Having a dash cam is a great idea, and it can save you thousands. So if you’re thinking of getting one, here’s what to look for when buying a dash cam.
What to Look For When Buying a Dash Cam
#1. Great Video Quality
This is a must! You’re defeating the purpose if you are buying a dash cam that does not give you great video quality. Grainy or poor footage won’t be much help to you, if you got into a fender bender. So one of the things you want to look for when buying a dash cam, is great video quality for day and night time. One with advanced night vision would do the trick.
#2. Screen Size
You definitely want a screen size that would allow you to see what’s happening around your car, not just what’s immediately in front of it.
#3. Recording speed
When you are looking to buy a dash cam, you realy don’t want to buy one that records in less than 1080p. Great recording speed means your dash cam would be able to capture fast moving scenes and create high resolution images in high speed. For example, the Xmotion
#4. A good memory card
This works hand in hand with the recording speed of your dash cam. Having a good memory card is not a bad idea at all, since you want to ensure that video footage gets transferred appropriately. So be sure to check how the asociated memory card works at maximum and sustained speeds.
#5. Looping Feature
You want to make sure that you buy a dash cam wiith a looping feature. Having a looping fetaure means you don’t have to manually delete any old footage that you don’t need and allows your dash cam to continuously record over old footage. If you do get into an accident, your footage will be time stamped and saved.
Optional Features: What to Look For When Buying a Dash Cam
#6. Dual Dash cam
The craziness just doesn’t happen in front of your car but at the back as well. So it makes sense to get a dual dash cam that would capture footage from the front as well as the back of your car.
#7. G force sensors
While driving at times, your mind just might wander and you just might innocently drift into another lane. If your car isn’t equipped with sensors to alert you when this is happening, then buying a dash cam with G force sensors can work just as well, as these sensors would provide lane departure warnings.
#8. Motion sensors
Motions detectors would detect any sort of vandalism that may be happening to your car while it’s parked. In a case like this, the motion detectors automatically detects and records what’s going on.
My Recommendation
It makes sense to get a dash cam with all eight qualities. That way you have the assurance that in the event that anything does happen, you’ll save yourself the stress and have that much needed evidence. To help you out, I’ve included some great options below that include all eight features discussed in the article. So buckle up and stay safe!
I’m thinking of buying a mirror dash cam and would like to know if the thing can be adjusted at night to cut headlight glare from cars behind me, the same way a regular mirror can be adjusted.
Hi Kenneth,
Since it’s attached to your mirror, you can adjust it accordingly and the screen brightness can also be adjusted. In terms of night vision and video, the Akaso DL12 2.5K Mirror Dash cam automatically balances the light and dark area of the video, so you get a better night vision experience. The TOGUARD 2.5K Mirror Dash Cam is also popular. So you’ve got some good choices.