7 of the best dash cams for your car — no matter your budget
Overview
Table of Contents
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Whether you’re relaxed behind the wheel or a bag of nerves at the thought of tackling a busy freeway, a dash cam can make you feel more confident in your car. Hopefully, if you have one installed, you’ll never need the footage it records, but if you do encounter a scary situation, knowing it will be documented may give you peace of mind.
Are dashboard cameras legal?
First things first: You don't want to get in trouble for using a dash cam. They are legal in many places but it's best to check the law where you live. Rules vary by state and country, including whether or not you can record footage or audio without consent, and whether devices can be fixed to the windshield. In fact, fixing one to the windshield is illegal in most states and it’s worth checking the letter of the law incredibly carefully, or you could be pulled over.
If you choose to use a dash cam, it could save you money when it comes to car insurance. In the UK, owning a dash cam can lead to cheaper insurance, but U.S. insurance companies don’t usually offer a premium discount in this way. However, this may change in the future and there are benefits to investing in a device for your car, as footage could document dangerous driving that can be used in your defense in an accident lawsuit or insurance claim, as well as acts of vandalism and even unfairly issued tickets.
How do you choose the best dashboard camera?
Picking a dash cam can be overwhelming when there are so many models and brands to choose from. There are well-known names like Nextbase and Garmin that offer value and high-end dash cams, as well as smaller firms making temptingly-cheap alternatives. However, they all have one thing in common — they are essentially cameras recording a view of the road ahead as you drive and saving the footage, so that if you have an accident, you have evidence if you need it.
But there are some choices you can make — for example, whether you want a dash cam that’s super compact, whether you need it to work with a rear-facing camera too, whether you want a dash cam that records footage while your car is parked, and most of all, how much you want to spend. There are some great value offerings from just $50, with more hi-tech dash cams boasting GPS, big screens with high-quality video rates and extra features commanding $400 and upwards.
It might be tempting to use a GoPro as a dash cam, but while you could make use of its looped recording to capture road footage and tinker with the housing, it's not ideal. The GoPro isn’t a cheap piece of kit, but it lacks some features of dash cams a fraction of its price. For example, many devices start recording automatically when a car starts, making it impossible to forget to turn them on, while others with built-in GPS can record your position and whether you were moving during an accident. The GoPro does neither of these things.
What’s the best dash cam for your money?
Of course, how much you want to spend on a dash cam is personal, and more expensive options do come with some impressive features, such as crystal clear 4K video and GPS. But the Nextbase Series 2 422GW is a great package, competing with top-of-the-range models for features such as GPS and a parking mode, but costing just over $200. It’s a good all-rounder with some lovely extras for gadget nerds, including built-in Alexa.
Apeman C450
Best For Less Than $50
The Good & The Bad
- The Apeman C450 records the road in HD and has plenty of extras including motion detection and parking monitoring for less than $50, making it a brilliant entry-level option.
- There’s no GPS function and you’ll want to invest in a large memory card, but the dash cam still offers considerable bang for its buck.
"“I have been using this dash camera non stop for the last few weeks or so and it works unbelievable! Video quality is much better than I expected.”
Why We Like It
If you want the security of having a dash cam in your car, but don’t want to splash the cash, Apeman’s C450 is a great option. For less than $50 you get a device that records footage in 1080p or HD using a 170-degree wide angle lens, with a three-inch LCD screen. The dash cam overwrites any unlocked video when the memory card is full and automatically starts recording when you start your car and stops when you stop, thanks to a motion detection feature. There's parking monitoring so the device starts recording if a collision or vibration is detected. There's no GPS feature like on more expensive dash cams, but the time stamp feature is a handy extra.
Here's what Amazon reviewer Flying Waffles had to say in a review accompanying their video footage from the Apeman C450:
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VIOFO A129 Duo
Best Value For Two Views
The Good & The Bad
- The VIOFO A129 Duo has got you covered from front and back for less than $200, with lots of features to keep your car safe while it’s parked.
- It comes with a six-meter lead, which some customers have found a bit chunky and excessive.
"Wow, high quality images - license plates are clear and easy to read if needed. I hard-wired mine, parking feature and cam work flawlessly. Parking feature doesn't have a buffer so only records at the start of the event not a few seconds before but so what? Not a lot to sacrifice for what you get. Great price with no trade off on quality, features and image. I researched this purchase for weeks before making a decision to purchase the Viofo 129, glad I did. This matches and in many cases outperforms high-end/priced units like black-vue and others. Very satisfied with the features and quality!"
Why We Like It
Rear-end collisions are incredibly common, so if you want to record what’s happening behind you as well as on the road ahead, you’ll need a dash cam with an extra camera. VIOFO’s A129 Duo dash cam does just this, capturing footage at 1080p HD at 30fps using a 140-degree lens. It fits snugly on the front windscreen and has a two-inch screen for easy playback. The device uses Sony Starvis IMX291 sensors, which the company says are the best for night vision, and it has a GPS Logger to timestamp footage with the speed and location. It also has a G-sensor so the dash cam knows if a vehicle has been in an accident and can automatically protect this footage from the overwrite feature. The sensor is also used by the parking mode, which switches the cameras on if a collision is detected. Like most dash cams, there’s room for an SD card to store plenty of footage, while WiFi compatibility makes it easy to transmit footage to a computer or VIOFO phone app.
Here's what one Amazon reviewer Mdspurbe had to say:
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Nextbase 222
Best Value From A Big Brand
The Good & The Bad
- This dash cam offers high quality recording and a handy parking feature, but not much else, making it a great choice for people who want to keep things simple.
- If you want loads of extra features this may not be the dash cam for you, and there’s no modular compatibility unlike with more expensive models.
Why We Like It
The Nextbase 222 is a great option for anyone who wants a dash cam that does the basics very well. With 1080p HD recording at 30fps, a 2.5-inch screen, 140-degree viewing angle and a six-layer glass lens, the dash cam offers the same full HD experience as more expensive dash cams in the company’s line. But it does lack most of the extra features apart from Intelligent Parking Mode, which automatically records any bump or physical movement on a vehicle when left unattended. The dash cam also comes with a Click&Go PRO mount, which is another hallmark of Nextbase dash cams.
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Nextbase Series 2 422GW
Best For Voice Commands
The Good & The Bad
- The Nextbase Series 2 422GW not only records high quality footage but is packed with extra features, including Alexa compatibility and an innovative Emergency SOS feature.
- There are few downsides to this package, but if you have no intention of using extra features, you could save some money elsewhere.
"While this is my first dash cam I couldn’t be happier with my choice. Seamless integration with my phone, great picture quality, and an easy to use touch screen."
Why We Like It
If you like to talk to your gadgets, the Nextbase Series 2 422GW dash cam is for you because it’s got Alexa built in, allowing you to use it while keeping your eyes off the road. This is just one of the clever features inside the dash cam, which boasts a 140-degree viewing angle, six-layer glass lens, 2.5-inch touchscreen and 1080p/30fps recording. There’s a parking mode to keep your car safe when you’re not in it, GPS tracking to record your whereabouts, plus Bluetooth 4.2 so you can share videos easily with your phone. One standout feature is the Emergency SOS system, which the company says could save your life if you’re unlucky enough to have a nasty collision. In the event of a crash, it works by starting a series of fail-safe protocols on the driver's phone that’s connected with the dash cam. If these are not completed, then a signal is sent to an emergency response service, which will be able to tell the exact GPS location of the vehicle, as well as know any important pre-loaded information, such as the driver’s blood type, allergies, and next of kin.
Here's what Amazon reviewer Jonell Loeppert has to say about theirs:
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Garmin 66W
Best For Compactness
The Good & The Bad
- The Garmin 66W has smoother video than its predecessor and a small mount to take up as little space as possible on your windshield. It packs lots of features in a very small package.
- There are some really mixed reviews for this dash cam, including that it runs quite hot. But if they haven’t had problems with overheating, users love its small size and intuitive controls.
"I just bought the Garmin 66w dash cam and installed it with parking mode cable. Installation of the dash cam was easy and straight forward. The menu settings and navigation are very intuitive and well laid out. I love the voice command feature and the 180 degree view camera. There is no/very little fish bowl effect. I am very impressed with the dash cam and the Garmin drive app. Connecting the app to the cam was very simple you can adjust the settings for the camera and view videos in the app. Transferring videos to the phone was very easy. I transferred videos from my phone to my PC via Bluetooth, only to find out that Garmin dash cam video/GPS data are not compatible with the various free dash cam software available. Garmin's way of encoding GPS data makes it incompatible with currently available third-party software. Even the cheapest dash cams either have their own software or they encode their GPS data in a way that it works with the free PC/Mac software available. Garmin used to have their own PC/Mac software but it had not been updated since 2011 and was discontinued and taken of their site in 2018. I hope Garmin plans to release software, so I can view videos and GPS data in a map side by side on PC and Mac. Garmin, You need to step up your game!"
Why We Like It
Garmin’s 66W dash cam is one of the most compact out there, while giving an extra-wide 180-degree field of view. It captures smooth and crisp 1440p footage at 30fps, while a clarity mode helps document small details in low light situations. The dash cam automatically records and saves footage of incidents and lets you control and play back footage on its 2-inch screen, or your phone, thanks to Dash Cam Auto Sync and the Garmin Drive app. Plus, built in voice control lets you tell the camera to save a video or picture, stop recording audio, or start recording a time lapse video. The mini camera also boasts tech to make you a better driver, including collision warnings plus alerts telling you If you drift out of lane or spend too long waiting at a green light.
Here's what one reviewer had to say about their Garmin 66W:
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Thinkware F800 Pro
Best For All The Features
The Good & The Bad
- When it comes to safety and parking features, the Thinkware F800 Pro is a winner, plus it records two views of the road.
- This dash cam is a bit of a beast and one of the more expensive offerings. It lacks a screen, but footage can be easily viewed via a phone app.
Why We Like It
If you’re after loads of features, the Thinkware F800 Pro may be for you. It’s far from being the most compact, but includes an 1080p HD front and rear-view camera with a 140-degree viewing angle and Super Night Vision technology to reduce noise and enhance image quality in low-light conditions. But it’s the array of parking and safety features that makes it stand out. The Thinkware Cloud lets you check your location and receive notifications on your phone while it’s parked. Time lapse in parking mode records footage at 2fps, enabling the dash cam to run for long periods without increasing power consumption and there’s also an energy saving mode where footage is only recorded if triggered by an impact.
For safety nerds, there’s a driver assistance system that alerts you to upcoming speed cameras and in the event of a crash, an onboard sensor detects the impact and records a 20-second video of the incident (10 seconds before and after.) This footage is also saved on the Thinkware cloud server just in case, while the deep impact feature can help the driver notify others of an emergency situation and reveal their location.
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BlackVue DR900S-2CH
Best For 4k Video
The Good & The Bad
- The clarity of footage of the BlackVue DR900S-2CH is the real standout feature, while there are plenty of extras, as you’d expect from a device of this price.
- Quite a few users have had problems transferring footage to the cloud and point out that the performance of a dash cam priced above $430 should be flawless.
Why We Like It
The BlackVue DR900S-2CH is a premium dash cam with a premium price tag. With a front and rear camera, it captures two views of the road. The front camera has an 8-megapixel CMOS sensor and 162-degree wide angle lens to record footage in 4K Ultra HD at 30fps (so you can read license plates easily), while rearview footage is in full HD at 30fps, at a 139-degree angle. As you might expect, there are plenty of features built-in including location and speed data laid over video, which might come in handy in the event of an accident. Built-in impact and motion detection means impacts and sudden changes in speed can be recorded accurately, as well as switching on the parking mode to catch vandals and collisions if needed. While the camera has no screen, dual-band Wi-Fi lets you quickly download dash cam videos to your phone or to the cloud.
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Topics Cars
