So if you already own a GoPro, pairing it with a dashboard mount or windshield suction cup is an easy way to record video while you’re driving. We even have a dedicated guide on how to use a GoPro as a dash cam for your car. However, if you’re looking for a comprehensive solution to capture in-car video, it’s worth considering a dash cam. Are dash cams legal?

If, like me, you find the voice notifications annoying, they can be silenced, and you can also mute the microphone if you’d rather not have the audio from your recordings. You might not like the idea of the dash cam recording you singing along to the radio, but audio can be an important part of video evidence, depending on the incident. Incident recording triggered by impact (G) sensors, or when in parking mode (see below), by motion detection. Other headline features are its 'True 4K' Sony IMX 415 image sensor, the aforementioned 2.2" vivid full-colour screen, a 'Stop and Go' artificial intelligence function, and built-in GPS.As for the captured footage, it’s good both on sunny days and in overcast conditions, and particularly impressive at night, where you can see more detail outside of the zone lit by the headlights, albeit with a little too much glare on street lights and lights coming the other way. In daylight hours, there’s ample detail to work with and you can easily read number plates, although there’s more grain and visible compression than on the best 4K dash cams. Still, if you want a wide-angle view and great features, this is an excellent buy.

For what it offers, the MioFive is reasonably priced reasonably well; it has plenty of technology and storage and is intuitive and easy to use, with the App helping you store videos.This is an excellent dash cam for the price, with first-rate 4K UHD day and night captures, GPS, and 64GB of internal storage. We also like the friendly voice notifications. While older models typically required the user to manually save or tag the appropriate clip in the event of an accident, new G-Sensor-based incident detection technology has taken over, and now takes care of this automatically. Capture settings can be tweaked via the touchscreen, but we found that it worked well right out of the box: results from both cameras were impressive, with plenty of crisp detail and decent dynamic range, even in dim and dark conditions. If you’re looking for a stress-free and reliable dash cam, the X1000 gets plenty right. If the worst were to happen, and you need to prove your innocence, the dash cam’s footage could do exactly that. This footage can also be set to include your speed, along with the time and date to help reinforce the validity of your evidence if blame is disputed by the other party. As well as monitoring the road ahead, dash cams can be used to record out of the rear windscreen too, recording footage if you are unfortunate enough to be rear-ended by another motorist.

You don’t drive for a living: Most road users don’t need interior recording, so unless you’re ferrying passengers for pay, you might find better value elsewhere. While features are limited to voice controls and a g-sensor that can detect collisions, we felt that GPS was the only real omission. Unless you need the best dash cam with driver assistance functions, the Garmin Dash Cam Mini 2 will leave you wanting for very little. Simple, subtle and reliable, it’s the definition of set-and-forget technology. Every dash cam you see in this list has been tested and reviewed to ensure that the best dash cams really are the best. We look at every step involved in owning a dash cam, from setup all the way to actually having to pull your footage from the memory card. In our tests, the front camera’s footage was generally good enough in most scenarios. Viofo utilizes Sony Starvis image sensors, which perform well in low-light conditions. The lower resolution does compromise quality in subpar driving situations though, with fuzzy detail putting it behind the best 4K competitors. The interior and rear cameras offer a wide 170-degree field of view, and the interior camera is equipped with six LEDs for infrared capabilities. Even in the darkest driving conditions, visibility inside the car remained clear in our tests. Intriguingly, the MioFive's screen actually displays an ultra-wide vertical viewing angle of 160°, so you can see more than the cam is capturing. It's a lovely-looking screen, with strong, bright colour and good contrast, rendering the images more consistently visible in changing light conditions. It's not a touchscreen, though, so you have to make control adjustments via the buttons at the side, which are a little on the minimalist side.We’re seeing more dash cams these days with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or even 4G connectivity, enabling you to sync videos wirelessly, review your footage, or get a live view on your smartphone. Some companion apps enable you to sync multiple dash cams wirelessly; you can have one at the front and one at the rear, without a cable connecting the two (although both will have to be powered). Many allow you to use voice commands for control. Also for consideration are two frames captured by the MIOFIVE. In the first, the MIOFIVE produces a reasonably clear image. In the second, I’ve zoomed into a passing vehicle where we lose a bit of detail. From the outside, again, because of its colour and size and where it’s located, it’s very discrete. It has a green light that flashes every minute or so as it runs – but this isn’t as dissimilar as your car's alarm light. The tech inside Hard-wired 12-volt power (better): Most vendors offer kits that connect the dash cam directly to a constant 12-volt source in your wiring harness behind the dash. This provides always-on power, but it isn’t particularly easy to install.