Dash cams are slowly becoming a crucial investment for a consumer. On the road, there are chances of a lot of unprecedented happenings, including accidents and insurance scams. So, having a dashcam is always a boon as evidence for all the happenings. Morover, it also acts as a recap that allows you to see through your driving pattern on racetracks and improve your skills. There are loads of dash cams available on the market right now, but not all provide a compelling package. So, we sort out and give you the best dash cams to buy in 2021.
Things To Look For In A Dash Cam
Video Quality: A dashcam is as good as its video quality. Always try for cams that provide 4K video recording. It sure will take up a lot more storage space but will add up to tiny details that can help you later on in recognizing elements in the frame.
Power Source: Dash cams are available both as portable built-in battery units or as plug-in units. Both have their perks and downsides, and it solely depends on how you want to go about it. If the purpose is what you have in mind and would like to have consistent uninterrupted recordings, then going for a wired one is the correct choice. If leisure is the reason, then portable ones add up to the versatility.
Hands-Free Control: Always look for dash cams that provide voice control. This comes very much in handy during intense situations wherein, physically toggling the cam is not feasible. It will also help you stay vigilant on the road as well.
Night Vision: This feature is crucial for a person who travels a lot in his vehicle, even at night. A dashcam equipped with night vision helps you grasp footage with a lot more clarity as compared to standard cams.
Safety System And Emergency Call Services: Certain dash cams come with a 'Parked alert' feature that can help record events that include bumps on the car when parked. Certain dash cams also come with emergency services that can detect your location via GPS in case of an accident and send it to the nearest Emergency response cell if you don't intervene in time.
Advantages Of A Dash Cam
Proof In Case Of Accidents: Being used as proofs for various happenings on the roads happen to be the greatest perks of having a dashcam. Sometimes, situations and people foil us over with baseless statements even when they are at fault. So, in times like these, dashcam footage can be put forth as strong evidence.
Added Benefits From Insurers: Certain insurers uplift the usage of dashcams and also provide added benefits and lower premiums if you have one fitted in your car. This not only saves a lot of money but also makes unknown people aware of the advantages of having a dashcam.
Make Motorists Vigilant: Dashcams help people to be vigilant on the roads, be it an offender as well. It reminds a person that the dashcam's video footage can be used as evidence and thus makes them vigilant and encourage safe driving.
It Does Come With A Few Disadvantages
Invasion Of Privacy: There is a very thin line here and it should be trodden carefully. Certain footages might grab sensitive content which should not be used on any other medium, other than proper court proceedings. And another situation is when you just randomly park on the driveway, and record footage that might contain personal matter.
Distraction While Driving: Having a screen on the windshield or the dashboard is quite a distraction. As it comes in the view of the driver, getting distracted is easy. And it makes things worse at night as display hinders your view of the road.
Theft Potential: As the dashcam stays evidently visible on the windshield, there are high chances of theft. There is no anti-theft system when it comes to attaching a dashcam down in a car, and so the thief can easily unplug and take it away. To make matters worse, if you haven't backed up your footages, then that also goes for a toss.
Our Pick Of The Lot
The Nextbase 662GW is our pick of this lot despite being over $300. It packs quite the compelling package that also gets 4k recoding and a very useful safety feature with What3Words. This plug-and-play unit is quite handy and also comes with an integrated GPS and speed indicator. So, apart from saving footage, it can also save you from avoidable tickets. Morover, it helps you choose from a front-facing camera only, or a dual-bundle which is priced at $500.
Here Are The Best Dash Cams To Buy In 2021
THINKWARE Q800 PRO ($400)
This is the priciest of the bunch but also has a few quirks that put it on the top. To start with, the design is unique and figuratively invisible. It has an angle and slab-type design that sticks on seamlessly onto the windshield. The low profile helps and it comes with a 3M tape to permanently stick it into position. It doesn't get a screen but does come with various interesting features like GPS tracking, lifetime safety camera and speed alerts, and safety warnings. It can record videos at a maximum of 2K and also gets built-in Wi-Fi to connect to your smartphone with ease. Order yours today!
Nextbase 622GW Dash Cam ($330)
Nextbase is a common name among dashcams and provides quite a bunch of well-rounded products. The Nextbase 622GW sits on top of the 522GW and adds 4K video recording capabilities. It is an easy plug-and-play unit that comes with an integrated GPS and speed indicator. You also get an Alexa voice assistant built-in for a seamless hands-free usage experience. It also has support for What3Words - an ingenious global system that gives your location to first responders in case of mishaps with just 3 words. Order yours today!
Garmin Dash Cam 66W ($200)
Garmin is a home name among dashcams and GPS devices. And they have delivered quite the well-rounded offering with the 66W dashcam. It is small, sleek, and looks akin to a GoPro camera. It looks plush and would go well with any interior layout, especially the premium ones. It is a compact offering and packs plenty of features despite the size constraint. It gets GPS and smartphone integration with the Garmin Virb application. It also gets Lane Departure and Forward Collision Warning along with Speed camera warnings. It can record footage at a maximum of 2K with a 180-degree field-of-view. Order yours today!
VAVA Dual Dash Cam ($135)
This is also a front and rear camera bundle but comes in a very interesting conical design. It can record from both the cameras simultaneously at 1080p 30 FPS or only from the front camera at 2K 30 FPS. It comes with sony sensors - IMX307 at the front and IMX323 at the rear. These sensors add up to the improved low-light performance. It also comes with built-in Wi-Fi that makes it easy to connect to the mobile application and makes it easy to download footage right away. It supports up to 128 GB storage support and can also act as a surveillance system with its 24 hrs parking mode. Order yours today!
Pioneer ND-DVR100 Dash Cam ($134)
Pioneer is a well-known name in the audio world for automobiles. But their take on dashcams is equally impressive and interesting. For starters, they have gone with a distinguishing and quite practical form factor that helps you tuck away this unit and keep it hidden in plain sight! The best location is on top of the windshield behind the ORVM that gives it a much better view. It can record videos in a maximum of 1080p resolution and has an odd frame rate of 27.5 FPS. This has a purpose and has been made to not miss out even on a single LED traffic light. It gets built-in GPS tagging and makes sure the GPS location gets embedded in the video for evidence purposes. Order yours today!
Kingslim D4 4K Dual Dash Cam ($100)
This bundle is immense value-for-money and comes with a front as well as a rear camera module. The front gets bundled with all the controls and displays whereas the rear is a simple camera module only. It can record 4K videos from the front and 1080p ones from the rear. It packs the Sony IMX335 STARVIS sensor and Hisilicon Hi3559 processor that gives it crips and 'beautiful' video-taking capabilities. Low-light performance is also commendable and comes with 170-degree front and 150-degree rear wide viewing angles. It comes with a 3-inch touchscreen and packs features like collision detection, loop recording, emergency video lock, and even time-lapse videos. Order yours today!