Auto body shops are a $68 billion-dollar business with more than 107,000 shops across the United States.
With that many businesses, it probably feels like all the good ones are already taken, right? Furthermore, how do you find an excellent name that represents your brand and speaks to your target audience?
How do you make the final decision?
If you’re struggling to name your auto body shop, don’t worry. You’re in the right place. In this article, I cover some of the top tips for naming your new business as well as how to make sure the name is legally available for you to use.
Learn more about the auto body industry
Tips For Naming An Auto Body Shop
Naming a business is hard, especially if you don’t have any ideas or a place to start. So, before diving in, grab a piece of paper and a pen or open a blank spreadsheet.
Then, use it as a place to brainstorm ideas and write down words or phrases that come to mind as you go through the tips below.
From there, we’ll talk about narrowing things down and landing on the perfect name.
1. Keep It as Short as Possible
Short business names are usually snappier, catchier, and easier to remember. Ideally, you want to stick to two to five syllables and hopefully no more than 25 characters total.
However, the shorter the name, the better.
That said, there are exceptions to this, and it’s not a hard rule. But when you think about huge, notable brands, which ones come to mind?
Nike. Apple. Ikea. Febreeze. Target. Honeywell.
They’re easy to remember because they’re short, simple, and brandable.
Obviously, there are exceptions to these rules. But typically, the shorter and simpler your name, the easier it is for everyone to remember.
2. Avoid Words That Are Hard to Spell and Say
Voice-to-text and voice search are more popular now than ever before. So, it’s important to consider making your name easy to pronounce and hear.
To do this, avoid using:
- Commonly misspelled words
- Complex terms that are hard to spell
- Words that have several pronunciations
- Homophones like to, too, and two
Try to keep things as concise and simple as possible.
3. Consider Auto-Related Terms
Since you’re opening an auto body shop, using car or accident-related terms in the name might make sense, especially if you’re feeling stuck. It may help to start brainstorming terms, phrases, and words to get all your ideas down on paper.
Examples of this could include Collision Guys, Dent Busters, or Finish Line Collision.
For a boost of creativity, expand use the thesaurus to find synonyms around the words of what your business does. You can either use the thesaurus function from your word processor or thesaurus.com to come up with additional synonyms.
From there, you can cross off bad ideas or any terms you don’t like.
4. Phrases Your Audience and Competition Uses
Your business exists for your target audience, so it’s important to consider phrases and terms they use when talking about hiring an auto body shop.
There are quite a few places you can look to see what your customers (and competitors) are saying, including:
- Facebook groups, posts, and stories
- Forums related to the auto body shop industry
- Competitor websites, brochures, and flyers
- Trade journals
- Magazines or blogs
Alternatively, you can ask friends or relatives in your target audience. Hearing it directly from them may help you brainstorm and narrow down your choices.
Remember to avoid anything limiting your business’s future growth if you decide to go in another direction down the road.
5. What’s Your Specialty?
Do you specialize in a particular genre or niche? Maybe instead of general collisions, you focus on only semi-trucks or only paint, or maybe it’s paintless dent repair.
Regardless of your specialty, consider alluding to it in the name of your business.
6. Neighborhoods, Cities, and Nicknames
Including the name of your city, street, or neighborhood is an excellent way to encourage local shopping and create a strong sense of community in your area.
You can also think about nicknames for your city or neighborhood, as well. Here are some examples to use as inspiration:
- 209 Express Auto Body
- 9th Street Collision
- Body Shop of El Cajon
- Eastside Collision & Repair
- Saline County Collision
With that said, make sure the name you choose isn’t limiting if you decide to move or expand your auto body shop down the road.
7. Incorporate Your Name
If you’re still struggling to find the perfect name, consider using your name, a nickname, or something personal and unique to you.
This is a fantastic way to build a personal brand if that’s something you want to do. Some great examples of this in action include:
- Bro’s Auto Collision Center
- Gary the Metal Massager
- Hawthorne’s Body Shop
If you go this route, keep in mind it may make it harder to sell your auto body shop later on.
List of Catchy Body Shop Business Names
Here is a list of existing auto body shop names that may help give you some creative ideas. While many of these names may be available for you to use, be sure to check first to be sure they can be used.
Tips on how to check business name availability are after the list of names!
- 1 2 3 Auto Body & Repair
- 1 Stop Truck & Collision Center
- 1st Certified Collision Center
- 1st Class Autobody
- 209 Express Auto Body
- 5 Star Collision
- 777 Auto Collision
- 9th Street Collision
- A & A Auto Body Shop
- A Plus Autobody
- A1 Auto Body
- A1 Auto Collision Center
- AAA Auto Body Repair
- Above All Collision
- Absolute Quality Autobody
- Accident Pros
- Accurate Collision Repair
- Ace Collision Center
- Acme Auto Body
- Advanced Auto Body & Collision
- Advanced Dent
- Affordable Auto Body & Paint
- All Auto Collision Repair
- Alvarez Body & Paint
- American Collison Repair
- Ant’s Auto Collision Shop
- Apex Collision Repair
- Armour Auto Body
- Arnold’s Auto Body & Frame
- Auto Body WORX
- Auto City Collision
- Auto Collision Pros
- Auto Craft Collision
- Auto Hail Experts
- Balboa Collision Center
- Bang Body Shop
- Bay One Auto Body
- Beach Cities Collision
- Best Discount Auto Body
- Better Body Works
- Better Choice Collision Center
- Big Boy Auto Body
- Big Rig Collision Center
- Bobby’s Autobody & Paint
- Body Shop Express
- Body Shop Of El Cajon
- Bodyworks Collision
- Bodyworkz Auto Collision
- Bravo Brothers Auto Body Shop
- Brilliant Body Contouring
- Bro’s Auto Collison Center
- Bumper Plus Auto Body
- Burbank Auto Body & Paint
- Car Body Lab
- Car Body Repair
- Car Doctor Body Shop
- Car Guys Body Shop
- Car Surgeon Body Repair
- Car Tek Collision
- Carl’s Body Shop
- Castillo Body Shop & Paint
- Classic Collision
- Collision Center
- Collision Craft Auto Body
- Collision Guys
- Collision Hero
- Collision Kings
- Collision Pros
- Collision Works
- Cooks Collision On Auburn
- Deluxe Motorsport Body Repair
- Dent & Detailing
- Dent Busters
- Dent Removal Of San Jose
- Desert Collision Center
- Diamond Touch Auto Collision
- Diego’s Auto Shop
- Done Right Auto Body
- Dreamworks Collision Center
- Eagle Auto Collision
- Eastside Collision & Repair
- Elite Auto Body
- Elite Collision Repair
- Elite Paint & Body
- Emergency Auto Shop
- Evolution Collision
- Excellence Auto Body
- Exclusive Image Paint & Body
- Exhausted Auto Repair
- Family Auto Body
- Finish Line Collision
- First Choice Auto Body Shop
- Flawless Auto & Body Repair
- Fleet Auto Body & Paint
- Frame & Collision
- Fred’s Custom Auto Body
- Garage Auto Body
- Gary The Metal Massager
- Genesis Auto Body & Towing
- Glean Oaks Collision Center
- Goodfellas Collision Center
- Grounded Bodyworks
- Hank’s Hot Rods
- Harbor Auto Body & Repair
- Hard Tech Auto Body
- Hawthorne’s Body Shop
- Hays Paint & Body
- High Tech Collision
- Honest 1 Auto Care
- Horizon Collision Center
- Huntington Coast Collision
- In-N-Out Collision Service
- Manic Mechanic
- Nashville Collision Center
- Pearl Shine Auto Repair
- Platinum Paint & Body
- Professional Auto Body
- Saline County Mechanic & Collision
- Superior Auto Body
- The Car Clinic
- Tint N Dents
- Top Notch Automotive Collision
- United Auto Collision
- Wheels Auto Repair & Body Center
- Wicked Wrench Body Shop
- Wrench Bender
- Wrinkled Hood Auto Specialists
Finding the Perfect Name: Putting It All Together
By now, you should have a lengthy list of words, phrases, and terms you can use in your business name. At this point, I highly recommend going through and removing any that are hard to spell or pronounce.
Now, you can start combining pieces together until something stands out. It may help to create a list of potential names you can use. From there, you can narrow things down to your favorites.
But before you make your final decision, it’s important that your new name passes a few tests.
Say It Out Loud
Make sure you say your new name out loud. It may look great as a logo, domain name, and on a business card. But it also needs to sound good when you say it out loud.
You can also sit down with someone and talk about your business. Does saying the name in casual conversation sound natural? If not, you may want to consider something simpler or easier to say.
Logo Design
Lastly, think about how to incorporate your new name into a logo. Logos should be simple, memorable, and indicative of your brand.
Take Apple, for example. Their business name is easily incorporated into a logo. And today, it’s a household symbol that everyone immediately recognizes.
A logo is an important part of your brand identity, so don’t forget to consider turning your name into a memorable logo as you make your final decision.
Related: How to create a logo for your business.
Is Your Body Shop Name Available to Use?
At this point, you should have several top considerations to choose from. And the best way to narrow it down further is to check each one for availability.
This step is necessary because using a name that someone else uses could be very costly, time-consuming to rebrand your business, and possibly embarrassing. There are several places to look to check whether a name is available to use, so let’s walk through the common ones.
Can the business name be registered in your state?
If you plan to use a specific business name, you may be required by the state to verify it’s available to use.
Related: How to check business name availability in your state
Is your name already trademarked?
When searching for a name for your new business, you should check that your new name isn’t trademarked by someone else. If it is, you may not be allowed to use it legally.
Thankfully, the United States Patent Trademark Office (USPTO) makes trademark searching a breeze through their Trademark Database.
A name isn’t necessarily available if it doesn’t appear in this search. Every business has some limited protection through a common law trademark. This means another business can’t open up down the street with the same name, as this creates confusion for customers. Also, check local competitors by doing a Google search and looking through the Yellow Pages.
If your name is available and you want to protect it from being used by anyone else, you can register it with the USPTO.
Related: How to check for a trademark
Hopefully, you now have some ideas for naming your auto body shop. Once you have narrowed this list to just a few and researched that they are all available, start asking friends, family, and potential customers their thoughts to get feedback, and then pick your perfect auto body shop name!
