start with I-CAR. Specifically, ProLevel 1 in the role you actually do.

Why: I-CAR coursework will fill in the gaps in your knowledge that shop experience didn't cover (specifically OEM procedures, plastics, adhesives, structural). Once you've built that foundation, the ASE tests will be much easier to pass. Trying to take ASE cold without formal training often ends in failure for shop-trained techs.

If you're a new hire or apprentice

I-CAR first. You don't have the 2 years of experience needed for full ASE certification anyway, and I-CAR coursework is the fastest way to build the knowledge that experienced techs have absorbed over years.

If you're a shop owner trying to win Gold Class status

Both, but on a strategic order. You need:

• I-CAR Platinum techs on staff (multi-year commitment for each tech)
• ASE certified techs for many DRP networks

Build I-CAR first because Gold Class status requires Platinum techs and Platinum takes longest. ASE certifications are faster to add once you've already built training depth.

How the Two Actually Work Together

Smart techs use them as complementary tools:

1. Take I-CAR ProLevel 1 in your role. Learn the material.
2. Pass the corresponding ASE test to validate your knowledge. Now you have both a certification and a recognized training credential.
3. Continue to I-CAR ProLevel 2, then 3. Build depth.
4. Maintain ASE through Renewal App — the cheaper, easier recertification path.
5. Hit Platinum recognition by completing ProLevel 3 across all required courses for your role.

Over a 3-5 year career arc, this gets you to a place where insurance companies, OEMs, and shops all recognize your credentials.

Cost Comparison Over 5 Years

The ASE side is much cheaper. The I-CAR side takes more time and money but builds deeper knowledge.

Don't Get Stuck Picking

I see techs get paralyzed deciding between the two. Just start one of them. Even taking a single ASE test or completing a single I-CAR course is progress. The worst path is sitting on the fence for 12 months and having neither.

If you're ready to start with ASE, take a full practice test on our simulator first to see where you stand. If you're already scoring above 75% in practice, schedule the real test and get certified within 30 days. Build momentum.

If you're not at 75% yet, you've got your study plan: drill the categories where you're weak, take 3-4 more practice runs, then schedule.

Either way, start. The industry rewards techs who move forward — not the ones still deciding.