The Best Dash Cams

Every driver has experienced certain moments on the road where it would’ve been helpful to have a camera on your dashboard. Whether you’ve been in an accident, seen other accidents happen in front of you, or simply wanted to capture surprises and unexpected incidents while you’re behind the wheel, there’s now a technology that allows you to do that: dash cams. Easy to install and affordable enough for any driver to own, today’s dash cams can capture absolutely everything that happens while you’re on the road. Especially handy when you need to report an accident or figure out who’s at fault in a fender bender, dash cams can be incredibly useful whether you’re running errands or heading out for a long drive. Check out our picks for the best dash cams right here.

The Best Dash Cam

1. Vantrue N4 3 Channel Dash Cam

The Vantrue N4 3 Channel Dash Cam is one of the best dash cams on the market right now. This camera does just about anything you could want. It’s a triple-channel camera that gives you 155 degrees of front view, 160 degrees of rear view, and 165 degrees of inside view to provide you with a very comprehensive picture in and around your vehicle. It’s equipped with HD pictures and audio to provide you with crystal-clear footage.

The 4K resolution is the latest technology and allows you to easily capture license plates and road signs for added accuracy. The adjustable camera gives you plenty of flexibility when it comes to viewing angles and options.

PROS

• Three cameras provide comprehensive footage of your entire vehicle
• Super clear audio and video recording
• Easy to install

CONS

• Expensive
• The suction cup could be sturdier

2. Rexing V1 4K Ultra HD Car Dash Cam

The Rexing V1 4K Ultra HD Car Dash Camera is a high-tech, budget-friendly dash cam that offers reliable video footage. Like many other cameras on the market right now, this camera captures clear and pristine 2160P HD video, even when driving at high speeds. It provides a sizable 170-degree viewing field to capture plenty of peripheral activity. The seven-layer glass lens is super durable and long-lasting.

It offers Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) technology that automatically adjusts to low light levels to be able to capture decent images in almost any lighting situation. It’s equipped with a supercapacitor that can tolerate temperatures ranging from negative 20 to 176 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes it a great option for all kinds of different driving climates. This camera also features a parking monitor and motion sensor. It’s also equipped with a 30-second delayed shut-off.

PROS

• Durable and reliable function
• G-Sensor for accident detection
• Loop recording in five or three-and-a-half minute increments

CONS

• Only records up to 30fps
• Supports up to 128GB SD cards, doesn’t include any memory, you have to buy that separately

3. Vantrue T3 1520P 24/7 Dash Cam with Radar Motion Detection

We love the quality of the Vantrue T3 1520P 24/7 Dash Cam. This sensitive camera is equipped with 1520P HD resolution and a respectable F1.4 aperture with a six-layer glass lens that gives you reliable and clear night vision capabilities. It has a 160-degree viewing angle and radar detection parking mode that senses movement in front or around the sides of your car to keep it safe when you’re not around.

The included OBD cable allows this camera to provide uninterrupted 24/7 monitoring. The supercapacitor gives this model the ability to function reliably in temperatures ranging between 14-158 degrees Fahrenheit. Not the toughest camera on the market, but more than suitable for a wide variety of climates and environments. The LCD viewing screen is a decent 2.45 inches, which is large enough to see most footage accurately without having to upload to another screen.

PROS

• Lifetime technical support with regular firmware updates
• Radar detection parking mode
• 18-month warranty on hardware issues

CONS

• SD card is not included in your purchase
• Suction cup mount is somewhat unreliable

4. Rexing V3 Dual Dash Camera

The Rexing V3 Dual Dash Camera gets a nod for being a sturdy and reliable HD dash cam that comes tricked out with some great features. It offers dual-channel recording of the front of the car and the inside of the cabin, making it a great choice for Uber, Lyft, taxi, and rideshare drivers. It’s got the standard 1080P HD video resolution and 170 degrees of front wide-angle viewing. This unit also offers decent infrared night vision with WDR technology to capture accurate and clean video in low light conditions.

We like that in this price range this camera is also equipped with Wi-Fi connectivity that lets you instantly upload and save your footage to the Rexing Connect app on your iOS and Android devices. The optional GPS logger lets you even mark the date, time, location, and speed at which an incident occurred for iron-clad accuracy and tracking.

PROS

• Reliable function in severe temps
• Equipped with lots of cool functions
• Connects to a smartphone to allow you to upload footage to an app or social media
• Can also record inside of the vehicle

CONS

• No rearview camera
• Pricey compared to other options on the market

5. Rove R2-4K Dash Cam

The Rove R2-4K Dash Cam deserves some love for its super high 2160P resolution. It’s one of the clearest ultra HD recording devices on our list. Pristine clarity gives you the greatest protection and defense against criminal activity and accidents. This unit is also equipped with super night vision technology that helps you get better and more reliable nighttime footage than many other cameras on the market.

With its built-in Wi-Fi, you can use the ROVE app to view and manage your dash cam recordings right from your smartphone. This allows you to instantaneously share footage with family, friends, or social media. The camera provides you with 150 degrees of monitoring and includes night vision, motion detection, and image distortion correction as just a few of its high-tech features.

PROS

• Crystal clear video footage
• Includes suction cup or sticky pad mounting options

CONS

• 150-degree viewing angle is narrower than some models
• Single-view camera only

6. Toguard Three-Channel Dash Cam

The Toguard Three-Channel Dash Cam gets points for being a comprehensive and reliable camera that’s offered at a more reasonable price point than many other three-channel dash cams on the market. It features a wide 170-degree front view, 150-degree in-cabin view, and 150-degree rear view to cover virtually every area of your vehicle.

Ultra high-definition 4K video recording capabilities give you a clear and definitive picture, even at high speeds. This model is also equipped with a high-tech Sony Starvis IMX335 sensor and a sizable F1.8 aperture that captures great details at night or in low-light situations. It also comes with loop recording, emergency recording lock, parking monitor, parking assist, and more, making it one of the most multifunctional cameras on the market.

PROS

• Three cameras cover almost every square inch of your car
• Compact and super easy to install
• Includes a helpful parking assist function

CONS

• Complaints of frequent glitches in Wi-Fi and footage recording
• Doesn’t come with an SD card included in your purchase

7. Vantrue N2 Pro Dash Cam

Thorough folk and filmmakers alike are going to fall head over heels for this model. A contender for the best front and rear dash cam, this device allows you to record your windshield activity _and_ your cabin, mounted perfectly to also record what goes on in the rear windshield. This is essential if you’re the victim of a rear-ender fender bender and you need some concrete evidence.

We can’t say enough good things about this camera—for one, you get 2.5K quality, while your front and rear lens sit at 170 degrees and 140 degrees, respectively. Plug it into the cigarette lighter, and you’re good to go. The odd placement of this, while convenient, means the cable dangles a little bit and has been known to be knocked out. Use with caution.

PROS

• Dual capture; windshield and cabin
• Timelapse feature; collide weeks of road trips into epic video
• Parking mode

CONS

• Loose fit on the cigarette lighter adapter
• Uses up memory fast; needs 64GB for 4-5 hours of recording

8. OldShark 3” Dash Cam

There’s a few seriously epic features about this — we were shocked at how inexpensive it was. Between the superior suction cup mount and the quality of the zinc alloy chassis, you get stability on and off the road. Flip this into night vision to continue your ventures, just know that higher-quality recordings really eat up memory. They give you a 32GB SD card included in this model, so be certain to utilize that.

170-degree angle lens allows for a wide range of recording, while the accident lock/emergency mode secures your video from being overwritten when an accident occurs. Playback is a sinch to view on the 3.0” LCD screen, and for once, we’re actually happy with the way the adapter wire hangs down.

PROS

• Killer price for the quality
• Most durable suction cup attachment of any unit
• Emergency accident lock filtered by G-sensor

CONS

• Seriously eats up memory quickly
• Very conspicuous model

9. Chortau Dual Dash Cam

The Chortau Dual Dash Cam gets a nod for being another super affordable camera that offers reliable and accurate monitoring and protection from accidents or theft. It’s equipped with front and rear 1080P waterproof cameras. You get the standard 170-degree wide viewing angle in the front and 130-degrees of viewing in the rear. This model is equipped with six infrared LED lights and Wide Dynamic Range technology to capture clear and accurate images in almost all lighting conditions.

As with most other dash cams, you get seamless loop recording that automatically overwrites old footage when the SD card is full. Motion detection sensors automatically initiate recording and save relevant footage to a locked SOS file. It’s got the added versatility of offering a full 360-degree rotation of the front camera in order to record the inside of the vehicle if necessary. The suction cup mount could definitely be more substantial and reliable.

PROS

• Affordable price
• Records front and rear of your vehicle
• Compact and lightweight, can be hidden behind a rear mirror

CONS

• The suction cup mount needs to be more secure
• Low amount of memory capacity

10. Vantrue S1 4K Dash Cam

Some dash cams can be bulky and distracting, but not the Vantrue S1 4k Dash Cam. It’s one of the sleekest and most compact dash cams currently on the market. It’s a front and rear camera that provides simultaneous footage of both ends of your vehicle. You get 170 degrees of front viewing and 160 degrees of rear viewing. You also have the option of selecting 4K 2880 x 2160P at 24FPS or 1920 x 1080P at 60FPS, both of which will provide you with crystal clear footage, even at higher speeds.

The built-in GPS gives you the luxury of being able to see your live speed while driving. You can trace an exact driving route and location on Google Maps through Windows or iOS-compatible viewers. Sony Night Vision offers a decent F1.47 aperture lens and Sony Starvis CMOS to capture minute details in low-light conditions. It even automatically adjusts exposure to deliver the clearest images.

PROS

• Covers both the front and rear of your vehicle
• Comes with GPS built-in
• Automatically locks accident footage to prevent accidental overwriting
• Easy to install

CONS

• Pricey
• No image distortion correction

11. Kingslim 4K Dual Dash Cam

You will love the intuitive touchscreen that the Kingslim D4 4K Dual Dash Cam is equipped with. It allows you to quickly and easily toggle back and forth between the front and rear views. This high-performing camera is also equipped with 2160P resolution on the front camera and 1080P resolution on the rear camera to provide you with clear and accurate footage at all times.

This camera utilizes the high-tech Sony Starvis IMX335 sensor and the Hisilicon Hi3559 processor to give you superb night vision. It’s got a large F1.8 aperture and WDR technology as an added bonus. The front camera gives you 170 degrees and the rear camera offers 150 degrees of viewing angle to provide significant coverage of almost all angles of your ride. This model also features the usual G-sensor, parking monitor, loop recording, and emergency video locking that most other dash cams are equipped with.

PROS

• Lots of great high-tech features at a reasonable price
• The touchscreen is super responsive and easy to use
• Wi-Fi lets you quickly upload footage to the app or social media

CONS

• Instructions are written too small
• Rear camera can be difficult to mount

12. Z-Edge Dash Car Cam Front and Rear

Durable, classy-looking, and easy to use, with crisp clear footage, the Z-Edge T4 dash cam checks (almost) all boxes. This model comes with a 4-inch touch-sensitive screen with an intuitive design and a 1080p rear camera. The front one? Even better – with a 2560x1440p video resolution and a 155-degree viewing angle, the camera captures most of the round around you. Thanks to the WDR technology, the night vision is almost equally good, so the dash cam captures even the smaller details in low light conditions (car license plates are always very clear).

Z-Edge T4 comes with a G sensor, which monitors and detects unusual shakes and vibrations, triggering emergency video protection in case of an accident that cannot be overwritten. Loop recording allows for seamless overwriting of the oldest footage upon filling a card to its max (up to 256 GB card). There is also parking monitor feature which is powered by the internal rechargeable battery.

PROS

• Durable and reliable dash cam
• Excellent day and night video quality
• 32 GB card is included

CONS

• No GPS
• Too long rear cam cord
• Specification

Buying Guide & FAQ

Electronics of any nature require an in-depth approach to how they work, what they’re used for, their durability—basically, anything and everything you could think of. To find the best dash cam, we’ve done all the legwork for you; read on, and make an educated decision based on the products we’ve provided, and you can’t go wrong.

How do Dash Cams Work?

Basically, their main function is to provide you with visual feedback on your auto adventures. You’re going to hear a lot of arguments like, “Just get a mount for your phone and use that.” There’s a bunch of reasons why they’re not the same thing, including:

• Dash cams are designed for faster movements; your iPhone isn’t
• Your phone mount won’t necessarily hold; dash cams have a specific mounting protocol
• Dash cam power sources are sturdier than standard lightning or micro USB charging; you don’t want your phone to die when you need footage the most

Apart from that, they provide greater detail to get information such as license plate data and allow people’s profiles to show up better. All the things that you need with a dash cam. Now, for how they work, it’s rather quite simple:
Plug in your dash cam camera and position it using its specific mount, and you’re done. They capture high-speed visuals and decent level audio. Dash cams are either plugged in through a USB into the cigarette lighter (sturdier than phone wires) or they’re hardwired into your electrical system. This can be done yourself, or you can hire a professional to handle it for you.

They operate just like a standard video camera. They record information, storage fills up, and you eject the SD card when you need it. Which brings us to our next topic: what are you doing to do when your dash cam’s virtual memory fills up?

Don’t worry; creators have already thought of that problem way ahead of time. While you’re mostly going to see this in built-in models, your dash cam comes with a feature that rewrites old data. If you can get three hours of recorded footage, it will start rewriting that first minute, moving forward and so on. Either way, you’ll have X amount of previous footage to reflect on. If you need that footage ASAP, such as after getting into an accident, just pop out the SD card, put it somewhere safe, and put the alternate SD card in.

Do I Need a Dash Cam?

They’re quickly becoming a necessity among drivers. Doesn’t matter if you have a compact car or a rig—they’re invaluable when the SHTF. There are zero instances where you’ll stop and say, “Damn, I have a dash cam,” and a hundred occasions where you’ll think, “Thank God I bought that dash cam.”

They’re exceptionally good for:

• Recording information for playback regarding pedestrian incidents
• Car accidents to decide who’s at fault
• Police interactions (we’re all a little sketched out by them)
• Spotting random crimes
• Gathering footage for the amateur filmmaker

There are a bunch more reasons, including keeping you alert as a driver. When you have that constant reminder that your actions behind the wheel are also being recorded, you’re more likely to remember to follow the rules of the road.

Features to Look For

Front-Facing vs Dual-Facing Cameras

Most basic dash cams are front-facing, which means they’re equipped with one front camera. A front-facing camera mounts on your windshield and captures everything that happens at the front of your vehicle. Dual-facing cameras, which are also called 2-in-1 dash cams, capture more area. A dual-facing cam features two built-in cameras: one that’s mounted on your windshield to capture the road ahead and one that captures either what’s happening inside the vehicle. This can give you an extra layer of visibility and safety if anything happens on the road.

Resolution

While this one may seem obvious, people actually overlook this quite a bit. Resolution isn’t just about having a prettier picture—you need to be able to make out details on license plates, facial profiles, and your general surroundings to better determine what happened, no matter what your needs are for playback. When we’re in the car, the camera sometimes has to see pretty far in front of us, whereas when we use a phone or video camera, our target is generally pretty close to us.

Night Vision

This is by no means a “small feature.” Accidents happen more frequently during the day on average, but 54 percent of all car accidents that do occur at night, are alcohol-related. You can picture it now—messy, messy crashes, and a lot to look at. A dash cam without night vision is essentially useless; it’s like having weekend insurance (is that still a thing?)—it’s just not a good idea to go without it.

Wiring

Bit of a car guru? Following the car bible? Depending on how comfortable you are with the electrical components of your vehicle, this decision will be impacted. You have two basic options: hardwired, or charger wired (USB into the car lighter adapter/USB slot in the dash). If you’re comfortable with wiring or you know a professional that won’t rip you off, hardwired is a better option, in our humble opinions. No fear of coming unplugged, and they generally come with rewritable data for continuous video capture.

Warranty

This is essentially on parts and rarely on anything else, so don’t expect to have the warranty put into place if you get into a wreck and the camera gets totaled. However, when electrical parts fail you, having at least a one-year warranty on your dashcam (most come with one year of standard warranty coverage) can be a real saving grace when you need it.

FAQs

Q:  Will my dash cam record inside my car?

Nine out of ten dash cam models are mounted to your windshield (on the interior) with the focus looking outside of your car. Imagine that your windshield was a camera, and you were always looking through the lens. Reversal dashcam models are usually for vloggers and filmmakers. Either way, the presence of a dash cam helps improve your driving.

Q:  Is a GPS function important when buying the best dash cam?

Your GPS tracking is able to look at where you are, where you were, and what happened following an accident. It uses Google Maps (most models) to track your location as you drive, allowing you to pinpoint the exact location of a car accident or event on the map. This isn’t a crucial feature, but it is a convenient one for the models that do possess it.

Q:  Can a dash cam be used to incriminate me?

Short answer: yes. If you possess a dash cam, that information could be used against you. Even based on front-facing video only, your dashcam shows enough information to be damning. One perk of this is that you’re a lot more responsible behind the wheel, which can help avoid accidents altogether.

Q:  How do dash cams help reduce insurance premiums?

Some insurances can offer up to a 12.5 percent discount on your insurance premiums. If you’re a new driver or you’re under 25 years old, your insurance usually starts off pretty high, so 12.5 percent can be a real lifesaver when it comes time to pay the tab. Since your car dash camera can usually determine who was at fault during an accident, it could help you keep discounts for “No Accident” or whatever your current car insurance calls it. Furthermore, it’s able to settle a claim a hell of a lot faster. You get your money, you fix your car, and you’re on your merry way—sealed and over with. Our good friends at carinsurance.com have a nifty database of no-fault and at-fault states in America, allowing you to prioritize having a dashcam based on your state jurisdiction.

Q: What do you do when your dash cam’s virtual memory fills up?

Don’t worry, creators have already thought of that problem way ahead of time. While you’re mostly going to see this in built-in models, your dash cam comes with a feature that rewrites old data. If you can get three hours of recorded footage, it will start rewriting that first minute, moving forward, and so on. Either way, you’ll have X amount of previous footage to reflect on. If you need that footage ASAP, such as after getting into an accident, just pop out the SD card, put it somewhere safe, and put the alternate SD card in.

Q: Which dash cam has the best night vision?

The Rove R2-4K Dash Cam is an excellent choice for night vision.  With quality 4K ultra HD recording and Super Night Vision technology, this little camera can deliver clear, reliable video and image resolution even in the dark.

Q: How long do dash cameras record for?

A dash cam’s recording capacity depends on a few different factors, like the size of the memory card and whether the camera is battery-powered or wired to your vehicle. Wired cameras can record continuously, turning on and capturing video any time your car is running. Battery-powered models will be limited. However, your memory card also determines how long your camera can record before it begins looping or recording over any older video footage. For example, a 128 GB memory card can get up to 18 hours while a 16 GB version will capture only three hours.

Q: Can you get a dash cam without wires?

Most dash cameras get their power from your vehicle’s ignition, which means they need wires and cables. Battery options do exist, but they cannot run for as long as wired cameras — you will only get a few minutes or hours of capability from a battery-powered, wire-free dash cam.

Our Top Pick

While all dash cams on our Top List are excellent, reliable products, the Vantrue N4 3 Channel 4K Dash Cam is far and away our top pick. It’s got three cameras that cover virtually every square inch of your vehicle, giving you the most comprehensive protection. It’s got a ton of great features that make it a versatile and user-friendly option. As an added bonus it comes with a substantial 18-month warranty for added peace of mind.

If you’re looking for a great budget-conscious model that will still give you stellar performance for under $100, we like the Rexing V1 Car Dash Cam.