Best dash cams, tried and tested to help protect your vehicle

The updated A329S, which replaces the now discontinued A329, offers extra functionality while retaining the Viofo image quality we know and love.

Its front 4K camera packs a Sony STARVIS 2 IMX678 sensor and a 60fps mode, offering more opportunities to pick out finer details from the enhanced frame rate. You’ve also got a 2K rear camera and 2K fisheye cabin lens – the latter helps record incidents such as sideswipes. Finally, according to Viofo, the low power recording mode helps protect your ride during the night, without draining your battery.

Featuring near-flawless clarity during the day, its HDR mode helps ensure number plates are never flared out by artificial light, even if night-time performance takes a small hit. I had no issues discerning plates among oncoming traffic, which many dash cams have trouble with, particularly during the twilight hours.

While the unit itself feels robust and well-designed, and the triple camera system adds extra reassurance, it’s not cheap by any means. However, thanks to its performance, it still gets my vote as the best dash cam on test.

A branded dash cam for £70? That’s quite a feat for Vantrue, which has squeezed several features into the E1 lite. There is an HDR mode for overly bright and dark settings, as well as GPS, speed tracking, voice control and a 24-hour parking mode, which can detect and start recording upon registering movement or a collision.

The bad news is its image sensor yielded quite a bit of noise and jaggedness on test. You can make out number plates directly ahead reasonably fine, though the overall image is quite grainy. At night, that’s less of an issue, but without Vantrue’s patented PlatePix tech, which is designed to enhance the clarity of plates, you’re not picking up as many details as you are with pricier models.

I also found the G-sensor overly sensitive, saving videos after nearly every speed bump (I drive at the speed limit, honest). Plus, its tiny screen, while clear and bright, isn’t the best for reviewing footage, and gets easily cluttered with too many icons. Only consider this model if your budget is on the tight side.

If leaving your car on a street or in a busy car park gives you a twinge of anxiety, the Nextbase iQ can help. It detects collisions as well as individuals hovering around your car, before recording and alerting you via your phone. You can then access the cam’s live feed, including an external and cabin camera, letting you intervene via voice or a shrill alarm. It’s not just a dash cam but a smart CCTV system for your car. While you need a subscription tier to get the most out of it (starting from £6.99), real-time alerts remain free.

Image clarity is generally smooth and well-defined with the 4K model, and more than adequate during the night. However, you can expect to pay a hefty sum for this premium variant, though cheaper 1080p and 2K models are available.

Despite the device being quite chunky and somewhat intrusive, it’s ideal for drivers who are overly protective of their premium marques.

Garmin has managed to create a Full HD dash cam that’s not much bigger than your thumb – it’s super light at a paltry 30g. You can hide the mini 3 discreetly behind your rear-view mirror, without it obscuring your view of the road or distracting you as you drive. While there’s no GPS in this model, voice control remains.

The main tradeoff is that it only returns 1080p video, and while it’s very capable during the day, it fares a fair bit worse at night. The onboard HDR does well to keep a stable contrast, but vehicles moving through a wider field of view (cars in the opposite lane) are harder to distinguish after-hours.

Still, I really like the mini 3 for its premium, diminutive design and no-display approach, providing distraction-free driving when you already have the road, your car’s dash and display and your sat-nav to contend with.

The difference between the £70 Vantrue E1 lite (the best budget dash cam in this roundup) and the N4 pro is like night and day. This triple-channel (4K front, 2.5K rear and 1080p cabin cameras) dash cam offers comprehensive coverage, so it’s ideal for those who drive for a living or are constantly on the road.

You can set HDR mode to kick in during the day and have bright, vibrant video with excellent sharpness and detail, while having PlatePix mode activatex at night to enhance number plate clarity, though this does darken the overall picture. Even still, contrast remains perfectly solid, and being able to make out plates at nearly all angles at night is likely to be a weight off your mind.

Considering you’re getting three cameras, the price isn’t too bad, but make sure you actually need them. I’ve also got to mention the unit itself, which is fairly hefty (about the size of a cocktail can).

The dual-channel ARC 700 features a wedge design with a tilting camera and voice feedback. Usefully, you can adjust the frame rate to capture 30fps at 4K or 45fps at 2K. I’d go for the latter, as scrubbing through more video frames gives you extra opportunity to glean details and number plates, which can be tricky at speed.

The image performance is admirable, delivering image quality comparable to that of the Nextbase iQ. Colour saturation is lifelike in the smooth daytime shots, and the video is buttery smooth, thanks to higher frame rates. It also holds up reasonably well during the night – I could pick out plates fairly consistently from various angles.

That said, the design feels a little yesteryear, and I wish the manual save button was more defined, for easier use while driving. It’s a solid dual camera that also features speed camera alerts, which can help those with lead feet stay out of trouble.