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Dash cams have spiraled down in price since first appearing over a decade ago. While early models were cumbersome and expensive, the usual forces of technology and market scaling have brought dash cams down to less than $100—often a lot less —while offering reliability and robust features often found in more expensive models. Some will require a memory card to record video. But a 64-gigabyte card is now only about $12, and 32GB cards are often under $10.
All of the cameras on this list include must-have features including 1080-pixel HD recording (at a minimum), loop recording and collision detection. Check out this selection of quality and top-rated dash cams for less than a Ben Franklin.
Crosstour CR750
How much dash camera can you get for well under $100? The Crosstour CR750 says “A lot!” Beside the basics, the CR750 adds in a second 720-pixel camera with night-vision LEDs that focus on the car’s interior, making it great for ride-share and commercial drivers. As a bonus, the CR750 also tracks GPS information while recording video. It will also shoot in time lapse and even has motion detection features. The small size and simple operation make it a snap to set up and start recording.
Apeman C580
Okay, the branding may be a little quirky, but the Apeman C580 rings in well under $100 while offering a tethered remote rear camera, built-in Wi-Fi, an app for quick downloading to your phone and enhanced low-light performance. So if you need a two-camera setup on a budget, it’s hard to go wrong with the Apeman.
Awesafe 4K
Videophiles rejoice! Now you can watch your dash cam video epic in 4K resolution. The Awesafe 4K model features 2196-pixel recording, built-in GPS logging and a relatively large three-inch LCD screen. The top connector is also magnetic so you can just pop it off the windshield mount for safe keeping.
Pruvee F5
How low can you go and still get a good dash cam? The Pruvee F5 says 1080-pixel video, a full slate of basic features and a low-profile wedge design can be yours for a less than a couple of $20 bills. It even has a small wiring organizer to keep installation looking extra clean.
Vava HD
The Vava HD looks unusual for reason: The clever design lets the driver rotate the camera at any time to record the vehicle’s interior or something happening off to the side. The Vava camera works in tandem with a powerful Vava app and has built-in Wi-Fi for quickly transferring videos to a phone.
Rove R2-4K
At just a tick under the magic $100, the Rove R2-4K dash cam comes with a wide spread of features normally found in models costing much more. That includes 4K video recording, Wi-Fi for fast video downloads, GPS location logging and even voice command recognition. There’s a robust app for controlling video clips. and it even takes 12-megapixel photos. A convenient screen saver mode keeps recording but only shows time, heading and speed.
Toguard CE 34
Yes, you can indeed get a new-style camera-in-mirror dual-camera setup for under $100. In fact, the Toguard CE34 system includes both front and rear cameras. The video is displayed on a 5-inch touchscreen in the right side of the rearview mirror rather than the whole mirror, so you can also see out the back. The best of both worlds!
