Here, the failure morphology and load-displacement curve of ［+45/-45］4s and ［0/+45/-45/0］2s carbon fiber reinforced composite corrugated plates were obtained with quasi-static axial compression tests. Their failure mechanism was analyzed using CT scanning. Their energy absorption characteristics were further studied with evaluation indexes of energy absorption characteristics. For ［0/+45/-45/0］2s corrugated plate, the multi-layer shell finite element (FE) model considering interlayer model was established to do axial compression simulation. The FE model was verified through comparing the simulation results of failure morphology, load-displacement curve and energy absorption characteristics evaluation indexes with test results of those. The test results showed that the overall instability of ［+45/-45］4s corrugated plate occurs, and the lower material utilization rate leads to poorer energy absorption characteristics, the dispersion coefficient of the specific energy absorption (SEA) obtained in tests is more than 15%, so the test repeatability is poorer; ［0/+45/-45/0］2s corrugated plate is a typical failure mode of layer-bundle opening, and the higher material utilization rate leads to better energy absorption characteristics, dispersion coefficients of energy absorption evaluation indexes all are less than 15%, so this plate has good axial compression stability and repeatability, adding 0° fiber layer into ±45° fiber layers can change the plate’s axial compression failure mode and significantly improve its axial compression energy absorption characteristics. The simulation results showed that the multi-layer shell FE model can reproduce axial compression process and layer-bundle opening failure mode of ［0/+45/-45/0］2s corrugated plate; the SEA obtained using simulation is 2.27% higher than the test average value, so simulation can better reproduce axial compression energy absorption characteristics of ［0/+45/-45/0］2s corrugated plate to verify the multi-layer shell model.