The Best Dash Cams (Review) in 2021

Looks like something James Bond would use, right? The Rexing V1 Car Dash Cam is discreet, it’s powerful, and it’s got a few kinks we’ll get to in a moment. Rexing crafted this ultra-high durability dash cam with discretion in mind. If you get into an auto accident and you’re recording the outrage of an altercation with another individual, you don’t exactly want them to know that you have a dash cam.

Apart from the design and sturdy chassis, you get loop recording for your older videos to be erased with new videos put in. This one is unique in this regard—you can select five or three-and-a-half minute blocks of time to be recorded instead of a continuous loop. While you can support up to 128GB in an SD card, this model doesn’t come with any standard memory, not even a little 8GB SD card like most of the other models come with.

The Rove R2-4K dashboard camera offers excellent value for the money. Sure, it’s not the cheapest, but it’s packed with features that are typically found only in high-end cams. With 4K ultra HD recording and a 150-degree wide-angle lens, the R2-4K model captures most of the road around you and produces crisp clear footage (216p resolution!). Thanks to its Super Night Vision technology, it also provides great video and image quality in low light conditions.

The camera comes with built-in WiFi so you can use Rove’s app to view and control your dash recordings via your phone (both Android and iOS are supported). This also allows you to download 4K videos to your smartphone and share them with whomever you like. There’s also a built-in GPS that records your driving location and speed – super useful if your kid is driving the car.

Garmin makes killer electronics, and it stepped into the car space with this excellent dash cam model. Like any Garmin product, there are a few kinks, but the high-performance and unique features are bound to impress. This is the first dash cam we’ve seen to include voice commands—tell it to start or stop recording, take a picture, or begin and end the travelapse photo capture feature. It’s all up to you.

You get a magnetic mount for this ultra-small camera, giving you full discretion and a unique way to grab and go. Its 3.7 megapixels still rival the quality of your phone, while the forward collision and lane departure warnings keep you stable when you’re on the road. It may be enough to help you realize you’re tired, pull over, and avoid an accident altogether.

The Apeman C860 comes with a front and rear camera that will help keep you and your vehicle as safe as possible. Both cameras have 1080p dual lenses that monitor the road ahead and behind you with clear video definition. The front camera records in 1440P; however, this is only possible when it works by itself – if both rear and front cams are used simultaneously, then 1080p resolution is automatic. This is still very good as the definition is crisp clear. Night vision is also great as the camera automatically adjusts exposure in low light conditions, capturing even smaller details easily.

The C860 has the ability to take up to 12 mp images and also record audio inside the vehicle. There’s also a mute function in video mode if you don’t want to hear what was said at the time of recording. More importantly though, there is a built-in G sensor, which detects the sudden vibrations around the car, locking the collision footage that you can use as proof for preventing disputes in emergencies.

The Crosstour CR900 is a reliable, capable dual dash camera that is more than reasonably priced. It’s small and compact, so doesn’t take up much space, yet it has a nice and clear three-inch screen that you can use to view videos on the go. Video quality is good as the cam records in 1080p – this goes for both the front and the rear one. As for night vision, while the not the best you can find, the footage quality is solid, showing license plate numbers even in low light.

The CR900 model features Novatek Chip Car Camera as its CPU, which determines the basic performance of a recorder, including frame, resolution, etc. Both cams adopt F1.8 aperture and high dynamic range (HDR), which is great news. And with dual 170-degree wide-angle, both cameras provide comprehensive vision, covering up to six lanes.

Thorough folk and filmmakers alike are going to fall head over heels for this model. A contender for the best front and rear dash cam, this device allows you to record your windshield activity and your cabin, mounted perfectly to also record what goes on in the rear windshield. This is essential if you’re the victim of a rear-ender fender bender and you need some concrete evidence.

We can’t say enough good things about this camera—for one, you get 2.5K quality, while your front and rear lens sit at 170 degrees and 140 degrees, respectively. Plug it into the cigarette lighter, and you’re good to go. The odd placement of this, while convenient, means the cable dangles a little bit and has been known to be knocked out. Use with caution.

There are a few seriously epic features about this dash cam—we are shocked at how inexpensive it is. Between the superior suction cup mount and quality build of the zinc alloy chassis, you get stability on and off the road. Flip this into night vision to continue your ventures, but just know that higher res quality recordings really eat up memory. You get a 32GB SD card in this model, so be certain to utilize that.

A 170-degree angle lens allows for a wide range of recording, while the accident lock/emergency mode secures your video from being overwritten when an accident occurs. Playback is a sinch to view on the three-inch LCD screen, and for once, we’re actually happy with the way the adapter wire hangs down.

If you’re looking for an affordable but reliable dash camera, check out Apeman’s C420 model. Similar to their C860 model, only smaller and cheaper, the C420 camera can be perfectly hidden behind a rear mirror. It produces 1080p recordings, which is pretty solid overall, including the night vision. High-definition and a wide-angle camera of 170 degrees is what allows both day and night footage quality to be good.

Despite its low price, this dash cam comes with various useful features, including emergency accident lock and motion detection. The built-in G sensor tech automatically locks the footage in the emergency events, preventing deletion and tampering. There is also 24-hour parking monitoring for protection and loop recording that ensures the SD card is never filled up and you’re always able to record the latest footage.

The Toguard CE35 is a seven-inch touch-screen mirror dashboard camera that can help double your safety with simultaneous recording in front and backup cameras. The device records in 1080p resolution, producing solid, clear footage no matter the light conditions. The display for video recording, photo taking, playback and general settings are on the mirror, which makes the whole adjustment process convenient and easy.

The CE35 model comes with a number of features, including a reversing camera kit for safe parking, G sensor or emergency recording, and loop recording, which will help keep you safe at all times. There is also the parking monitor feature and motion detection, which further add to the security of your vehicle.

Budgeters, you can breathe now—this handy little model comes with a lot of the rivaled features of its more expensive counterparts and is probably one of the best dash cams for those looking for a cheap option. An enhanced G-sensor allows you to lockout your videos and keep them from being overwritten, while the 165 wide angle captures just about everything that’s going on.

The 2.7-inch LCD screen gives you a good look into what’s going on around you, while the dashcam app helps with everything else. While the night vision mode is there, the color balance can take a few extra seconds, giving you glares and issues with streetlights. HD video capture supports up to 64GB SD memory, although this unit doesn’t come with a standard card like we see with most. You have to buy all of your removeable memory separately.

If you’re after a cheap but reliable dash cam, the Crosstour CR300 is a fantastic option. With a 170-degree wide-angle lens, 1080p HD video resolution and 12 mp image resolution, this camera produces great quality footage and images, plus allows a large viewing angle (4 lanes). Thanks to big aperture and wide dynamic range, the night vision is also good, showing smaller details like license plates with no issues.

The CR300 model comes with a built-in G sensor, which means it automatically detects sudden shakes and collisions, locking the footage to prevent it from being tampered with or deleted. Despite its low price, the camera boasts many great features, including loop recording, motion detection, time stamp, screen saver and others. It also comes with a micro USB cable, car charger and easy to understand user manual.

Durable, classy-looking, easy to use, with crisp clear footage, the Z-Edge T4 dash cam checks (almost) all boxes. This model comes with a four-inch touch-sensitive screen with intuitive design and a 1080p rear camera. The front one? Even better – with a 2560x1440p video resolution and a 155-degree viewing angle, the camera captures most of the world around you. Thanks to the WDR technology, the night vision is almost equally good, so the dash cam captures even the smaller details in low light conditions (car license plates are always very clear).

Z-Edge T4 comes with a G sensor, which monitors and detects unusual shakes and vibrations, triggering the emergency video protection in case of an accident that cannot be overwritten. Loop recording allows for seamless overwriting of oldest footage upon filling a card to its max (up to 256 GB card). There is also parking monitor feature that is powered by the internal rechargeable battery.

The better the quality, the easier it is to make out license plates and your surroundings in the playback. The 2-Edge doesn’t hold anything back—parking mode, 2K quality, and a G-sensor that gets the job done. Mount this simply, and let the quality video flow in. This unit runs out of space fast on the 32GB SD card, so an upgraded storage space may be in order.

The 2-Edge is your essential witness to any auto accident or vandalism. Color CMOS image sensors are specifically designed to make license plates clear and easy to read, while the 3.0” LCD screen is scratch resistant and powered via USB cable to your adapter, though it can run just off the battery without needing a constant power supply.

If you’re not happy, you have a month to get your cash back, and an 18 month warranty for parts and hardware. Supports up to 64GB maximum, and the built-in G-sensor works like a charm to lock your videos down when you get into an accident or collision.

A hare’s breath above the cost of #8 on our list, the Fliiners mini LCD dashcam gives you excellent mounting capabilities, while including all the major features that you’re looking for in a dashcam.

Night vision mode gives you a surprisingly fantastic color balance for such an inexpensive model, while the loop feature continuously overrides old data to keep you mindlessly recording with no worries to be had. The LCD screen takes some squinting to look at, but it’s all part of the low cost of this model. If you’re looking to reduce insurance premiums, this is the way to go.

You get full HD 1080p recording, however, this unit only supports up to 32GB SD memory. It doesn’t come with a standard card, so you’ll need to purchase removable memory separately. We do have to applaud their warranty information and customer support here—24-hour support via email, a year on quality-related issues, and a month to send it back for a full refund if you wish.

The features you want, the hassle-free mounting you need, and the ability to keep most of your green in your wallet. What else could you ask for?

Excellent resolution and a three-way mounting feature await you. For any dashcam of any brand, this is the highest res you’ll be able to get at 2306 x 1296P, transforming your dashcam into 2K definition. It goes beyond the quality, however—this camera captures everything from high-speed incidents to the lettering on a newspaper dispenser 300 feet away. This thing’s got some serious power to it.

Swivel 170 degrees for your preferred view, while reaping the rewards of HDR technology—you get seriously crisp night shots, and a fully-balanced exposure for even viewing and video capture. Light and dark spots will be balanced accordingly in each frame.

You can mount this three ways, but this is where we get into a little bit of the issues with the model. Camera’s great, quality is great, but the mounting appears to be an afterthought. The first mount—the suction cup to the interior of the windshield—is beautiful, works as intended, and so on. They give you two additional sticky mounts to move this around as you please, but they don’t hold well, or for long. Couple that with the charging wire hanging from the dash into the cigarette lighter being an issue; the wire’s too heavy, so it rattles around and runs the risk of coming unplugged.

You do get GPS enablement, capturing your location when you’re on your drive, which is great for accident reconstruction should you need. You can also allow your loved ones to tap into this feature and know where you are if you’re on a long car drive. The continuous loop recording is essential—it rewrites over the old data, ensuring you constantly have a fresh stream of (roughly) four hours of footage on the included 16GB micro SD card. Warranty is for one-year on party only.