Best Dash Cam 2023: Buying Guide

Here's how to find the best dash cam for your needs.
Check out our dashcam picks here👇:
Garmin Dash Cam: cnet.co/3hBBuqk
Nexar Beam GPS Dash Cam: cnet.co/3NZIAB5
Vantrue N4 3 Channel 4K Dash Cam: cnet.co/3Ep9teD
Nextbase 622GW Front and Rear Dash Cam: cnet.co/3Uw2vtR
*CNET may get commission on these deals
Specs like resolution and rear view are important, but so is the right kind of windshield mount and connectivity to your phone.
0:00 Dash Cam Buyers Guide
0:27 What Is A Dash Cam
2:03 Garmin Mini 2
2:54 Nexar Beam GPS
5:10 Vantrue N4
6:30 Nextbase 622GW
8:03 What Makes A Good Dash Cam
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[@thebigdoghimself]

My tip, keep audio recording on and if something happens read the licence plate out loud. That way if the cam doesn't capture a readable plate you are covered.

[@cellman1829]

That is exactly my thought hence why I keep it on with mine

[@anthonya824]

Good idea. For that matter, maybe I won’t even bother fussing over video quality since they’re all within two standard deviations of doodoo anyways. Ya know, this is my problem with all of these cams. None of the example footage seems to demonstrate decent license plate capture.

[@smoke126857]

audio recording for which camera?

[@thebigdoghimself]

@@smoke126857 we have a nextbase, but most dash cams have an option to record audio inside the car.

[@SUTIKNORJ99]

Hehehe...you right bro..

[@angakingtutube]

I was in a car accident where the other driver ran a stop sign and hit me so hard that it totalled my car. Then he told the police I was speeding and said he had a witness. But the best story was told by the dash cam video clip taken by the car driver behind me. End of the story --- for him. I've never thought I'd want a dash cam until then. It's the best witness out there and settles lies from the truth. This man was very kind to pull over and offered his video clip. A hero!

[@rogerbowles5480]

Makes no difference if you were speeding if he jumped a red light he is to blame

[@priley817]

@@rogerbowles5480 It’s he said, she said in court man. Both fcked

[@mustafeabdi8483]

Amazing 👏 I really need it

[@Mark-OutWest]

And THIS is the top reason for wanting to get one, especially after seeing the "Idiots in cars" channels on YT.

[@mandyinseattle]

Not only do I want a dash cam but I want it to be obvious to everyone around me that I have one. I even have a little sticker on the back of my car that I made that's blue like my car that says smile, you're on camera.

[@samm4980]

I never thought I’d learn so much about dash cams from Gus Fring.

[@catalindeluxus8545]

Thank you, I can't believe I had to scroll this far to see this

[@markw208]

I agree that dashcams, especially front but also rear, are an insurance necessity. I also admire Brian Cooley’s thought processes and presentation. Always relevant, clear and thorough.

[@timsmotorcyclediary]

I’ve gotten into 2 collisions recently. Since I had a dash cam, it made dealing with insurance so easy and I was not at fault both times. No stress beyond having to file a collision report which eats up a few hours.

[@whocares_bear]

Which dash cam did you buy. Funny how no one in the comments ever says what kind of dash cam they have when saying how great they worked

[@stgs1988]

It could have been interesting to hear a bit about why car manufacturers don’t have them built in on cars from the factory in the first place.

[@mrpawpaw7023]

The modern cars all have cams which record video, but they will not give access to it.

[@rogerbowles5480]

Because technology changes so quickly 8k will be here soon

[@oleksandrmarkovichenko5774]

@@rogerbowles5480 and how many *k do we need to finally be able to read someone's license plate?

[@rogerbowles5480]

I can read number plates with my 4k

[@Countcho]

Tesla’s, hummer ev, f150 lightning, rivian

[@wishnuhj]

The whole time I am looking at this video is the Vintage Defender. What a classic-looking Car!

[@Stallzyx]

Convenient how there's no VIOFO recommendations... the A119 series is really good. I had one between 2017 and 2020, and might even put it again to use or buy another lot, but the v3 is still very well recommended and rated and missing from the list here

[@johnhudson3095]

i currently have the nextbase 122. far cry from the 622GW that is featured in this video, but I was very impressed with the quality for the price paid. i will be upgrading soon to maybe the 622GW.

[@TFFTR1]

I have the Nexar beam and Pro. We have been disappointed in the service for the last 2 years. The system at one time operated seamlessly until an update occurred and now there are multiple issues that Nexar is aware of but has yet to resolve

[@smoke126857]

Thanks I believe I found which cameras I want. Vantrue/or Nextbass

[@MeasureOnce]

Good review, great reporting thanks

[@kevindown1592]

I worked a weird swing shift 4/10’s. I started at 3:45PM and worked until 2:30AM. Over the years I’ve seen a number of impaired drivers and 3 wrong way freeway drivers. The last one had just come onto the freeway off ramp when I encountered him. I was too busy flashing my lights and honking at him to get him to turn around to get his plate number. I was way too busy and careful to avoid him to get more. Thank goodness I had a dash cam to be able to report the driver once I got home and pulled the memory card. I would also recommend you do a practice run of recording, pulling the card, and checking it on your computer. After an accident is not the time to learn how to use it. In other countries dash cams are almost a necessity due to the number of insurance fraud cases. You can find many videos on KZbin of weird stuff people see while driving. Things like a tank crossing the road or wild near miss accidents. I think dash cams are most useful in disputes over car accidents. The more information you can provide your insurance company the better the chance you get your claim settled. In the case of my wife she gets so flustered in an accident she doesn’t remember anything. The camera helps if it ever happens again.

[@TheNemobile]

I am glad dash cams are covered again, but I wish viewing angles of each dash cam was also discussed since it’s pretty important to many drivers out there. I believe the Garmin and Nexar models in this video only covers 140 degrees when some of Vantrue models cover 160+ degrees they claim. Also, I find it out to see this lineup of random price range models from different manufacturers. One last thing I’d like to add is, please remind future dash cam buyers that they driving habits are also recorded and can work against them.

[@rickardone1219]

Only hand over the clip that is relevant to the collision, not the entire chip!

[@beckibell3232]

thank you, great info vid.

[@DefinitelyNotMyRealName]

I’ve got a Garmin 56 up front and a Garmin Mini in the rear. Works fantastically, and the PiP overlay video is sweet.

[@benboatright6461]

u ever have any issues backing up videos to pc or connecting properly? im looking at getting garmin 56 or 67w with mini 2 for the rear but see mixed reviews and was looking at the tandem one that has front and rear built in but lot of people had complaints about it as well and saying that the rear view angle isnt really good

[@greglr19751]

Great video. Very useful info and you have a great voice and presentation about you. I ordered the 622GW because of you. Very excited to get it.

[@iHernandez620]

i highly recommend the VaVa dash cam!! been using it for 2 years and the app is easy to use and easy to set up

[@tdkcastro]

I loved this camera until it stopped connecting to phone, horrible customer service

[@PatrickdaStarr]

Dashcams should be required in every car. I love mine.

[@Gumbier_Than]

When my 19 year old niece got her first car. I immediately got her a camera. Dash cam saved my butt several times already.

[@mandyinseattle]

Very helpful. Thank you

[@oghomelesskid]

Brian, youre amazing sir!

[@YouAndImpact]

Great video 👍

[@uzhoutx]

❤️ Thank you, Brian! 🤠❤️

[@ivanvelez7668]

hi, I have question. what camera would you recommend for recording police interactions from inside my car??

[@congoparrot]

love the permamt magnet mount like garmin uses. the nexar sucktion cup works for a limited period of time then it falls off the glass. so annoying.

[@dave.vega.]

A lot of these cameras will stop recording in a serious accident due to the car cutting off power. That just happened to me. We want to see thorough reviews where this is addressed

[@moktadir4]

Alternatively, have a capacitor connected between the camera and car

[@Countcho]

So maybe battery powered ones are better that uses the car to charge

[@whocares_bear]

Which dash cam did you have?

[@dave.vega.]

@@whocares_bearapeman 2k

[@DollaDollaBillYall]

I was recently side swiped and the driver skipped on me. Even though I was able to take a picture with my phone of the vehicle and license plate the driver denied responsibility and now insurance won't cover damages. Needless to say now I'm looking for a dash cam 😅

[@SteveandLizDonaldson]

Great presentation for someone new to them like myself. Maybe it would be useful to also add about charging: Can they run off internal batteries (say charged indoors overnight), or must they be plugged in to the car's 12v power?

[@anthonya824]

Most that I’ve seen covered have no internal battery and therefore require 12V to operate.

[@DannerBanks]

Linus Tech Tips analyzed dash cams and found that most can't provide a clear view of license plates. Would've loved a test for that here

[@CatskillOne]

Vortex Radar posted one showing how some manufacturers are using a 2nd telephoto lens to successfully record license plates more clearly. Interesting watch

[@Stallzyx]

I bought a Viofo A119 v2 back in 2017 and used it until early 2020 when my car was rear ended. Wish I had a rear unit though. Convenient how CNET decided to ignore them completely... Edit: completely forgot the point I commented and that was it was actually best in its class / budget for reading number plates. no complaints

[@hsreG12]

@@Stallzyx He said the Vanture N4 has a back camera. I guess you didn't watch the whole video?

[@Stallzyx]

@@hsreG12 I'm confused, what are you talking about? I said I didn't have a rear camera when my car was rear ended from experience, I wasn't saying anything about the content of the video. In terms of what dashcam to buy, I recommend the Viofo A139 Pro. You can get a two channel 4k front and 1080p rear, but I love the 4k quality so much that I got two main front units on both the front and rear, but also got the regular two channel kit running at same time so basically got two lots of rear recordings now :)

[@Stallzyx]

@@hsreG12 Oh, I was saying CNET conveniently ignored recommending any VIOFO branded cameras, not that they didn't show rear cameras. Hope that clears it up - Or it's possible I missed the part with the Vantrue unit as you say, but usually the rear camera quality is a bit meh compared to the front. Hence why I mentioned the setup I got above now which does 4k front and rear. Probably overkill but I am obsessive

[@BrewBlaster]

Thanks for a very informative yet concise breakdown of dashcam features.

[@rickymarwah3438]

my 2015 e400 has front, rear & 360 cameras but MB told me I can't use them as a dashcam because of some regulations. There's even an SD card slot for local storage.

[@artmaltman]

Excellent overview. How do the image quality compare?

[@Hairextensionsbydenise]

are there any dashcams that can record from the side in case of getting sideswiped?

[@mrdude3691]

It's really nice of Gus Fring to make dash cam reviews for us now that he retired from Los Pollos Hermanos.

[@toddsmith8608]

Retired? He got blowed up by a dude in a wheelchair as i recall.

[@NoteAndroid]

So far I've not found a decent dash "mount" for our summer vacation to Miami where the summer heat inside the car is over 100 and the front shield glass is way over 100, everything melts, and a not a thing on earth can attach to it. The dash cam and the car front dash digital instrument panel both have glitches due to the heat from time to time. My best resolution is Play-Doh, self made "heat resistant dash cam mount" costs less than $2 from Walmart to hold the dash cam and situates it on the dash, not on the glass shield.

[@JakeSummers2424]

Camp C, there are so many bad drivers out there committing insurance fraud raising my insurance rates, this is the only way I can protect myself.

[@angelmontanez2163]

any problems with wireless Apple play. Interference with which gets wifi and bluetooth access

[@MrTheomighty1]

I’ve just sent back the Nextbase 522 gw front and rear camera due to only having it for a few months it’s gone back due to the battery failing and I wasn’t prepared to pay £10 for a battery that I had to fit taking the unit apart to get to the internal battery and if I had to send it back for Nextbase to fit it was £35 as some soldering needs to be done. On the forums they say that the batteries aren’t very good. Can someone tell me if the 622 gw is better or not Thanks all

[@CL4SSiCS]

The 622 gw is way better, I'm not too sure kn the battery as I don't really focus on the camera that much

[@cnetbuild]

I bought a Redtiger because it was highly rated and had wifi. But, to get the wifi, I have to stop recording, go through the menus, turn on the wifi, then connect to the wifi using my phone. It is very slow to transfer video files to my phone. Is this the common experience? Or are their dashcams that have the wifi always on?

[@Surferjo]

what about when they make you go to court as you have it on "YOUR" dashcam...?

[@barneyboyle6933]

This dude was made for this job. He’s a natural pro

[@chirholabarum1171]

Thanks Giancarlo.

[@SpikeyWombat]

Do they have to be hard wired to use the wake up/motion sensing function when the ignition is turned off or do they have an inbuild battery?

[@michaellim4165]

Need to be hardwired or power off of an external battery. Your car battery or an external battery.

[@theNfl_Esq]

The n4 looks good to me😊

[@6literbeater976]

Is the next base 622gw the best option here? Its $500 on Amazon I live in Florida and I swear someone almost hits me every time I get on I4. Is that a decent deal?

[@HectorjMaldonado]

Is there a good camera for the desert SW, I live in Las Vegas, NV and in the summer the outside temp can hit 115 but the inside temp can hit 140. thanks!

[@j.p.f.4007]

The problem with a constant WiFi connection is your phone thinks it's THE ONLY connection to the internet and you can't use your phone for web activity unless you disable WiFi.

[@JohnnyTiscali]

I'm neither in camp A or B. But Rather camp C: Too many idiots on the road and I need a defense.

[@jairusroguel9448]

Did they re-upload this video and just added 2023 to the title? I remember watching this exact same video last year

[@TonkaFire2019]

My current mini 2 now won't upload in 1080p which is annoying. My last one beeped and never turned back on.

[@ejestradag]

How about storage capacity?

[@mattheweburns]

This is 1990s technology; however, it is still impossible to actually find a decent dash cam that actually films in HD. Even the ones that say, they film in 4K cannot identify license plate numbers directly in front of them. The technology is there, but the manufacturers won’t use it.

[@majki6262]

i juse my old samsung s6 for the dash cam. :)

[@limamike22]

Do these devices generate a great enough power draw when your vehicle is off to drain your battery?

[@HarryKuloh]

Most have an internal capacitor that power on the device for maybe 30 seconds maximum. They do not draw any power when the vehicle is off.

[@DigitalDawg]

Beyond promoting the benefits of having a dashcam, which was your favorite and why? Would have appreciated some comparison talk about that.

[@VISHAL-jb4wj]

I'm looking for dual DashCam with wide angle, HD recording with GPS route tracker, continues recording with audio speaker, Wi-Fi. Please suggest me good options between 8-10k .

[@donschlonski2936]

This guy isn't your secretary. It's up to you to do your research

[@karthurjr]

In the U.S some states laws prohibit the mounting of dash cams on the windshield!

[@newdevilman1167]

So backwards!!!

[@MoctezumasRevenge1]

get tinted winshield,2-3 inches should be legal.

[@paigeturner4455]

Does that mean that it can be mounted on the back of a front mirror, just not on the windshield itself?

[@PattyKuluCakes]

The fact that many new cars already have built-in front facing pedestrian/collision cameras and rear view camera, auto makers should allow those cameras to record while driving.

[@BrianSmith-yq7ys]

What weighs very heavily on me is my neighbors wife was hit head on by a semi. It was such a severe accident she didn’t have a memory of it. But the guy said she went into his lane. She had to get a new wedding band it was so mangled

[@jason4554123]

Miss his car reviews so much!

[@Adam-wt5id]

My car is a really small convertible with a soft top, very easy to break into. My best protection is that i never store anything valuable in my car and i actually leave my doors unlocked so that my top doesn’t get cut through, its also a manual and i doubt a thief would bother. But a dashcam would be something im afraid would attract attention of thieves if left on my windshield. I only desire the functionality because i have some neighborhood hooligans causing issues, but I would like the ability to remove it from sight and reattach to the windshield securely

[@parrotbrand2782]

Buy a cheap dashcam

[@parrotbrand2782]

Buy a cheap dashcam

[@rickardone1219]

buy a cheap suction cup model.

[@ConflictedYouth]

Is that a street in Daly city in that foggy weather ?

[@jimbellomo]

You never mentioned powering the dashcam. I just want a dashcam that has a rechargeable battery. No cords. I can charge something daily when the car is parked in the garage. I hate having cords hanging all over the car. Are they any like that?

[@jimbellomo]

@Harry Thanks! That's a great idea. I have one and never use it except on vacation. I even have a mount that will stick to the windshield.

[@carranza-5197]

In high-temperature weather, the battery could be a problem inside your car

[@tdkcastro]

I have the nexar one, I like it, but, it doesn’t continuously record, once storage is full, doesn’t record, I have to delete everything every two weeks or so

[@arlenem9697]

The one thing he failed to mention is interior heat temperature of these dash cams. My GPS will not work if left in a hot car so I'm pretty sure these dash cans wont work either.

[@CJ9007]

Yep especially in the south. They can be dangerous

[@LarryHopper]

Respect for a job well done. Please say "collision" instead of accident.

[@fineartattic]

I have lived in Spain for a while now, and basically dash cams are not allowed. According to the authorities, you would be infringing a person's rights as you are not allowed to film them, unless you have their permission. Also, the insurance companies will not accept them because of fear of being prosecuted. This also includes the police, as they would prosecute you for filming someone. Unfortunately, Spain live in the past and need to come into the 21st century. How things would improve if you were able to have a dash cam to help both the police and insurance companies. Don't these people realise you do not want to film them, but their vehicles and how they are driving.

[@TimXMan1000]

That’s crazy I thought Spain was a modern tech savvy kind of country

[@steveharmon9000]

What about tourists taking photographs? Dumb Spain.

[@wmstone3914]

How about using CarPlay AND these wifi cameras? Can you use both?

[@wmstone3914]

🚨🚨🚨BOT Alert🚨 🚨🚨

[@siavashsh3557]

I don’t think you’ve seen the linus tech tips video about dashcams

[@mailvilla]

08/22/2023: I live in Florida and it is very hot all year long. Which dash camera will hold up inside in a car that could reach 140 degrees fahrenheit? I do not wish to spen over $200.00, and I do not want to see high percetage of 1-star reviews. Am I just dreamer ofr a resonable product?

[@alazzawi8815]

I live in Texas and looking for same thing. I’ve searched the entire web and couldn’t find one with great reviews. All of them are trash. Were you able to find one?

[@miguelgarcia-ck9br]

If somebody could recommend a good quality each cam

[@rickstevenson9487]

I wish someone would mention how dash cams are POWERED. I do not want a cable hanging down from my cam. I want one with a rechargeable internal battery. Which cam has that? Alternatively, I'd like to mount my dash cam on the dash itself, so that cable won't be visible.

[@MrPontiac005]

None. Best to run the cable up and under the headliner around and under the dash. Pretty easy and out of sight

[@contemplatively]

I'd get one but most of my accidents are actually my fault.

[@GeoffreySantos]

yup! i wish cars have built in dash cam.

[@michaellim4165]

Tesla have it standard.

[@mohindersingh4990]

Sir, I live in a village. I need a camera which can be installed inside the vehicle and can record 24 hours so that no one can damage the vehicle. Which can record even in complete darkness. Please tell me about such a camera.

[@Crazyloonitic17]

More car manufacturers should have them built into your rear view mirror and backup camera that’s already in your car rather than having to buy a separate camera and have ugly wires all over your interior

[@michaellim4165]

Privacy concerns and legal lawsuits. Legal will not allow it.

[@BBBA_]

I do not understand the concept of looping yet.

[@jps30]

Who's Austin Healey?

[@bgregg55]

If car makers build them in you can be very sure they will be uploading all your videos to their cloud for their use.

[@mattp4079]

linus reviews says theyre pretty much all the same, with different price points.

[@shalashaska9946]

The problem is all these cameras basically have the same sensor so expensive ones have the same crap quality as cheap ones.

[@petterderter6354]

congrats u only learned that from linus tech tips lmao

[@shalashaska9946]

@@petterderter6354 Yeah, why is that a bad thing

[@Kongolox]

repost?

[@grandiora]

Reviews the whole thing without talking about lack of usb-c

[@FUK420]

Gus Fring?

[@Big-H517]

Used to have progressive car insurance and ended up getting into a tbone with someone who did a hit and run. I asked my insurance how much would I get back to fix my car if I didn’t have it recorded and just the plate number. The representative told me it would probably be not enough for the fix I would have to pay out of pocket for the rest of it. It’s due to the fact they have nothing to show the other persons insurance who did a hit and run.

[@modenajon]

Where’s the new NEST?

[@neko8082]

A lot of them can't even show a clear license plate of the car in front of you.

[@4-kathryn]

Been mulling over if I should get one. Last week I had to report a diver ahead of me for littering out the car window; obstructing the road etc. It was insane all the information I tried to write down a pad on paper I just happened to have near me. Luckily I was at a red light behind the car who did the act. I wrote the cross-streets, license-plate, make of the car and rough time it occurred. It was easier once I got home to issue a report but I know it would've been easier if I had a dash-cam.

[@ronalddaly9902]

I wish these dash camera companies would stop worrying about the extras and focus on camera quality. The expensive cams give you no better clarity than the cheap ones. Sometimes worse.

[@johndortwegt]

Does no one brake into your car if they see these cameras? Easy thing to steal right?

[@jcc9925]

What are absolute must haves in today's dash cams?

[@ShootingOutside]

How old is this video?

[@TheAnubite]

This feels like an old video.

[@LUC66631]

Is Giancarlo Esposito you're twin? 😂😂🤣🤣👍👍

[@alexandergr9856]

That $400 sk everything should be automatically adjusted if it has a.I

[@HappyQuailsLC]

Why do they make them black when they will bake in the sun and no comment is made about reviews reporting case deformation and it’s resulting failure from heat exposure?

[@sargentsakto9236]

Mostly feature review. No video quality reviews. Probably the most important feature. Most cams use 1 of 2 different manufacturers cameras and chips.

[@bgregg55]

Without actual field testing, this isn't useful.

[@davidwayne9982]

BEST mounted in front of the rear view mirror-- (it's already partially blocked by the mirror and no one looks through that part of the window normally anyway. I don't want anything AI--- EVER.

[@blackstarafro2]

Most people are part of camp-C . Which involves good quality video, battery life, and affordability.