A dashboard camera - commonly known as a dash cam - is a device which can monitor and record your car journeys for you.
These recordings might come in handy in the event your vehicle is involved in a collision or accident, so it is important that you buy the best dash cam for your car.
Dash cam footage can protect you against false insurance claims, and make UK roads safer as a result.
Providing useful evidence of the incident itself, such as the positions of the vehicles involved and the state of traffic lights, dash cams can sometimes even reduce your insurance premiums!
If you’re looking to buy a dash cam that suits your budget, then we’ve compiled a list of some of the best dash cams you can buy for your car in the UK in 2023.
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What Are The Best Dash Cams You Can Buy in 2023?
The dash cams on the following list all have a range of useful features, and vary in price from approximately £40 to £280 - so you can find the best one to suit your budget.
Thinkware T700 4G LTE Dash Camera
The Thinkware T700 dash cam is a 4G LTE enabled device which has intelligent user accessibility and built-in GPS.
For around £280, this dash cam may not be the cheapest option on the list, but it does have a range of enticing features.
This dash cam can give you a great view of the road, with 1080p full HD resolution and a wide 140° field of view. Able to record time-lapse footage, the Thinkware T700 reduces energy consumption via its Energy Saving Parking Recording.
It also boasts Super Night Vision, and includes a Parking Mode with Motion and Impact Detection features.
You can even receive notifications and review footage when you are away from your vehicle in real time, through the Thinkware Connected LTE smartphone app.
Ring RSDC3000
Costing around £85 - plus the SD card - the Ring RSDC3000 has full HD 1296p resolution.
A smart dash camera with a GPS tracker and a two-inch screen, this dash cam allows you to save, download and share your dashboard camera footage in one place.
The GPS feature means that you can track your vehicle and identify where collisions take place - helpful when it comes to making an insurance claim.
With a microSD slot which allows for 64GB storage, this dash cam offers a 130° viewing range, giving you a wide view of the road ahead of you and clear, quality recordings captured in 30fps.
The Ring RSDC3000 is compatible with the RSDCR1000 Rear Camera, which you can also purchase if you want to have a full picture of the area surrounding your vehicle.
This dash cam is WiFi enabled, and there is even a Ring Connect App which you can install, which works with the dash cam.
With a magnetic mount and trim tool included, installation and removal of this dashboard camera should be a breeze.
Garmin 67W
The Garmin 67W can cost you around £200.
Offering a wide 180° field of view captured in 1440p HD video quality, this is a great option if you are looking for a smaller dash cam.
Another dashboard camera with built-in GPS, you can track your journeys with ease.
This dash cam even offers stamp recorded video with location details, giving you proof of when and where incidents actually occurred.
What’s more, this dash cam has a voice control feature, meaning that you can keep driving and use voice commands to save, start or stop the audio recording. You can even take pictures using voice control.
You can access your saved videos from the online Vault using the Garmin Drive app on a compatible smartphone. Each clip is saved in the online Vault for 24 hours from the time it was uploaded.
The app allows you to access the dash cam remotely for Live View monitoring, even when you’re away from your vehicle - so long as you have power and a decent Wi-Fi connection.
In terms of road safety features, the Parking Guard can warn you about incidents affecting your parked vehicle. Forward collision warnings can tell you if you are too close to the vehicle in front, if the traffic ahead of you has started moving or if you have started to drift off the road.
This dash cam starts to record as soon as it is plugged in - perfect if you tend to forget to turn your devices on before you start driving.
The Garmin 67W comes with a memory card and an extra USB port, and is designed to withstand hot temperatures.
Nextbase 222
For roughly £70, the Nextbase 222 is a dash cam which records in full 1080p HD at 30fps, at 720p resolution. This is similar to that of certain HD TV broadcasts.
The two-and-a-half inch screen and its tactile buttons make it easy to use. With a 140° viewing range, you will be able to see and record a large portion of the road around you.
Even when you’re away from your car, the Intelligent Parking Mode feature will cause the dash cam to kick into action and record any jolts or impacts.
Unlike some of the other - pricier - dash cams on this list, the Nextbase 222 does not feature voice control or GPS, but it could be perfect if you are shopping on a budget.
Orskey S680
For around £40, the Orskey S680 dash cam is one of the more affordable options on this list.
Allowing for a 170° range of vision, this dash cam records full HD footage at 1080p. Whilst this dashboard camera is fairly compact, it has a three-inch LCD display where you can adjust setting and view playback.
With features including infrared night vision, loop recording and motion detection, this dash cam can help you capture footage even in low lighting.
The Orskey S680 is easy to install thanks to a suction mount, and comes with a 12V port adapter.
This dash cam even comes with a 12 months guarantee, for added peace of mind.
Which Features Should I Look For in a Dash Cam?
When choosing the best dash cam for your car, there are certain key features you should look for - no matter the dash cam you end up buying.
Quality Video Footage (Day & Night)
The majority of modern dashboard cameras provide 1080p footage as standard, but certain models can record in 1440p, 1600p or 4K.
The greater the number of pixels, the clearer the resolution - and therefore, the better the footage.
Opt for a dash cam which captures the road ahead of you in high quality, at any time of day. The footage should be smooth and steady, no matter the road surface.
Loop Recording
The best dash cams will overwrite old files with new footage as soon as the memory card is full. This means that you won’t have to clear the footage every few hours of driving to make space for more.
As all footage will eventually be deleted, you must download any that you want to keep as soon as possible.
You can access the files by plugging your dash cam into a laptop or computer using the USB cable provided.
Intelligent Parking Mode
You should look for a dash cam that offers:
- Impact sensors
- Motion detection
- G-sensors
Many of the best dash cams include more than one of these features.
Intelligent Parking can protect your vehicle while it is parked. Without it, you will have no protection against other drivers crashing into you if they don’t leave their insurance details.
Dash cams with Intelligent Parking mode will switch on when the engine is off if another object approaches.
Many dash cams with this feature can also recognise if something hits your car, and automatically save the file to use in an insurance claim.
Built-in GPS
Many of the best dash cams will know exactly where you are at all times, and can use this data to enhance your footage.
Some cameras can even track your journey and provide speed camera warnings, along with other traffic data.
This is a feature that will definitely come in handy, particularly for those without a sat-nav.
Lastly, make sure that you invest in a dash cam which is easy to use and set up. After all, what’s the point in investing in a dashboard camera which is a nightmare to use?
Look for a dash cam with a touchscreen, and easy-to-follow instructions - both on-screen and in the manual.
The best dash cams will plug into your 12V socket - the cigarette lighter - and switch on/off with the engine.
Why Do I Need a Dashboard Camera?
With thousands of other drivers and plenty of other hazards to think about, it’s no wonder that UK roads can be so dangerous.
Any accident can be expensive to resolve - no matter what you hit - and the costs can stack up if you are unable to prove that it wasn’t your fault.
A dash cam helps your chances of winning an insurance claim and fight false accusations. All the leading insurance companies and the police accept dash cam footage as evidence - peace of mind for any driver that uses one.
In an effort to save money and increase your confidence on the road in the long term, choosing the best dash cam for your car is a great investment - especially if you’ve just passed your driving test.
We hope that you have enjoyed learning about some of the best dash cams on the market in the UK today.
By investing in this kind of technology, you can stay safe on the road and have valuable evidence at your disposal in the event of an accident.
