Top 5 Dash Cameras in 2024
In case you always want to have video evidence and recordings while you’re on the road to fast track insurance claims or avoid false traffic tickets – you’ll need a dash cam.
Dash cams are super helpful to have while driving as you can clearly see everything that happened and free yourself from any problems.
However, all dash cams don’t work the same.
We’ve researched over 21 different dash cams and looked for something with high-quality image, loop recording, wide-angle capture, night vision, and other important features.
Here are the top 5 picks of this year:
Penny M - Research Specialist
With years of researching and inspecting helpful gadgets and tech devices, Penny gained an admirable knowledge. Check out her world-class knowledge and expertise in our Top 5 Reviews series.
Overall Grade
A+
Rating
9.8/10
OVERALL ANALYSIS
Osmo DashCam is by far our favorite choice on the market.
The first thing that makes it outstanding is 170° wide-angle capture that ensures everything is being covered and recorded. It’s far more efficient than the usual 120° wide-angle, so it’s worth having it.
When you consider that it also has a 1080p HD image under any weather conditions or circumstances, it already gives you everything you need for a safe drive.
It’s loop recording the whole time.
This means you won’t have to worry if you turn the camera on because it will be recording 24/7 and store all the data on the SD card. This makes it super helpful at night when someone’s trying to steal or damage your car.
They even offer PRO version of SD card for a very special price – it would cost a lot more if you were trying to buy it separately.
Talking about the night conditions, it has night vision to have a precise and crystal clear view even at night. It allows you to zoom in on certain license plates even at night.
It has a parking monitor and motion detection.
Osmo DashCam is very easy to install and it requires less than a couple of minutes, and it doesn’t need any extra wiring as with some other dash cams.
Osmo offers a 1-year extended warranty, plus free shipping for whole Canada.
Pros
170° wide-angle capture
1080p HD image
Night vision
Motion detection
Zoom in on license plates
Easy to install
Parking monitor
Loop recording
Protects your car at night
Suitable for cars, trucks, RVs
No frozen image
1-year extended warranty
Cons
Often runs out of stock due to high demand
Often runs out of stock due to high demand
WRAP-UP
Osmo DashCam is fairly priced for a market-leading dash cam with innovative technology and HD visuals. Take advantage of this limited-time discount while supplies last.
Osmo offers a 1-year extended warranty and free shipping. Osmo DashCam was unanimously voted the best dash cam of 2024.
Overall Grade
B+
Rating
8.8/10
OVERALL ANALYSIS
When we chose to shoot in 4K/30p, the resulting footage looked almost cinematic in its presentation, with extremely crisp definition and great detail, even in poor lighting. This makes it much easier to pinpoint registration numbers or pick out hard-to-see elements of an accident.
A built-in polarizing filter on the front of the camera can be rotated to reduce glare from windscreens, while digital image stabilization is another first for the dash cam market and helps smooth out those bumps and shakes caused by potholes and poor road surfaces.
Like its 522GW sibling, this model can be controlled via your voice with Alexa Skills, but it requires the accompanying smartphone app to work, which we didn’t rate as the best we’ve tried. Despite new dual 2.4GHz + 5GHz Wi-Fi, we found that it still had trouble connecting with phones to transfer images and video clips.
Thankfully, the 3-inch rear touchscreen is crisp, clear and very easy to use, while the inclusion of what3words combines well with Nextbase’s EmergencySOS feature, which you get a year’s free subscription for with this dash cam.
Pros
Great technology
LCD Display
Amazing quality
Compatible with any car
Nice design
Free shipping
Easy to adjust
Cons
Could be more durable
A bit expensive
Overall Grade
B
Rating
8.3/10
OVERALL ANALYSIS
The Garmin Mini 2 is a tiny dash cam that all but disappears behind your car’s rear view mirror, yet boasts Full HD video with HDR, voice control that actually works reliably, a decent smartphone app and a dead-simple magnetic mounting system.
Installing the Mini 2 is the same as other members of the Garmin Dash Cam family. We found the setup process took just a few minutes with the use of Garmin’s Drive smartphone app (iOS and Android). The simple but effective mounting system comprises a ball-and-socket joint for positioning the camera at the perfect angle, while a coin-sized magnet that sticks to your windscreen and holds the dash cam securely in place.
We found video quality to be good for the size of the camera. It records in Full HD, 30fps with HDR and produces footage that is sharp enough to pick out key details like registration plates, whatever the ambient light and weather conditions. At 140 degrees, the lens’ field-of-view isn’t the widest on the market, but still provides a good view of the road ahead.
There’s a button for quickly saving a portion of video (or you can rely on the g-sensor to automatically detect a collision) and voice controls for functions like taking a photo or turning audio recording on and off work surprisingly well.
Pros
Advanced features
Easy to use
1080p HD image
Zoom in feature
Easy to set up
Voice control
Lightweight
Cons
No motion detection
Poor night vision
Only 7-day money back guarantee
Overall Grade
B
Ratings
7.8/10
OVERALL ANALYSIS
Aimed at those who spend extended periods behind the wheel, the Nexar Pro is a dual-cam solution that can record video both inside and outside a vehicle. Comprised of two separate camera units connected by a cable, we found the setup to be pretty neat, even if it took up a fair bit of screen real estate.
The Nexar app is central to the twin camera experience: it’s where you can fine-tune settings, generate incident reports and back recorded clips up to the cloud (Nexar bundles cloud storage in for free). Other useful tools include break-in alerts if someone tries to tamper with your car, as well as GPS data logging.
This dash cam doesn’t record in 4K, but we found its 1080p video to be perfectly serviceable. The external camera fares well even in tricky shooting situations, from heavy rain to bright sunshine. There are cheaper dash cams out there with fewer features to play with, but if the security of your car is crucial to your daily life, the Pro is hard to beat in terms of protection and overall value.
Pros
Solid image quality
Advanced settings
Easy to set up
Free shipping in the US
Positive reviews
30-day money back guarantee
Cons
No money-back guarantee
120° angle-wide capture
Sometimes freezes
Overall Grade
c+
Rating
7.5/10
OVERALL ANALYSIS
Neatly designed and relatively compact, the Vantrue E1 is an attractive dash cam that’s capable of recording 2.5K video at 30fps. It can also capture Full HD footage at a smoother 60fps, for additional detail while you drive. Results are sharp night and day, with accurate colors and acceptable noise in low light. Our testing revealed that the optional polarising filter reduces dashboard reflections.
The E1’s magnetic mount works well, but the lack of sideways adjustments limits its use if you can’t fit it centrally. If you can, you’ll find its 160-degree angle captures a wide view of what’s ahead. A tiny 1.54-inch screen offers a handy preview when installing, but the smartphone app is more useful to tweak settings.
Driver assistance is left to your vehicle, but the E1 still has a solid set of features. That includes GPS tracking, Wi-Fi connectivity, and a remote for wirelessly saving footage.
Pros
Crystal clear image
Great technology
Built-in GPS
Can be connected over WiFi
Free shipping
Cons
Too expensive
Not durable
They upsell you with subscription
Mixed reviews
WHAT IS DASH CAM?
Advantages of Dash Camera
- You can avoid false traffic tickets
- Have evidence in case of accident
- Fast track insurance claims
- Identify theft or damage at night
- Compatible with any vehicle
- 24/7 loop recording
- Easy to install
- Affordable
Things To Consider WHEN CHOOSING THE BEST Dash Cam
170° wide-angle
It’s a lot more efficient than a normal 120° wide-angle and it should always be one of the things to prioritize before buying it. It ensures recording from both sides and not just what’s in front of you.
1080p HD image
Crystal clear image is always an important thing when it comes to cameras, so always look for 1080p as it has the best frame rate and it prevents image from getting “frozen”.
Night vision
A lot of accidents happen at night due to less visibility, so it’s important that your dash camera has a night vision to always have a sharp image under any weather conditions or circumstances.
Loop recording
A lot of times you might forget about turning the camera on or off, so always seek for loop recording as it will ensure that everything is being recorded and stored on your SD card.
Warranty
If the brand doesn't offer a money-back guarantee or warranty on their camera, you should stay away from it. Always look for something you can try out and receive a full refund if you don't find it useful.
What To Avoid When Choosing Dash Cam
No motion detection
This has a lot to do with innovative technology and only modern dash cameras have it. It’s very helpful at night and against thieves.
Hard to install
It’s shocking how some dash cameras are hard to install, it requires a lot of back and forth and user manuals are usually not enough. Always look for easy to install alternatives.
Cheap knockoffs
There are a ton of cheap products (even on Amazon) that are just pure garbage. They aren’t even tested and they’ll just waste your time and money. In my opinion, anything below $100 can’t be functional.
Penny M - Research Specialist
With years of researching and inspecting helpful gadgets and tech devices, Penny gained an admirable knowledge. Check out her world-class knowledge and expertise in our Top 5 Reviews series.
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