Best dash cams 2024
We take a view on the best in-car cameras
Dash cams have moved from being a novelty gadget into the mainstream. Many drivers fit one through choice, but now some employers and insurers will insist you have a camera, because it makes insurance claims simpler to resolve. While the cheapest units can cost less than £20, it’s worth investing more to get useful features and sharper footage.
The best cams can capture in high-quality 4K, which improves your chances of seeing details such as number plates and road markings. Night vision helps in the dark, while polarising filters reduce glare, and GPS sensors add speed and location data. Then there are apps to view and download footage, and parking protection settings for recording incidents even when you are away from the car.
As with most products, you get what you pay for, but some cameras hit a sweet spot between footage quality, features and price. Which will capture our Best Buy?
How we tested them
We attached all the cameras onto the windscreen of our test car and drove in a wide variety of light and weather conditions to see how they were able to cope with everything from bright sunshine to dark country lanes.
We then checked how easy it was to save footage after an incident, and the quality of the images. Finally, we looked at each cam’s features and price to judge the value for money.
Reviews
Miofive S1 4K Dash Cam
- Price: Around £80 (plus SD card)
- Rating: 5 stars
- Resolution: 4K
- Webiste: amazon.co.uk
Miofive cameras have been sneaking up our score sheets for a while, and it’s the S1 which has finally made it to the very top. It’s the cheapest dash cam here, yet it has the same ability to capture 4K footage as the most expensive rivals. Even if you were to add an SD card and hardwire kit, the whole package would come in comfortably under a £150 budget.
The camera also has built-in GPS and a screen that makes it easy to set up, along with fast WiFi connection to the simple app. The footage is up with the best in sunlight, and acceptable at night.
Nextbase iQ 4K
- Price: Around £450 (including 64GB memory card)
- Rating: 4.5 stars
- Resolution: 4K
- Website: nextbase.com
This is the first dash cam in years that really seems to move the market on, thanks to connectivity that means you can view footage from the camera – inside and outside the car – live from your smartphone. You can also use the app to download complete accident reports, which bundle the footage and all the details, including the speed of any other vehicles involved.
We love the iQ, but the 4K version we tried costs £449, with a 2K model at £349. And if you want all the connected features, you’ll need to pay a £9.99 monthly subscription too. That might prove to be too much for many motorists.
Ring RSDC3000
- Price: Around £100 (plus SD card)
- Rating: 4 stars
- Resolution: 1296P
- Website: ringautomotive.com
Our previous champion is still a great camera, but a recent price rise has left it looking expensive compared with the winning Miofive. It only has 1296P resolution too, but despite the lower quality, it still provided clear detail in most conditions and coped well with changing light conditions.
It has all the features we consider essential too, including embedded GPS data and a WiFi connection to link with the Ring app. We’d have liked the option of a hard wire, though, to enable neater cabling and a parking protection mode.
Kenwood DRV A601W
- Price: Around £240 (including 64GB memory card)
- Rating: 3.5 stars
- Resolution 4K
- Website: kenwoodshop.co.uk
Kenwood’s A601 is a traditional camera that does all that you need without a fuss. There are no unnecessary gadgets, just reliable footage capture with GPS data and a decent app. It stands out here thanks to the image quality in brighter conditions. A standard polarising filter makes a real difference when it’s sunny, reducing glare and reflections from the dashboard.
The price will put many buyers off, but the A601 has a 64GB memory card included and feels much more solid than the cheaper cameras here, especially around the magnetic mounting.
Viofo A229 PRO
- Price: Around £235 (plus memory card)
- Resolution: 4K
- Rating: 3.5 stars
- Website: viofo.com
Viofo might not be a household name like Nextbase and Kenwood, but its cameras have been improving quickly, to the stage where the tech is equal to the biggest players. The A229 Pro is its flagship, offering 4K footage captured through a polarising lens, which does a decent job in all light conditions. The wedge-shaped camera is subtle too, with a built-in screen that makes it easy to navigate the menus.
The Viofo becomes a more attractive choice if you fancy adding more cameras to the set-up, though. You can plug in two more feeds to cover the interior and rear of the car, if you want.
Thinkware F70 Pro
- Price: Around £119 (including 32GB SD card)
- Rating: 3 stars
- Resolution: 1080P
- Website: thinkwaredashcam.eu
The Thinkware initially looks like fair value, but it’s missing some key features, the most obvious being footage quality. The difference isn’t as stark as you might expect, but in some situations rivals picked up a number plate legibly and the F70 couldn’t.
There’s no screen, so the camera is compact, and there is a simple button to save footage. We like the no-cost option of a hard wire too, but adding a GPS sensor costs another £20.
Verdict:
The Nextbase iQ is the camera we’re most impressed by in this test, but its hefty price and ongoing running costs mean it will only make real sense to professional drivers and those who want to keep a watchful eye on a supercar.
Once we took value into account, we were really impressed by the Miofive S1. It’s not perfect, but it offers 4K footage and all the features we think are essential for less than £100. That makes it a winner. Third place goes to the Ring RSDC3000, which is still a great all-round package.
- Miofive S1 4K Dash Cam
- Nextbase iQ 4K
- Ring RSDC300
Now that you can record the road ahead, make sure you can see it clearly with the best headlight bulbs....
