If you are new to dash cams, then you should definitely start with our Dash Cam Buyer's Guide. Learn about features including channels, parking mode, video quality, form factor, GPS / WiFi, and more!
Find the best dash cams for you and your family, and start driving safely with your "silent witness" onboard. Don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
Updated for 2019. See who we've chosen as our best-in-class.
The best dash cams for 2019 are the BlackVue DR900S-2CH and Thinkware Q800PRO. The BlackVue DR900S represents the first 4K video quality dash cam to enter the market while the Thinkware Q800PRO represents the best parking mode recording dash cameras on the market. These dual cameras have smartphone and wi-fi integration, a high MicroSD card capacity, built-in g-sensors for motion and impact detection and clear video recording to record license plates with crisp image quality. In addition, they are both discreet in design, and offers important features such as loop recording.
Front-only dash cam setups offer a lot of protection by itself, and it’s common to assume that this would be enough to capture all kinds of incidents. For example, if your vehicle gets rear-ended, the front dash cam should be able to detect the impact and lunge-forward motion of the vehicle. However, front-only dash cams do not offer enough protection against rear-specific hit-and-runs, vandalism and numerous incidences where simply put, the front camera does not show what actually happened.
Our recommendations for the best front and rear dash cams would be the IROAD X9, BlackVue DR900S-2CH, and Thinkware Q800PRO. We especially like the Thinkware Q800PRO as the rear-facing camera can be added on at any time in the future, unlike the IROAD X9 and BlackVue DR900S-2CH. Enabling parking mode has been simplified with the introduction of the OBD Hardwiring Kits from IROAD and BlackVue. It will be as easy as plugging the OBD Hardwiring Kit to your vehicle's OBD port to power your dash cam!
Ridesharing, such as Uber and Lyft, is as popular as ever and it’s so important for these drivers to have video footage protection in their vehicles. Taxi companies understand this concept, which is why so many taxi cabs have interior-facing dash cams installed for both legal and safety reasons. The recommended dash cam setup here would be an interior-facing camera with infrared technology, as infrared lights offer night vision and provide recording ability even until total darkness. Learn more about IR dash cams.
Our recommendations for the best budget and high-end infrared dash cam setups would be the Thinkware FA200 IRC and the BlackVue DR900S-2CH IR.
Whether you’re a fleet manager for a transport company or simply a driver of a large truck, dash cams offer a lot of protection for your vehicle, cargo, and company.
This is especially true for large trucks where the rear is impossible to see through a rear view mirror so that footage can offer protection on anything that happens in the back of the vehicle. What’s more, a dash cam can also prevent fraud, monitor the location of a vehicle via remote GPS, and improve driving habits. All of these lead to better bottom numbers, as well as improved efficiency and safety for everyone involved.
Our recommended dash cam for truckers would be the BlackVue DR750S-2CH IR Truck, which has an externally-mounted rear camera, which will be applicable for all trucks. The rear camera is weather-proof and has infrared lights so that protection during day and night time will be fully in effect.
Whether you are a motorcycle enthusiast or a backcountry explorer on an ATV, the versatile Thinkware M1 Motorsports Cam is a 1080p all-terrain camera you can install on your vehicle. This will be an excellent weatherproof front and rear camera for your Honda, Suzuki, Ducati, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Harley-Davidson, BMW, and Polaris off-road vehicles.
The durable Thinkware M1 Motorsports Cam is designed for recording dynamic footage in all terrains and offers excellent day and night video quality with the Sony Exmor R STARVIS Image Sensor.
High heat tolerance is a necessity for dash cams. As dash cams are in the vehicle all year round, it’s important to avoid ones that are battery-powered. Batteries can expand and even explode under high heat. The best dash cams use capacitors, which handle temperature extremes much more efficiently without issue. For that reason, BlackboxMyCar only carries dash cams that have capacitors.
Our recommendations for the best dash cams for high heat environments are the Thinkware Q800PRO and IROAD X9. Both of these units have stellar track records in high heat and are our most reliable units overall.
Protection for new drivers is something that should be a priority for both the driver as well as parents and guardians. Not only do these drivers lack the driving experience, but they also lack the knowledge on what to do when an incident does occur.
Exchanging insurance and driver’s license information, taking pictures, getting a witness, etc. are all crucial in order to submit an insurance claim. A dash cam would solve all of these issues as clear video footage would be provided, and new drivers won’t be at a risk if they forget to do something.
We recommend the Thinkware FA200 and BlackVue DR590W-2CH, both of which have an optional rear camera or an optional infrared camera.
Dash cams come in all shapes, forms and price points. Although premium features, such as parking mode recording with buffer and motion and impact detection, cloud access and smartphone / wi-fi integration are typically only found in more expensive dash cams, more basic and budget-friendly dash cams do exist and can be great at what they do.
This was a top focus for Thinkware and BlackVue, who invested a lot of research and development funds into creating the Thinkware FA200 and BlackVue DR590W-2CH.
These units offer great video quality, recording at Full HD for the front and HD video for the rear, parking-mode recording with buffer and motion and impact detection, as well as smartphone / wi-fi integration.
Garmin is one of the largest GPS companies in the world. They entered the dash cam market with 3 models - the Garmin Dash Cam 45, Garmin Dash Cam 55 and Garmin Dash Cam 65. These dash cams are ok for what they do, but are quite limited in features. Although priced at the mid-to-high tier market, their features are more in line with the low-end market. Garmin dash cams also only come as front-only at this time (as of this writing), so rear protection is not available.
Some alternatives at similar pricing but with more, and better, features (such as buffered parking mode recording with motion and impact detection, Cloud access and optional rear cameras) include the Thinkware FA200 IRC, BlackVue DR590W-2CH and BlackVue DR750S-2CH.
There are 4 different ways a dash cam can be powered. All methods except the 12V Power Cable will enable parking recording. As most of our dash cams do offer parking recording, it is highly recommended to take advantage of this feature to protect your vehicle while parked.
12V power adapters provide power to your dash cam through the cigarette lighter socket within your vehicle.
Over the years, the 12V power cable has become the least popular method to power a dash cam simply due to the fact that parking recording cannot be enabled. However, it is still an excellent option for customers looking into powering a dash camera that is only ignited when you're driving.
Hardwiring kits provide power to your dash cam through an accessory fuse, constant fuse, and a grounding point within the vehicle's fuse box.
Hardwiring kits are available for most of our dash cams and has become widely popular over the years. It provides power to your dash cam at all times until a preset voltage is reached. This is known as voltage cut-off and is absolutely necessary to avoid the vehicle not starting. We recommend the Power Magic Pro for BlackVue dash cams and BlackboxMyCar Hardwiring Kit for Thinkware dash cams.
OBD hardwiring kits will plug into your vehicle's OBD port and will not require tapping into any fuses.
OBD hardwiring kits have recently been introduced by IROAD and BlackVue and customers have shown a significant amount of interest as this does not require any wiring. This will be an excellent option for customers who want an easy installation. We recommend the Power Magic EZ for BlackVue dash cams and the IROAD OBD Cable for IROAD dash cams.
Dash cam battery packs are designed to be used inside vehicles in varying weather conditions. It offers extended parking recording for customers who are away from their vehicle for extended periods of time.
Although a battery pack is the most expensive option to powering a dash cam, it offers the longest parking recording time (up to 45 hours on a 1 channel dash cam) as well as protecting the health of your vehicle's battery. We recommend the Cellink NEO to power all dash cams.
Good video quality is the most basic feature - after all, what good is a high-quality dash camera if you can’t see details in the footage? Although many dash cams are 1080p, it’s the software and hardware that represent better video quality. Look for a dash cam that is at least 8Mbps in bitrate and with a video sensor that’s at least 1.8MP. Check out the BlackVue DR900S-2CH, which has a 4K resolution, 25Mbps, and an 8MP video sensor, for the best video quality dash cam.
Parking mode recording is found from the mid-tier to higher end dash cams, but there are only a few models that offer buffered recording with motion and impact detection. Only the best dash cams offer this very important feature, which allows the dash cam to record even when the vehicle is off, and recording is triggered by motion (when someone walks by) and impact (when the vehicle is hit). The buffering also captures the previous 5-10 seconds of footage that lead up to whatever triggered the recording so the entire event is saved. Check out the Thinkware Q800PRO, which has these features as well as excellent memory partitioning, for the best parking mode recording dash cam.
As dash cams are in the vehicle all year round, it’s important to avoid ones that are battery powered. Batteries can expand and even explode under high heat. The best dash cams use capacitors instead, which handle temperature extremes much more efficiently without issue. You’ll be happy to know that BlackboxMyCar only carries dash cams that have capacitors!
Still unsure what to buy, or would like to do your own research to see which dash cam is best for you? Then you should try our Dash Cam Buyer's Guide. Here are some guiding questions that may help:
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