Best dash cams 2024: Our picks for all types, at all budgets

While you drive, there’s a lot happening, so a second pair of eyes can help you stay safe. A dash cam provides this extra vigilance and helps give you peace of mind while out on the road. The best dash cams monitor in high-res video what’s happening while you’re behind the wheel, with timestamps and GPS coordinates. They can even record while your car is parked, helping you keep tabs on your car while you’re away.

When choosing the best dash cam for your needs you should first consider if you want a front, front/interior, or front/rear model. Additionally, you’ll want to decide on how wide a viewing angle you’ll need. Then there are special features to take into account, such as voice control or parking assist. Since there are a number of reasons to use a dash cam, we understand that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all model. With that in mind, we’ve curated a list of the best dash cams of all types with various features and prices below.

For even more information on what to look for when buying a dash cam, scroll to our buyer’s guide under our best picks. And after you’ve bought a dash cam, save yourself some time and frustration by reading our guide on how to install a dash cam.

Updated October 2, 2024 to include our review of the 70Mai M500, which has many laudable attributes including excellent night captures, but loses some luster with its requirement that you create an account to activate the cam. We are much less equivocal about the Miofive S1 Ultra, which has unparalleled front and rear captures in all conditions and asks only for your phone number (not ideal, but okay…).






Nextbase 222X – Best budget front/rear dash cam





















Pros

Good front/rear-view day video

Decent front/rear-view night captures

48-hour, battery-supported parking mode and after-incident capture


Cons

Modest video quality compared to pricier Nextbase models

Modular port, but no add-on modules

No GPS









Price When Reviewed:

$99.99




Best Prices Today:


$99.99 at Nextbase$99.99 at Walmart






If you really want to save money, this Walmart-exclusive Nextbase 222X front-and-rear camera duo offers great value. The 1080p/720p video is a compromise, but video quality is still good, it has a nice magnetic mount, a clear 2.5-inch screen, and a battery-supported parking mode.

Read our full

Nextbase 222X Dash Cam review






70Mai 4K A810 – Best midrange front/rear dash cam





















Pros

Excellent front captures

GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth connectivity

Phone app


Cons

So-so rear capture processing

Non-standard rear camera cable









Price When Reviewed:

$179




Best Prices Today:


$179.99 at 70mai$179.99 at Amazon






The market today is now saturated with 4K-front/1080p-rear camera setups, but the 70mai 4K A810 stands out from the rest. It’s absolutely loaded with great features such as onboard GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth for phone connectivity. The 3-inch IPS display provides a colorful and crisp image and it can be powered either via USB Type-A or Type-C cables. It also gives you advanced features like lane-departure and forward-collision warnings.

All of that plus the A810 captures crystal-clear 4K images with the front camera and 1080p with the rear camera. Most other competitors don’t offer nearly the same features or image quality for the price either. For these reasons, the 70mai 4K A810 is an absolute midrange bargain among dual-channel dash cams.

Read our full

70mai 4K A810 dash cam review






Cobra SC 400D – Best premium front/rear dash cam





















Pros

Excellent video captures, day and night, front and back

3-inch touchscreen display

Voice control

Alexa support (if you care)

2160p (4K UHD) if you want it


Cons

Very expensive

Rear camera isn’t removable









Price When Reviewed:

$399.95




Best Prices Today:


$397.44 at Amazon$399.95 at Cobra$399.99 at Best Buy






Our review of the Cobra SC 400D left us smitten. It’s pricey, yes, but it delivers the goods with stunning images—4K for the front, 1080p in the rear—day or night. In addition to that it has all the trappings of a premium product: a sturdy magnetic mount with integrated GPS, a crisp 3-inch touchscreen display, and Alexa support for finding businesses and the like when you are on the road. It can also be expanded with an optional 120-degree FOV cam for the interior.

Read our full

Cobra SC 400D review






Nextbase 622GW – Best premium front/rear runner-up





















Pros

Stellar day and night captures

Modular add-on 1080p cameras provide interior and rear coverage

Alexa voice control and automatic emergency notifications


Cons

Expensive









Price When Reviewed:

$399.99




Best Prices Today:


$299.99 at Best Buy$349.99 at Amazon$399.99 at Nextbase






Prior to our review of the Cobra SC 400D above, the 622GW front/rear system was our hands-down favorite. And, really, it shares virtually all the same attributes as its rival—nice design and build quality, excellent day and night captures, drive mapping, a wonderful 3-inch display, emergency response to accidents, Alexa support, and the ability to add a third camera for interior views. Like the 400D, it carries a premium price tag. But in the end, you can’t go wrong with either model.

Read our full

Nextbase 622GW Dash Cam review






Viofo A229 Plus – Best 3-channel dash cam





















Pros

Front, interior, and rear cameras

Discrete interior camera for versatile placement

Colorful, detailed captures

Rear captures are as good as the front captures

Phone connectivity


Cons

Lots of wires to hide









Price When Reviewed:

$279.99




Best Prices Today:


$269.99 at Amazon






A dash cam is all about monitoring and recording your surroundings, and for that it’s hard to beat a 3-channel system. Combining front view, interior view, and rear view, a 3-channel dash cam makes sure nothing is missed. The Viofo A229 Plus is our pick for best 3-channel system due to strong 1440p front and rear captures, 1080p interior captures, and a whole host of great additional features.

Not only do the front and rear view cameras offer solid resolutions, but the interior cam is discreet and all are easy to install. The Viofo A229 Plus also comes with an onboard mic for recording audio or receiving voice commands — an extremely convenient feature while driving. The A229 comes with GPS tagging, motion detection, and a parking mode as well. Needless to say, it’s chock-full of amenities and features. A 3-channel dash cam might not be for everyone, but if you need one, the Viofo A229 should be at the top of your list.

Read our full

Viofo A229 Plus 3-channel dash cam review






Vantrue N5 – Best for 360 degree view





















Pros

4-channel, nearly surround coverage

Good captures

Embedded and watermarked GPS

Voice control and phone connectivity


Cons

Pricey

Uses lots of storage









Price When Reviewed:

$399.99




Best Prices Today:


$399.99 at Vantrue






The Vantrue N5 offers the most complete coverage of any dash cam system we’ve ever seen. It comes with 4-channels including a front, rear, and dual cabin cameras (one in the front facing aft and another in the rear facing forwards). All of these cameras allow you to see not only what is happening outside your vehicle, but also within it, and they even catch some blind spots that front/rearview cameras might miss.

The N5 offers much more than just thorough coverage. It comes with watermarked GPS on board and excellent capture quality—the front cameras is capable of 1440p with superb night captures as well. You can also control the system via voice control and it offers great connectivity features as well. Overall, there is no other dash cam on the market that does a better job of capturing events in and around your car.

Read our full

Vantrue N5 dash cam review






Miofive 4K – Best front-only dash cam





















Pros

Compact, fully integrated design

Very affordable for 4K with GPS

Friendly voice notifications

64GB of internal storage

Good day and night captures


Cons

Internal storage isn’t replaceable

macOS won’t read the internal storage









Price When Reviewed:

149.99




Best Prices Today:


$129.99 at Amazon






Prior to our review of the Miofive 4K, we would have tapped the Car and Driver Eye2 Pro as the best front-only dash cam with 4K, a fine product in its own right. But the Miofive costs $100 less, and offers integrated GPS as well as great video captures, 64GB of internal storage, a compact design, friendly voice notifications, and a super straightforward setup. So not only is this our favorite front dash cam with 4K, it’s our favorite front cam overall.

Read our full

$150 review






Garmin Dash Cam 57 – Best front-only runner-up





















Pros

Colorful, detailed captures day and night

Small enough to hide behind your mirror

Super-convenient magnetic mounting

Phone and cloud connectivity


Cons

No rear camera option









Price When Reviewed:

$229.99




Best Prices Today:


$229.99 at B&H$229.99 at Best Buy$229.99 at GarminNot Available at Amazon






This small but mighty front dash cam has it all: great 1440p video with a 140-degree field of view, integrated GPS and driving assistance, good phone connectivity, an easy and convenient magnetic mounting system, and the backing of Garmin’s good name.

Read our full

Garmin Dash Cam 57 review






Viofo VS1 Mini 2K – Best tiny dash cam





















Pros

Super-small, handsome profile

Very good day and night 1440p captures

Voice commands/alerts and phone connectivity

Integrated GPS


Cons

No room for a display









Price When Reviewed:

$139.99




Best Prices Today:


$149.99 at Viofo






If you’re in the market for an unobtrusive, front-only cam that’s capable of capturing good-quality (1440p) day and night images, then the Viofo VS1 Mini 2K should be on your radar.

It only sweetens the deal that the VS1 Mini 2K also offers a GPS, along with voice commands and a phone-app interface, since the small size leaves no room for an on-unit display.

The camera’s body is tastefully styled, measure a mere 1.3 inches wide by 1.18 inches thick by approximately 2.85 inches tall, with a front lens that sits flush with the body. The unit easily slides in and out of a mount that affixes to your car with semi-permanent adhesive.

Support for voice commands let you operate the camera without distraction.

All in all, the VS1 Mini 2K has a clear edge over our previous favorite small dash-cam wonder, the Garmin Dash Cam Mini 2.







Cobra SC 201 – Best budget front/interior dash cam