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Hannah Davies
2024-10-31 13:30:00
www.trustedreviews.com
A dash cam adds protection for any driver. It helps detail any crash and can provide key evidence when making an insurance claim, or defending against a fraudulent one where another driver has caused a crash on purpose. As such, dash cams have grown massively in popularity, aiding in the successful conviction of some shockingly bad drivers.
If you’re a safety-conscious driver, a dash cam can be a great way to buy peace of mind. Not only do dash cams provide you with evidence when it comes to accident disputes, but some insurers will offer discounts of up to 15% off your premiums if you fit a dash cam, offsetting any initial outlay.
It’s important to note that dash cams come in a variety of forms. Some feature a single, forward-facing lens, while others include both forward and rear-facing cameras. These are the type you’ll want if you’re worried about being rear-ended. Others feature multiple lenses capable of recording various angles or have a wide-angle lens that gets in almost as much as you can see with your eyes. You can even get cameras that incorporate GPS technology to measure your speed.
More sophisticated options might include a G-sensor, which can detect when you’ve been involved in an accident due to a sudden change in movement. This could be an impact or heavy braking. This will then tell the dash cam to record the event and save it to a protected section of the memory card, ensuring it doesn’t get overwritten, safeguarding your precious evidence.
Of all the dash cams that we’ve reviewed, the four models featured in this best list stand out. However, which one you should choose will depend on what exactly you need from a dash cam. Keep reading to discover the best dash cam for your needs.
Best dash cams at a glance
- Best overall: Nextbase iQ 4K – check price
- Best value: Miofive S1 Ultra – check price
- Easiest to assemble: Viofo A139 Pro Dashcam – check price
- Best cabin view dash cam: Nextbase Cabin View Camera – check price
How we test
Video quality is, far and above, the most important aspect of a dashcam. We test all dash cams in a variety of driving conditions, from bright lights to nighttime, to see how the quality stacks up. Shooting video in this way also lets us compare the results between dash cams, so we can tell you which ones are best.
It’s important to note that, despite what you may read elsewhere, resolution isn’t the most important factor. Video quality is also dependent on the quality of the sensor, the lens and the amount of compression used. What’s important is being able to pick out details from the footage, such as car number plates. As such, as we’ve reviewed 720p cameras that are more capable than higher-resolution models.
We test each camera’s mounting options, finding out how easy it is to attach to your car physically, and how well the camera remained in position once fixed.
The quality of the interface and software is vital for any dashcam, as you need a reliable way to recover footage in the event of an accident. Again, we test all of these features, looking for ease of use and quality software.
Where extra features are available, such as integrated GPS, safety-camera warnings or collision detection, we test these to find out how useful they are.
Nextbase iQ 4K
Best overall
Pros
- Exceptional video quality
- Powerful AI-driven features
- Useful cabin camera
Cons
- Inflexible mount
- Expensive to buy and run
The Nextbase iQ 4K is Nextbase’s flagship forward-facing dash cam and a leap beyond the brand’s more everyday range thanks to its exceptional video quality and powerful AI-driven features.
There are actually three cameras in Nextbase’s IQ range, with the 4K model we recommend being the highest resolution (and the priciest) of the three. All three iQ dash cams include a built-in cabin camera equipped with infrared lighting to record passengers at night.
Some of the iQ’s more advanced features include a live view, parking protection and a remote alarm. Parking protection is a reliable way to see if someone is loitering near your vehicle, while guardian mode allows you to set speed and location limitations when your car is driven by valets, mechanics and anyone else other than yourself. The one caveat is that you will need to pay between £7-10 a month to access them through the company’s Protect Plus subscription.
The Nextbase iQ 4K comes with a 64GB MicroSD card preinstalled meaning you don’t need to worry about picking one up separately, though you can swap it out for a 256GB card if you’d like more storage. You can also add a rear-window camera to film the road behind you for £149 extra.
The iQ 4K is expensive and the mount isn’t as flexible as we’d like it to be. However, the camera’s crisp, detailed video, great GPS tracking and handy AI features make it incredibly hard to beat.
Reviewer: Simon Handby
Full Review: Nextbase iQ 4K
Miofive S1 Ultra
Best value
Pros
- Excellent video quality
- Great value
- Decent app
Cons
- No cabin camera
- Included 64GB card probably not enough
The Miofive S1 Ultra is a fantastic value camera for anyone seeking out a dash cam on a budget.
The S1 Ultra combines front and rear 4K cameras, offering excellent video quality with the front camera being the star of the show in this respect. It produces extremely good footage across a variety of weather conditions and at different times of day, providing sharp individual frames even in failing light. Even at night, the camera managed to produce sharp and rich images in our tests, though the camera can be prone to oversharpening in brighter conditions.
The dash cam also includes handy features such as speed camera warnings and AI driving prompts with the idea being to help prevent incidents instead of just recording them. However, unlike the Nextbase iQ 4K, this dash cam doesn’t feature a cellular connection, meaning the S1 Ultra can’t notify you of problems when parked.
Though there’s a MicroSD card in the box, the camera eats through storage quickly meaning you’ll probably want to pick up a larger memory card to pair with the dash cam. You’ll also need a hard-wiring kit to get the most out of this camera. Despite these extras, the S1 Ultra offers incredible value for money.
Reviewer: Simon Handby
Full Review: Miofive S1 Ultra
Viofo A139 Pro Dashcam
Easiest to assemble
Pros
- Great video quality
- Competitive price
- Easy to mount and remove
Cons
- No advanced driver safety or SOS feature
If you’re looking for a dash cam that is fuss-free to assemble, the Viofo A139 Pro Dashcam is our recommendation.
Like the Nextbase iQ 4K and Miofive S1 Ultra, the A139 Pro Dashcam has an excellent 4K resolution, producing crisp, front-facing footage in the daytime that makes it easy to pick out number plates and other details.
The dash cam comes paired with either a rear-view or interior camera. We received the rear-view bundle and found that, while the HD rear camera isn’t as good as the main 4K one, it still works well enough in daylight. While you can’t buy the three options as a complete bundle, you can create a three-channel setup yourself by buying the two-channel bundle and picking up the missing camera separately for £55.
This screen-less dash cam has a slimline profile with a thin front-to-rear cable and a two-port USB power adaptor. We also enjoyed the inclusion of a polarising filter when the sun was blasting down.
Other key features include GPS position, Wi-Fi connectivity and a parking mode, though the A139 Pro does lack some of the more advanced features found on other dash cams.
Reviewer: Simon Handby
Full Review: Viofo A139 Pro Dashcam
Nextbase Cabin View Camera
Best cabin view dash cam
Pros
- Simple upgrade to an existing Nextbase dash cam
- Surprisingly good video quality
- Adjustable aim
Cons
- Can’t work miracles, especially in dark cabin
The Nextbase Cabin View Camera is an add-on camera designed to be paired with an existing dash cam and monitor the inside of your vehicle.
This compact camera is designed to slot into the side of supported Nextbase dash cam models and point backwards into the cabin. There’s a small display to preview your feed and help angle the camera correctly.
The wide-angle lens works well, perfectly exposing both the cabin and the road behind in daylight in its 1920 x 1080p resolution. This means you can get a glimpse at the traffic and number plates along with your passengers – albeit with the road not being as clearly captured as a dedicated rear-view camera could manage.
The dashcam doesn’t perform quite as strongly at night with the cabin light off, making it difficult to pick out details both inside and outside the car. Switching the cabin light on helps inside the car but doesn’t do much for the road outside.
If you’re looking for a cabin view dash cam to keep an eye on passengers, the Nextbase Cabin View Camera is a great affordable option that performs brilliantly in daylight.
Reviewer: Simon Handby
Full Review: Nextbase Cabin View Camera
FAQs
Dash cams are entirely legal on UK roads, but may not be when you go abroad. You should also be aware that if you’re asked for footage by the police, you’re legally obliged to hand it over. We’ve covered this more over at are dash cams legal?
Many dash cams will record to a microSD card, so you can install a larger card to record more footage. Factor in the cost of a memory card, because many dash cams won’t come with one in the box. Some dash cams make it easy to access this footage through a smartphone or tablet, too, so you don’t have to take the card out of the dash cam.
In some cases, the use of a dash cam can reduce your insurance premium. Insurers are looking at how dash cams are used, and are building statistics on drivers that have one. It’s generally thought that dash cam users are more careful, as they know that they are being monitored. When your insurance comes up for renewal, it’s worth asking your insurance company the question or hunting around for a better deal by finding an insurer that does discount.
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