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Dashboard camera reviews

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Last updated: 08 March 2023
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Ever been in a car accident or road rage incident that wasn't your fault? When it's your word against someone else's, video from a dashboard camera can be useful to prove your case. We test car dashboard cameras – also known as dash cams – priced from around $50 to $649 to help you find the models that:

  • deliver the best video quality in daylight, artificial light and low light (nighttime)
  • have the best angle of view
  • are the easiest to use.
 

We've also partnered with Shop Ethical on this update to show the ratings that the Ethical Consumer Group gives to each company.

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Our interactive comparison tool helps you easily compare the pros and cons of each model, and our Recommended list lets you see at a glance which dash cams get the thumbs up. 

Dash cam models tested in 2021 were assessed under different conditions due to COVID-19 travel limits restricting access to our labs. Though the stringent method was very similar to the typical one used to test dash cams previously, it does mean that the results for 2021 models are not directly comparable to earlier or later test results.

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Brand

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List of brands we tested in this review.

    Price

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    This is the recommended retail price at the time of testing. Keep in mind many of the dashboard cameras we've tested don't come with a required microSD memory card, which will cost you more money.

    enter value/s in increments of 1 between 50 and 679

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    Picture quality – daylight score

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    Our tester installs the dash cam in a car, drives a set route in clear daylight, and assesses the recorded video for clarity, fluidity of motion and colour accuracy.

    enter value/s in increments of i between 30 and 83

    Picture quality – night driving score

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    Our tester installs the dash cam in a car, drives a set route in different lighting conditions at night including well-lit main roads, tunnels and dark side streets. They assess the recorded video for clarity, fluidity of motion, colour accuracy, light balance and environmental details.

    enter value/s in increments of i between 22 and 75

    Ease of use

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    Comprises supplied instructions (10%), installing the mount (10%), attaching/detaching the camera (50%), adjusting settings with on-board and/or software controls (10%), viewing the recordings on the built-in display if applicable (10%), and accessing and viewing the recordings on a computer (10%).

    enter value/s in increments of i between 30 and 72

    Built-in display

      Shop Ethical rating

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      Shop Ethical rates the environmental and social impact of the company (not the product) using independent sources. This rating is not included in our total score. N/A means there is no rating for that company.

        Included in this review

        Members-only access
        • Overall score
        • Recommended
        • Picture quality – daylight score
        • Picture quality – night driving score
        • Ease of use score
        • Heat test score
        • Good points
        • Bad points
        • Shop Ethical rating
        • Price
        • Year tested
        • Built-in display
        • Memory card included
        • Rear camera
        • Parking mode
        • Records GPS map location and speed data
        • Internal battery
        • Shoot still photos
        • Angle of view
        • 4K video
        • HD video
        • 60 fps
        • Mounting method
        • Removable memory card type
        • Weight (g)
        • Dimensions (H x W x D, cm)
        • Country of origin

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