Whether you're driving a car, van, or truck, dashcams can be a useful accessory for your vehicle. These video recording devices continually record throughout your journey.
So, if you're looking to keep yourself (and your car) safe on the road, a dashcam is a wise investment. If any collisions occur, you can hand the footage to your insurance company or law enforcement.
To get you started, here are some of the best dashcams for your vehicle.
The Nextbase 622GW is a premium dashcam with useful built-in features like Alexa and what3words; ideal if you break down or are in an accident and need to pinpoint your exact location.
If you choose the 4K at 30fps option on the Nextbase 622GW, you'll be surprised at how crisp the footage is regardless of how low the lighting is. Vehicle plate numbers are easy to see, and the superb quality is excellent if you need to detect hard-to-see footage.
You can control this dashcam via your voice with Alexa Skills or with your smartphone. However, users note that the Nextbase 622GW smartphone app isn't easy to use or very reliable.
The three-inch touchscreen on the back of the dashcam is easy to use, and you can add additional cameras to the rear of your vehicle at any point to record rear window footage.
- Bluetooth 5.0
- Optional add-on cameras for rear window
- Alexa built-in
- Number of Cameras: 1
- Front Camera Resolution: 4K
- Field of View: 140 degrees
- Emergency Power: N/A
- Brand: Nextbase
- Includes built-in apps like Alexa and what3words
- Great video quality
- GPS tracker
- You will need a large SD card for storage
The Nextbase 522GW uses a wide-angle lens with 1440p resolution. It's easy to start, stop, and send recordings to your phone via the Dash Cam Skill, as well as ask Alexa to play music and make phone calls.
If you need to share videos quickly for an insurance claim, accident, or breakdown, it's easy to upload them to a smart device via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
The intelligent Emergency SOS system will send an alert to the emergency services, detailing your location if you're in an accident and are unresponsive.
Although it doesn't come with all the additional features of the Nextbase 622GW, it is an affordable dashcam suitable for most people and does the job well.
- Intelligent parking mode
- Click&Go Pro mount
- HD image quality
- Number of Cameras: 1
- Front Camera Resolution: 1440p
- Field of View: 140 degrees
- Emergency Power: N/A
- Brand: Nextbase
- Can easily be moved and re-mounted
- Amazon Alexa built-in
- Affordable
- Footage isn't the best available
The Garmin Dash Cam Mini is designed to be simple, small, and easy to use. There are just two buttons on the dashcam and no display getting in the way.
Although the Garmin Dash Cam Mini doesn't offer the highest resolution compared to some of its rivals, the full HD footage is detailed and precise, even in different lighting conditions.
However, the Garmin Drive App has been known to be temperamental and frustrating. The lack of display is disappointing as you have to use your phone to view the footage.
For the price, the 140 degrees viewing angle is generous. However, you won't find any night mode or GPS tracking with this model.
- Discreet mounting
- Built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi
- Automatically records and saves videos of incidents
- Number of Cameras: 1
- Front Camera Resolution: 1080p
- Field of View: 140 degrees
- Emergency Power: N/A
- Brand: Garmin
- Easy to install
- Wi-Fi connectivity
- Small and compact
- No GPS tracking
The Garmin Dash Cam 66W boasts a wide 180-degree viewing angle lens, allowing it to capture everything that's going on, whether you're involved in an incident, breakdown, or witness to an event.
This dashcam automatically records and saves footage in the event of a collision. As well as this handy feature, users can initiate voice commands like "OK Garmin, take a photo." However, on noisy roads or highways, the voice command can pose some issues.
The quality of footage from the Garmin Dash Cam 66W is excellent, even in low-lighting. Overall, this small package delivers a lot and is worth every cent.
- Voice control in multiple languages
- Dash Cam Auto Sync
- Driver alerts
- Number of Cameras: 1
- Front Camera Resolution: 1440p
- Field of View: 180 degrees
- Emergency Power: N/A
- Brand: Garmin
- Compact and sleek design
- Plenty of extra features
- Wide viewing angle
- Voice control can be frustrating
The BlackVue DR900S-2CH is a worthwhile investment if you spend a lot of time in your car. Offering an 8MP CMOS sensor, 162 degrees field of view, and 4K UHD, this dashcam comes at a premium.
Not only is the video quality on this dash cam outstanding, but the features are also beneficial. BlackVue's advanced intelligent park carries on recording when you park and leave your vehicle. If something were to happen to your car when it's parked, you'd have full video evidence.
For the price, built-in Wi-Fi and GPS is pretty much a given. Users can send clips to BlackVue's smartphone app or use the company's cloud-based storage.
The BlackVue DR900S-2CH is a bit of a pain to install, and it's got a hefty price tag, but it's certainly worth the money if you're frequently in the car.
- Built-in GPS and dual-band Wi-Fi
- BlackVue cloud
- Proximity sensor for audio recording
- Number of Cameras: 2
- Front Camera Resolution: 4K
- Field of View: 162 degrees
- Emergency Power: N/A
- Brand: BlackVue
- Very good image quality
- Nice design
- Great features
- Gets physically hot when left in a parked car in warm climates
The Viofo A129 Pro Duo delivers a bulky package with a lot of power behind it. The built-in GPS module is a welcome addition that many other dashcams offer as an optional extra.
The supercapacitors store onboard power and are designed to last longer than other dashcams. They are also able to withstand extreme weather conditions and temperatures.
4K recording is available, but only at 30fps, which could pose issues when slowing footage down. However, dual recording is in full HD at 60fps, which produces smoother results.
The Viofo A129 Pro Duo setup is easy, although there are a lot of wires involved. Overall, this dual-camera offering has plenty of features at an attractive price point, including night vision, parking mode, and GPS tracking.
- 4K UHD and FHD dual channel recording
- Super night vision
- Withstands low and high temperatures
- Number of Cameras: 2
- Front Camera Resolution: 4K
- Field of View: 140 degrees
- Emergency Power: N/A
- Brand: Viofo
- Detects and locks emergency recording footage
- Very good value
- Clear footage
- Lots of wires
The Garmin Dash Cam Tandem is one of the most compact dashcams on the market. It comes with a clip-in magnetic mount, so you can install the device wherever you like.
There are two USB cables of differing lengths, allowing you to neatly run the cable to the rear camera. You can use the Garmin Drive app, which is compatible with Android and iOS, to review footage.
The rear camera does seem to struggle in low lighting, which is a shame given how useful the other features are. The voice control can sometimes be a little temperamental. However, the picture quality in daylight and from the front camera is absolutely spot on.
- Dual-lens dashcam
- Night vision
- Built-in Wi-Fi
- Number of Cameras: 2
- Front Camera Resolution: 1440p
- Field of View: 180 degrees
- Emergency Power: N/A
- Brand: Garmin
- Excellent picture quality
- Compact design
- Dual 180 degrees viewing angle
- Poor night vision performance
FAQ
Q: Are Dashcams Worth It?
Dashcams are worth having, whether you drive regularly or not. They are instrumental in the event of a breakdown or accident. For instance, you can present dashcam footage to insurance companies or the police. Many even include GPS and Wi-Fi, so you can locate your vehicle if it's been stolen and the dashcam remains active.
Q: Do Dashcams Reduce Insurance?
Car insurance companies don't offer reductions or discounts if you own a dashcam or have one installed in your car. However, even though they don't lower your insurance, they can be invaluable in the case of a collision or other incident.
Q: Are Dashcams Repairable?
It's not uncommon for dashcam users to find that their videos have become corrupt or aren't playing correctly. In these cases, it's usually quite an easy fix by hooking up your dashcam to your computer and downloading a firmware update or formatting the SD card.
However, if you encounter a hardware fault with your dashcam, it could be anything from a dead internal battery to GPS issues. In that case, it's advisable to visit a repair shop rather than trying to fix the problem yourself.
