Best Dash Cam

In today’s world, video recorders are a common tool for streetwise road-users. So, join us as we search for the best dash cam for your car.

Finding out which dash cams deliver (and which don’t) isn’t straightforward, and it’s not helped by poorly defined jargon. Take picture quality for example. High Definition (HD) sounds impressive but literally means nothing more than a better resolution than an old analogue TV. HD was, informally, adopted to represent video resolutions of 1280 x 720 pixels. Until, that is, an even better HD – initially termed Full HD and boasting a 1920 x 1080 pixel output – became so popular that it’s now the de facto HD. The older HD retrospectively turned into HD-Ready or 720p HD. As you can see, it’s a bit complex, and the tech talk overload doesn’t stop there…

As resolutions improved again, cinema projector terminology entered the fray. 2K, at 2048 pixels horizontally, is marginally better than HD. 4K, with 4096 horizontal pixels, is much more detailed and the current crème-de-la-creme. Confusingly, though, 4K has also been adopted (slightly incorrectly) to describe the almost as good Ultra High Definition (UHD) which is 3840 x 2160 pixels – essentially the resolution of four HD screens crammed into one output.

Less mentioned, but arguably more important with dash cams, is the refresh rate. Again, there’s no set standard, but most HD Cams generate 30 frames per second (FPS). Models boasting 60 FPS, though, normally produce smoother footage with more easily discernable moving detail. And all this is just the tip of the iceberg…

So, by now you can probably see that opting for “any old dash cam” is a dodgy approach to take when buying your own. Luckily, we’re here to help.

Which type of dash cam is right for me?

We’ve decided to collate an array of dash cams, each best suited to different specialized purposes. So, have a look at the list below, and see which category applies best to you. Hopefully, you’ll find something that’s just right!

Best budget dash cams
Best dash cam for video-making/social media
Best front & rear camera packages
Best high-end dash cams

Best Budget Dash Cam

Thinkware F200 Pro

RRP: $171/£139. Buy now.

Thinkware’s F200 Pro is a strange but impressive beast. The footage it produces is HD but hardly knockout – until you analyze it closely and realize just how much critical detail it captures.

Viofo A119 V3

RRP: $129/£105. Buy now.

Viofo’s A119 V3 gives the choice of an oddball, better than HD, 2560 x 1600 resolution. Or, more usably, HD at 60 frames per second. The latter option gives a super smooth detailed video clarity that few others can beat.

Best Dash Cam for Social Media

Whilst most of us are happy to leave a dash cam to its own devices, continually generating footage in case we ever need it, others view them as an essential tool to bring their motoring adventures to life on social media. And naturally, some dash cam manufacturers heavily cater for this niche in the market. It’s not just vloggers that want to record this sort of content either. Track day cameras are very popular amongst modified car enthusiasts, so we’ve compiled a big selection for you to browse through separately.

In the meantime, here’s one of our top pics for street driving, whereby you might just want to create a reel or timelapse rather than hone in on some action.

Road Angel Aura Drive HD2

RRP: $184/£150. Buy now.

Road Angel’s Aura Drive HD2 produces good 2K footage with impressive detailing. But it’s quite pricey considering its lack of other features. The model really appeals to social media fans though. Its smartphone and tablet apps allow users to manipulate footage, use photographic filters, and even add soundtracks from their car seat – meaning fully processed footage can hit social media just minutes after it was taken.

Best Dual Cam Package

Most of the time, a rear-end shunt is blamed firmly on the car behind. But not always. The rear driver could claim to have been cut up or they may even suggest you’re one of those Crash-for-Cash rogues.

Clearly, recorded footage of what’s happening behind further supports the truth. Dash Cam makers realized this some years ago and began offering double camera models – with one lens pointing forward and the other facing behind.

Mio MiVue C380 Dual

RRP: $194/£154. Buy now. (note, not available to purchase as a dual bundle in the US, however, an extra camera can be added at a later date. Buy the MiVue C380 here)

Today’s rear capture models rely on a second wired-in camera placed in the rear window. Mio’s MiVue C380 Dual is one of the most competitively priced front and rear camera packages available (from a decent brand). Halfords, Thinkware, NextBase, and several others offer second camera ready models too, meaning a rear camera can be bought and added in later.

Amacam AM-DC07

RRP: $98/£80. Buy now.

Amacam’s AM-DC07 features front and rear facing cameras. But the rear is for recording inside the car, and even boasts infra-red illumination for night time use. Capturing what’s happening inside has become hugely popular with social media fans, but it also has a serious side – it can provide evidence of personal injury in a crash. At less than $100, the AM-DC07 is one of the best budget dash cams around, boasting an impressively detailed 60 FPS HD video output.

Thinkware U3000

RRP: $699.99 / £529.00 for dual set. Buy now. Can also be purchased as a front camera only for $549.99 / £399.00.

The Thinkware U3000 is a high-end option, boasting 4K UHD footage up front, and 2K QHD footage at the rear. In standard guise it performs well, however Thinkware also throws in a CPL filter and boosted night vision at no extra cost, so you can upgrade it without paying any extra. As well as being a camera, it’s also a driver assistant too, using radar technology to offer lane departure warnings, collision warnings, and a sensor to prioritize recordings when impacts occur.

Read: Thinkware U3000 review.

Best High-End Dash Cams

Dash Cams are getting ever smaller and many no longer have screens – which makes sense as a screen’s main purpose is adjusting a camera’s position during installation. Screen-less models communicate with smartphones, or tablets, using the wireless Bluetooth or WiFi technologies. Thanks to advanced apps, WiFi/Bluetooth dash cams are incredibly popular with the social media brigade. Frankly, though, adjusting and setting up a dash cam using a simple menu system on a phone or tablet’s large touch sensitive screen is easier for anybody than using a camera’s tiny multi-function buttons.

Suction cups, like screens, are also increasingly old school these days. Adhesive pads are more reliable and help make cameras ever smaller. But there is a drawback: if you use one camera between several cars, suction cups are usually the better option.

Garmin Dash Cam Live with LTE Connectivity

RRP: $399.99 / £349.99

Garmin make some top quality automotive tech products, and you can feel that when using the Garmin Dash Cam Live. It’s equipped with a 1440p HD resolution camera that records in 30FPS, with a 140-degree lens. Those specs amount to a pretty good picture quality, but at this price point you would probably hope for slightly better (see the options below for more). It’s wonderfully easy to install though, and the accompanying Garmin Drive app offers a great deal of functionality. Unfortunately, to gain access to all of those functions, you’ll need to pay a subscription fee. Overall, it’s a good product but there are certain flaws you need to assess before buying to decide if it’s the right dash cam for you. To find out more, read our full in-depth review!

Read: Garmin Dash Cam Live review

NextBase 522GW

RRP: $208/£169. Buy now. 

The 522GW shows why NextBase is the brand leader in the UK. Despite solid phone, tablet, and PC app support – via WiFi or Bluetooth – the model also boasts a large touch screen. And plenty of features to keep the social media generation happy are balanced against solid 60 FPS HD video capture. Even the mount arrangement is versatile. Suction cup and adhesive mounts are available, and they attach to the Cam by a strong magnet. If sharing the 522GW between several cars, you can have a mount in each.

Pioneer VREC-150MD

RRP: $170.76/ £149. Buy now.

A slightly strange beast, this is very Pioneer in its approach. Unafraid to piggy-back, there was once a ‘head up display’ system of theirs involving a mass of plastic clamps to fix it to a sun visor. The unit is long and flat and straps around your rear view mirror. The front-facing part has a camera and the rear camera, somewhat amazingly, is made to be fitted outside the vehicle. The back of the unit is a touch screen and shows a live image of what the rear camera is looking at, since your mirror is now covered.

A less expensive unit, the microSD is limited to 64Gb and they do not include a card. This is a saving, in fact. The power comes from a cigar lighter wired cable and Pioneer say the rear camera acts as a reversing cam too, which makes sense. Triggered from a G sensor like all here, you also get a USB cable in the package for connection to your computer.

Recording Resolution: Front, 8Mp 4K UHD, 3840×2160 @ 30fps; Rear, Full HD,1920×1080 @ 30fps
Viewing Angle: Front Horizontal, 136º, Vertical 77º; Rear Horizontal, 116º, Vertical 61º
Camera Sensors: Front, 8MP CMOS; Rear, SONY 2.1Mp STARVIS
Storage: microSD, 8-64Mb capacity, no card included.

What makes a good dash cam?

Picture quality – It goes without saying that if you buy a dash cam, you’ll want it to capture clear recordings. As a general baseline, you should only entertain the idea of buying a camera that records in 1080p HD resolution or better, with a refresh rate of no less than 30fps. Though, if you can find one that’s rated at 60fps, that’ll give you a much smoother looking video. If you stick to those core requirements, you should avoid disappointment, whether it be in the video creator studio, or the courtroom. As an added bonus, see if you can find a camera with a polarity filter or similar, to help minimize the sort of the dashboard reflections seen above.
Features and functionality – consider what you want/need from your dash cam. For example, do you also want it to act as surveillance while your car is parked? Do you want it to stream to the cloud? What about driver warning systems? We’ll touch on these, and more, next.

Types of dash cam

As with any industry, there are nuances and differences within the dash cam market. We’ll cover them all here:

Standard dash cams – The common or garden dash cam is a (typically wired) camera that adheres to the inside of your windscreen and looks out over the hood of your car.
Dual Cams – A dual cam setup adds a second rear-facing camera into the mix, giving you full coverage of both the front and rear of your car. Usually, the secondary rear camera piggy-backs off of the main front-facing one, so expect to have to connect these with a physical cable.
App-based dash cams – These days, high-end dash cams make use of their own app. So, you can do things like access files or change settings from your smartphone. Often, these apps are linked to their manufacturer’s own cloud-based storage system, which makes accessing video files even easier.
Screen-based dash cams – Old-school dash cams often have a screen attached to them. You’ll control the settings and so on from here, rather than on an accompanying app, and you’ll need to insert the camera’s MicroSD card into your PC or laptop to access its files. Not exactly a massive hardship, but slightly less convenient than the alternative. Plus. Screen-based dash cams can often be a little bulkier than their app-based counterparts.
Track Day Cameras – If, like us at Fast Car, you enjoy a spirited drive, a track day camera will take your performance driving activities to the next level. These vary in levels of sophistication, from simple action cam-style devices, to full on-kits with telemetry and track-specific driving aids.
Reversing Camera – while not technically a dash cam as such, it’s still a camera that serves a purpose in your car. If your car doesn’t come with one as standard, you can buy aftermarket reversing cameras which use rear exterior-mounted lenses and sensors to guide you via an onboard screen.

Types of Installation

12V Power Socket – the easiest way to get your dash cam up and running is to make use of your car’s onboard 12V socket. Most dash cams will come with a 12V power lead supplied, so simply make the connection and then the camera will turn on and off in conjunction with whenever you switch the ignition on or off.
OBD2 Socket – Alternatively, you can buy separate OBD2 power leads for many common brands of dash cam. These draw power from the car’s battery and send it up through to the dash cam, meaning that your dash cam will remain powered up even when the car is parked up with the engine off. This is useful for features such as parking mode, if your dash cam has it.
Hardwiring – Hardwiring is the most complex type of installation as it involves specialized tools and the ability to make a direct connection between the dash cam and your car’s onboard fuse box. Again, this is helpful if you need a constant stream of power going to the dash cam even when the engine’s off, for parking mode or similar features.

For more information, be sure to read our dedicated guide on how to install dash cams.

Recreational uses for dash cams

Dash cams can be a great way of extracting more fun from your car. If you’re a regular track day enthusiast as above, a dash cam is a great way to record and look back on your performance from the day. Whether it’s just for personal satisfaction, to show friends, or to post online, a recording is the perfect track day souvenir.

There are other reasons why you might want a dash cam for fun, too. For instance, some have the ability to timelapse, or you might just want to use it to grab some extra footage for a video you’re editing. The possibilities are (somewhat) endless!

Legal uses for dash cams

Dash cams have a more serious side to them as well, and more often than not, this is why people buy them. If you end up in accident that’s not your fault, or if someone lodges fraudulent claims against you, a dash cam can provide your insurance provider – and the courts – definitive proof of liability. Obviously, if you’re the one in the wrong, that might suck. But if you’re the victim, you’ll be glad the dash cam was there as it can greatly streamline that whole claims process.

There’s some confusion around what impact dash cams have on the *cost* of insurance, but you can read more about that in the following guide: ‘Can a dash cam make my car insurance cheaper?’

Words by James Stanbury & James Bowers.

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