This story was written in collaboration with Forbes Finds. Forbes Finds covers products we think you’ll love. Featured products are independently selected and linked to for your convenience. If you buy something using a link on this page, Forbes may receive a small share of that sale.
If you’ve ever seen crazy driving out on the road—and who hasn’t?—you’ve probably wished you could have captured it on video just like it seems everyone in Russia is doing these days.
But beyond the entertainment value of other people’s questionable driving skills, dash-mounted video cameras—better known as dash cams—can also give you a legal leg up in an accident or even reverse a traffic citation. Plus, you never know when you’ll capture that random bit of craziness or a meteor on video.
Modern top-tier dash cams do more than just record video. They can also record driving data, warn about excessive speed and lane departure, even monitor your car while it’s parked and send instant updates to your phone. Many also include Wi-Fi-based video transfer systems to a smart phone so you can get your video to where it needs to go right away: The police, an insurance company, a lawyer or your online media channel. And the video quality is better than ever with many models now featuring 4K or 1440P resolution.
Here are the best dash cams on the market today.
Blackvue DR900S-1CH
This unusual-looking dash cam appears to be simple but packs a lot of tech into a small package. The cylindrical body houses a 4K camera system, 2.4ghz and 5ghz Wi-Fi and GPS. The DR900s is also unusual in that it does not include a viewscreen as is typical with most dash cams. Instead, it quickly connects and streams video to your phone, including remotely. That keeps the form factor small and simple. Adding BlackVue’s Over The Cloud app and monitoring service lets you get push notifications in case of incidents, live video from the camera, and two-way audio communication through the device. It records in H265 for maximum quality. Cloud storage plans range from a free option to $10 per month for one dash cam or $20 for three. Fleet options are also available. And yes, the BlackVue app lets you stream live to Facebook.
Owlcam
Like the BlackVue, the Owlcam has the ability to stream video to your phone online, but it operates more like a traditional dash cam in that it has an LCD touchscreen. It features two cameras in its housing, a high-resolution 1440P front camera and a 720P camera discreetly placed next to the screen for recording what’s happening inside your car. The Owlcam connects to your car’s ODP diagnostic port for power and data information rather than a 12-volt Powerlet like most dash cams. That means your car needs to be newer than a 1996 model for it to work. Owlcam includes a year of service with purchase, and that includes an OnStar-like post-crash concierge service for emergencies. After a year it’s $10 a month. It also has voice control capabilities, a rare feature. Naturally, it has a dedicated app for quickly downloading clips to your phone and setting up options.
Garmin Dash Cam 55
GPS leader Garmin isn’t about to be left out of the dash cam game, and it has a winner with the popular Dash Cam 55. Looking more like a well-known action camera than a dash cam, the Garmin 55 packs all the needed features into a tiny package. There’s 1440P recording, voice controls, lane departure warnings, streaming to your phone, GPS data (of course), and like the rest of the cameras on this list, automatic incident recording if there’s an impact. The 55 has a good reputation for recording good low-light video and the tiny size means it keeps a low profile while in operation. But the 55 also has a fun feature many dash cams lack: Time-lapse recording, which Garmin calls “Travelapse.” Now your commute can look like a lap of an F1 race.
Nextbase 522GW
The Nextbase 522GW looks like your typical dash cam, but it includes a feature that’s just starting show up more often in mobile tech: Alexa integration. That means you can operate it using the reliable Amazon chatbot and even have it do other things like control music, check the weather or check in at home. The 522GW also features a larger touchscreen and 1440P video, a quick-release mount and a responsive app. You can also expand its capabilities by plugging in an optional rear-window camera. Download videos over the app using the built-in Wi-Fi, and if the worst happens, the 522GW can alert emergency services in the event of a crash.
Thinkware Q800 Pro
Drive at night much? If that’s your thing, then the Thinkware Q800 Pro might be your best co-pilot. While it offers many of the same features of other cameras on this list, it excels at low-light recording, making it perfect for night owls, rideshare drivers and anyone else out plying the roadways after sundown. Its unobtrusive design keeps it on the DL but the built-in Wi-Fi can send videos to your phone in seconds. The Q800 is smart as well, with built-in GPS that will give you a heads-up on red light cameras and speed limits, and warnings for lane departures and forward impacts. The free Thinkware Cloud service doesn’t stream live video, but it does update the location of your vehicle as well as offering geo-fencing notifications and more.
Garmin DriveAssist 51 LMT-S
Here’s an idea: Take a top-tier GPS device and add a camera to it. That’s just what Garmin did with the Garmin DriveAssist 51 LMT-S. It looks like a regular Garmin GPS device, and features a big 5-inch touchscreen, voice activation, Bluetooth for hands-free calling, driver alerts, parking information and on and on—and it’s a dash cam as well. The camera records in one-minute intervals and includes crash detection. And when it’s time to play back the video, the big screen rivals many smartphones. It can even overlay the video over the directions, giving you a better idea of where to turn or what exit to take.
Vantrue N2 Pro
Do you drive ride-share? Or carry passengers for a driving service? Then the perfect dash cam is one that looks both outside and inside the car. The Vantrue N2 Pro is just such a device and it keeps things simple while capturing simultaneous 1080P HD clips of activity in and around your vehicle. The small size and low profile design doesn’t scream “You’re on video!” and at night, infrared illumination helps fill in the gaps. Wide angle lenses give you 310 degrees of total coverage and there’s a small LCD screen to review your videos. It even has a parking nanny feature to catch those door dings.
