There are many different flavours of drivers out there, clogging the asphalt arteries of Britain in a bid to get from A to B.
There's the Sunday Drive, content to pootle along at 20mph under the speed limit while obliviously blocking all others behind them, to the stereotypical BMW driver who thinks he’s in a remake of Mad Max and that indicators are something that happens to other people.
This rich variety of motorists, combined with the fact that roads are so utterly overrun with heavy, metal boxes hurtling down them, an in-car accessory that wasn’t really a ‘thing’ only a few years ago has become an absolute essential when it comes to verifying your version of events if there is a collision.
I write, of course, of the dash cam.
Mini-marvels of car-camera technology that mount with a clear view of the tarmac, most begin to film the minute you start your engine and then record for the duration of the trip, saving footage to an internal memory or, more usually, an SD card. Some are built with rechargeable batteries, many more plug into your vehicle via USB or using what we used to call the ‘cigarette lighter’, and some also have GPS to add even greater detail to incident info.
Now, naturally, like most men my age, I am the best driver in existence. Yet even I see the benefit of an always-on, roving recorder documenting other drivers around me, just in case. And if the best driver in existence thinks he needs one, you should too.
There are dashcams available as individual front-facing units or in pairs to cover both front and back - and with ever-increasing numbers of clowns in cars around every corner, get yourself a dash cam to keep yourself covered.
Best dashcams at a glance
- Best for all-round excellence with AI: 70mai Dash Cam 4K Omni HDR Bundle - £269.99, Amazon
- Best for all-round on-road motor monitoring: MIOFIVE Dash Cam Dual - £109.99, Amazon
- Best for small scale, big picture: VIOFO A119 MINI 2 Dash Cam - £139.99, Amazon
- Best for single cam sublimity: Nextbase 622GW Dash Cam - £239.99, Amazon
- Best for a tiny HD hero: Garmin Dash Cam Mini 2 - £187.53, Amazon
- Best for reasonably priced front and rear coverage: Road Angel Halo Pro - £189.99, Amazon
- Best for low price, high spec: 70mai Dash Cam 4K A810 - £179.99, Amazon
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70mai Dash Cam 4K Omni HDR Bundle
Best for: All-round excellence with AI
The king of 70mai’s 4K dual dash cams, the 4K Omni HDR harvests the power of not one Sony STARVIS 2 image sensor, but two! Yes, upfront sits a 4K (3640 x 2160-pixelcamera with a full 360° viewing angle, powered by the Sony STARVIS 2 IMX678, and to the back an HDR (1920 x 1080-pixel) shooter with a 130° angle of view and a Sony STARVIS 2 IMX662, meaning you’ll have crystal clear image clarity both day and night.
Shooting at a rate of 60FFS in single mode and at 30FFS in dual, the Omni also benefits from 70mai’s ‘Night Owl Vision’ algorithm to turn the darkest night footage into that of the brightest day, and should you be away from your vehicle when it endures an unfortunate bump, AI Motion Detection 2.0 will ensure all is recorded, and the dash cam’s 3G LTE connectivity will inform you as the action unfolds.
Obviously, built-in GPS captures speed, time and precise coordinates, while ‘Super-Sensing ADAS’ gives you advanced warning of potential risks, such as lane departure, forward collision, forward vehicle start, and also the heads-up on passing pedestrians and cyclists to keep you aware of hazards ahead.
A one-tap app on your smartphone lets you review footage and make modifications to the camera remotely, connecting over Bluetooth (so you’ll need to be within 10m).
All of this is made possible thanks to the normally-optional extras that this bundle contains, as the standalone cameras need the assistance of the 70mai 4G Hardwire Kit to achieve all the clever parking motion detector stuff. You’ll also need a 70mai-optimised micro SD card to record onto, and if you want to go the whole road-safe hog, a CPL filter to reduce glare and lens flare.
Finally, the front camera comes with voice control, so you can simply bark out orders as you thunder around the M25, and by “thunder” I, of course, mean sit stationary, while fuming.
It’s the complete dash cam package, for all-round protection from preying insurance companies following unauthorised automobile interaction (a crash), the 70mai Dash Cam 4K Omni HDR bundle is unbeatable.
Buy now £269.99, Amazon
MIOFIVE Dash Cam Dual
Best for: All-round on-road motor monitoring
Another dual cam system from another name you won’t have heard of, the MIOFIVE is a very compact, very well-built little model that also creates 4K front and 2K rear recordings, while also packing motion detection and G-sensor to keep your car safe while on the move and also while parked.
Probably the best co-pilot you could ask for, even though you may rely on satnav to show you the way ahead, the MIOFIVE also offers Go Assist alerts (an AI algorithm) which gives you warnings of upcoming road conditions, sudden corners and when cars are braking or accelerating in front, so nothing takes you by surprise. Will it change the music and unwrap sweets for you? No, it will not, but in all other aspects the perfect co-pilot.
Featuring a 2.2-inch colour display and a supercapacitor instead of a battery to offer an even longer operational life, the MIOFIVE takes a 140° view of the road before and behind you to keep you completely covered, and built-in 5G Wi-Fi and app control makes transfer and review a doddle. And, coming to that, those high-def images are sharp, bright and brilliantly detailed – even those recorded in the dark. So, if you should suffer a mishap at the hands of a more careless motorist, there’ll be no question who was responsible for the MIOFIVE in your car’s corner.
A very smart system that’s easy to install and takes up next to no space, so don’t hit the highways without one.
Buy now £109.99, Amazon
VIOFO A119 MINI 2 Dash Cam
Best for: Small scale, big picture
My second selection from VIOFO, the A119 MINI 2 is a 2K quality recording minute marvel that not only uses the same ultra-brilliant Sony STARVIS 2 sensor as its A139 brother, meaning all footage is razor sharp and crystal clear, but also ‘Super Night Vision 2.0’, GPS logger, parking mode, and even intelligent voice control.
Okay, when they say “intelligent voice control”, we’re not talking about achieving the likes of KITT from Knight Rider, or even approaching the likes of the new Amazon Echo Auto, but basic commands to start and stop, take stills, or turn on the built-in Wi-Fi are all executed promptly and without having to repeat myself too many times, meaning you can keep your hands on the wheel where they belong.
Now about that ‘super’ labelled night vision, well... wow. Thanks to the larger light-receiving capacity of that aforementioned Sony sensor, the 2K level video that it shoots when the sun is long gone is incredibly clear and detailed, picking out and highlighting the minutiae of any motors caught in its lens.
Featuring a 1.5-inch HD LCD display and a 140° viewing angle, you can easily glance to check the A119 MINI 2 is keeping its eye on the road and you haven’t accidentally disconnected it from the USB or car charger that powers it.
Recording onto a removable microSD card (not included), you can transfer footage that way or by simply streaming it over the dual-band Wi-Fi, either way, said footage is beautifully crisp and about as engaging as a trip around the M25 will ever get.
Buy now £139.99, Amazon
Nextbase 622GW
Best for: Single cam sublimity
Now, there’s a very good chance you’ve clocked the price of the Nextbase and instantly realised that you can get the VIOFO A139 or MIOFIVE dual camera systems for less money than this single dashcam device and, yes, you’d be bang on. But then, you’ve not heard what it does yet.
Right, with a full 4K resolution and a 140° viewing angle, the 622GW gives you that UHD footage at 30fps, or 1440p HD at 60fps and 1080p HD at 120fps, but whichever way you want it, all recordings are guaranteed to deliver absolutely stunning detail thanks to such resolution and the added inclusion of image stabilisation.
A sizeable three-inch LED HD IPS touchscreen puts control at your fingertips, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi make it easy to connect to the accompanying app and stream from the Nextbase’s microSD card (not included), and enhanced night vision turns dark into day.
“So what?” You might snarl in petty disdain. “The other ones do much the same!” Ah, well, hold your horsepower, because this is where the Nextbase earns the extra cash – it also comes with Alexa built-in, so you can just tell it to play your music, make calls, check the news and weather, control smart home devices, get directions and, well, all the other marvellous stuff Alexa can do for you.
And that’s not all! The GPS gives precise geographical location… even when it’s offline, so that, in the event of an accident, the ‘what3words’ system can share your location so that emergency services can find you with pinpoint ease. Nifty, eh?
So, with 4K footage sorted, Alexa included, and an unrivalled safety system all on board, I think it’s fair to say the Nextbase 622GW justifies the chunk of change required to get its advanced abilities watching out for you.
Buy now £239.99, Amazon
Garmin Dash Cam Mini 2
Best for: A tiny HD hero
A little something from a name you will know now, the Mini 2 from Garmin is, first of all, absolutely miniscule, so if you’re the kind of driver who doesn’t like having any part of the windscreen obscured, this is the obvious option for you.
Sticking straight onto the window via suction cup, the Mini 2 is supercapacitor powered (constant power cable available separately) and takes video at 1080P and 30fps at a viewing angle of 140°.
Garmin app operated, there’s obviously no display on the device itself as, at that size, it would be pretty pointless, the Mini 2 records onto a microSD card (not included) and does not feature GPS, which is why you’re getting a Garmin at £120.
Delivering detailed high-res images, however, if it’s just simplicity and the safety of your insurance you seek, get your hands on the Garmin.
Buy now £187.53, Amazon
Road Angel Halo Pro
Best for: Reasonably priced front and rear coverage
Many years ago, possibly more than I care to remember, I was sent a Road Angel Plus speed camera detector to review for a magazine I was then editor of. Back then, with its heroic and manly cry of “ROAD ANGEL!” every time you fired it up, alongside its ability to almost not completely judge how fast you were driving and where speed cameras were kind of likely to be, it was cutting-edge kit.
Fast forward countless years to today, and I now have in my possession a review model of Road Angel’s very latest slice of in-car tech, the Halo Pro, an award-winning sub-£200 front and rear dual cam, and much has been learnt about precision since the beloved Plus.
Wonderfully compact, there’s no chance of the Halo Pro blocking visibility and it’s so easy to install and operate that even an idiot like me can do it - so you should be out of the box and up and running in next to no time.
Featuring a 140° rotating wide angle 2K camera to the front and 1080p bringing up the rear, the combination of an optic lens and CMOS Sensor makes for brilliantly clear and crisp footage, while the built-in GPS and G-Sensor pinpoint your position perfectly and registers impact, so the evidence of any on-road altercation it provides can never be in question.
With a hard-wiring kit also available, the Halo Pro then also offers Parking Mode protection, so even with the car stationary and the engine off, that aforementioned G-Sensor will detect any movement and automatically kick off the recording.
A very slick bit of kit that has you completely covered, for the price, Road Angel’s latest is impossible to beat. Does it still shout “ROAD ANGEL!” in an excitable male voice on start-up? It does not. Instead, a rather sultry female voice almost whispers “Halo active” – progress is a marvellous thing.
Available at Road Angel
Buy now £189.99, Amazon
70mai Dash Cam 4K A810
Best for: Low price, high spec
Driving these days can be a risky business. The National Safety Council suggests that the chances of being involved in a road traffic accident is 1 in 335 for every 1000 miles you drive, and I have no statistical reason to argue with them.
Of course, the degree of the “accident” depends on where you are. In Central London, for example, it’ll be a bump, as nobody can generally move at a rate over 2mph. Further out, however, collision incidents can be far more serious. So, knowing the prang probability factor as you now do, you might want to consider arming yourself with one on mai70’s latest, decidedly affordable 4K-capable dash cams, namely the A810.
A dual set-up, with 4K up front and HDR to the rear, the A810 comes packing the powerful Sony STARVIS 2 IMX678 image sensor for high-quality image capture both day and night, which, alongside 70mai’s self-developed ‘Night Owl Vision’ HDR algorithm means things that go bump in the night will be captured on camera as clear as day.
But, in a bid to ensure you don’t end up having to swap insurance details with – what I’m going to call – some idiot, there’s also ‘Super-Sensing ADAS’ which takes safety alerts to the next level, warning you of pedestrians and bikers, lane departures, moving traffic and, of course, any actual collisions.
What’s more, if you were to invest in the optional Hardwire Kit UP 03, you can add to this AI motion detection when parked, which sees the A810 automatically recording when a potential threat is sensed, and time-lapse recording, which compresses every 15 minutes of parked-up recording into just 1 minute, saving space on the SD card.
A bargain at £180, or £200 if you (sensibly) add in the Hardwire Kit, the 70mai Dach Cam 4K A810 could well be your ideal all-seeing armament in the battle against blame.
Buy now £179.99, Amazon
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Best dashcam FAQs
Is it worth having a dash cam?
Whether you live in a rural area or in the urban jungle, it's always worth having an extra set of eyes. Should you have a road accident or unwittingly witness a crime, the footage a dash cam gathers can be invaluable. The recorded content can also help settle insurance claims quickly and could even lower or maintain insurance premiums in some cases.
Does having a dash cam reduce your car insurance?
Having a dash cam can, in some cases, lower the cost of your car insurance. Providers may recognise that dash cam owners are less dangerous drivers. Not all insurers do this though - best to read the Ts&Cs carefully before choosing who to insure with.
Can you use dash cam footage in the event of an incident?
Yes, you can use the dash cam recordings as evidence for insurance claims and even court cases. It helps if your dash cam has a wide recording angle and can capture details such as number plates.
Do dash cams work when your car is switched off?
If you want to keep a watchful eye over your car when it is stationary, choose a dash cam with parking mode. This will keep the tech running when you're parked and can help if your car is broken into or stolen. Ensure you can hardwire the dash cam for a constant power source.
