Summary: Helpful tips and selection help for choosing the right dashcam.
Read our tips for purchasing the best dashcam on this page. To give you the best advice, you can go through our product selection guide. You can indicate your requirements step by step, and based on this, we will recommend the dashcams that suit you best.
Dashcams are relatively new among road users, so the chances are good that this is your first time buying one. But which one on earth should you get and what should you look out for? We have been selling dashcams for almost 10 years, so we would like to give you a few tips.
The tips below can help you get a better idea of the options and what to look out for. If, after reading these tips, you still have no idea which dashcam you need, feel free to contact our customer service team and we will be happy to help you personally.
Tip 1: What are you going to use it for?
It sounds logical, but it is very useful to be clear in advance about what you want to use the dashcam for. Prices and options vary enormously and you can save yourself a lot of money and effort by not buying the most expensive one right away. Our first tip is therefore to first determine what kind of user you are. What exactly does that entail?
1: For security while driving only
Most people buy a dashcam that will film when you turn on the car and record everything while driving. In fact, almost all dashcams are suitable for this group. Most dashcams above €50 nowadays have pretty good image quality that allow you to film situations well and even read license plates during the day. Of course, you can always opt for extra options (see tip 3), but if you don't need anything else, we recommend opting for a ‘budget’ dashcam. Take a look at the 5 best budget dashcams under €100, for example.
2: Security while driving and parking
More and more people are buying a dashcam that not only records the situation on the road but also secures the car while parking. They buy a dashcam with parking mode or parking mode. A dashcam with parking mode or parking mode is simply on while driving but has a special mode for during parking. It is then on standby and starts a short recording when a movement or vibration is detected, making it ideal for securing the car against vandalism or parking damage. The best dashcams in this category are dashcams with automatic parking mode, because after installation, you don't have to worry about it at all. There are also dashcams with manual parking mode, but you have to activate them every time you park.
3: Specific vehicle or purpose
Finally, there are a lot of people who buy a dashcam for a specific vehicle or other purpose. We have special truck dashcams, motorbike dashcams and taxi dashcams. There are also, for example, Interior mirror dashcams, which you place over your interior mirror and which are often used in campers or vans. Want to use a dashcam for something else? Then feel free to contact our customer service team, we will be happy to advise you personally.
Tip 2: Front or rear cameras?
Dashcams can be roughly divided into 1CH dashcams with one camera and 2CH dashcams with two cameras (CH stands for Channel, the number of channels/cameras). 1CH dashcams are ‘standard’ dashcams and only film what happens in front of the car. A 2CH has a second separate camera, which you place on the rear window or bumper and connect with a long cable to the front dashcam. This then also films everything that happens behind the car.
Almost half of the 1CH dashcams are also available as 2CH versions or can be expanded with a second camera, but not all 2CH dashcams are also available as 1CH versions. You should therefore pay close attention to picking the right model. If you are not (yet) sure, preferably choose a dashcam to which you can later connect a separately available rear camera.
Tip 3: Suction cup or sticker mounting?
Most dashcams work with an adhesive mount but there are also dashcams with a suction cup mount. One is not necessarily better than the other; both have advantages and disadvantages. In almost all cases, the holder and the dashcam are two separate parts where you place the holder on the windscreen and slide or click the dashcam into it.
Suction cup mounting
The main advantage of a suction cup mount is that the dashcam can be easily removed from the car together with the holder. Because you remove not only the dashcam but also the holder from the car, you can therefore easily use the dashcam in multiple vehicles. One disadvantage of a suction cup mount is that it can become somewhat brittle with prolonged use and therefore lose its suction power. A suction cup mount is also more sensitive to vibrations and can only be mounted on the windscreen or another smooth surface - not, for instance, on the dashboard.
Sticker mounting
The main advantage of a sticker mount is that it is usually more solidly attached to the windscreen than a suction cup mount. In addition to its sturdiness, a sticker attachment is often more compact than a suction cup attachment. This is because it lacks the rotation system and relatively less surface area is needed to hold the dashcam. A disadvantage of a sticker attachment is that you cannot easily remove the holder from the windscreen. Therefore, to use the dashcam in multiple vehicles, you will need an additional holder in most cases.
In addition to mounts with suction cups and stickers, there are also dashcams that are attached to the interior mirror with rubber brackets. This concerns only the interior mirror dashcams where the dashcam is placed over the interior mirror and attached at the back with these rubber brackets.
Tip 4: Additional functions?
There are a lot of features that can make using a dashcam more enjoyable and safer, such as Loop recording and a G-sensor. Loop recording is the function that ensures that the oldest images are automatically overwritten with new images the moment the SD card is full. The G-sensor is a vibration sensor that records impacts and, in case of a collision, automatically saves the current recording securely so that it is not overwritten by the Loop recording. The Loop recording and G-sensor are standard features and come as standard on every dashcam. So you don't need to pay any further attention to these.
There are also a lot of functions that are not standard;
Dashcams with GPS: show the current speed on screen and have the option of viewing the videos later with location and route.
Dashcams with Wifi: Have the the the option to view the recorded images wirelessly via your phone or tablet (within 10 metres of the dashcam).
4G or Cloud dashcams: Have the option to remotely log in to the dashcam and watch it live. Useful for transport and taxi companies.
Another important factor is the storage capacity of the dashcam. The storage capacity indicates the maximum capacity of the SD card the dashcam supports. Files are stored on the SD card and the capacity of the SD card determines how many hours of recordings can be stored on the card at a time. The minimum supported capacity is 32gb and this can go up to 512gb or even 1024gb.
As a rule of thumb, we say that with 32gb you can store about 2 to 3 hours of FullHD recordings. So if you want to be able to view at least 8 hours of recordings on the SD card - for example, for work - you should make sure your dashcam supports SD cards of 128gb or more.
There are also features such as Night vision, ADAS or the option to fit a CPL filter. On our website, you can easily filter by all features.
Tip 5: With or without LCD screen?
Dashcams come with and without LCD screens. Those with LCD screens tend to be larger and therefore stand out more. An LCD screen can be handy to operate the menu and you can also quickly review recorded images on it. It is also useful for adjusting the camera.
Dashcams without an LCD screen are slightly more compact and are therefore less conspicuous. As a driver, they are less noticeable and the dashcam is also less noticeable from outside. A disadvantage of a dashcam without an LCD screen is that you can only operate it via your smartphone or tablet.
Tip 6: Check out the best-selling dashcams
Is the choice stress getting too much for you or you don't feel like sorting everything out at all? Then follow the rest and just take the best-selling one. At the moment, that's the AZDome M63 Pro. This is a super complete dashcam for €139 with basically all the features currently available (Wifi, GPS and optional rear camera). It also comes with 64gb Micro SD card, so you don't have to worry about anything else. In our Top 10, you can see other frequently sold models.
Still need help? Contact our support team and include your order number (if applicable), dashcam brand/model, and a photo/video of the issue.