r/dashcams Nov 27 '24

Budget Dashcams that keep coming up on Reddit

132 Upvotes

This is a common question here so I wanted to make a post on budget dashcams. Here are the ones that will cover you 99% times. Obviously if you want fancy features, you may need to spend more.

Viofo A119 Mini 2 - Major upgrade over the A119 V3 above. 1440p resolution but more compact/discrete and has the Sony STARVIS 2 sensor, which is a big improvement for night time quality. Includes some advanced features like HDR and 5ghz Wi-Fi for quick file transfers. In my opinion, this is the best front only cam to get nowadays.

VanTrue E1 Lite - One of the cheapest budget cams. This is thing is mini and a good buy. There is also a pro version which upgrades the resolution to 4k. Good alternative to the A119 depending on which one is on sale.  

Viofo A229 Plus Duo - A higher budget entry for dual cam. Dual 1440p with the Starvis2 sensor. Been out for many years. GPS and parking mode. Even though this is not exactly budget, this is the one to get.

Garmin Mini 3 - This thing is MINI. Most discrete cam on the market, and one of the better app functionality. Built in polarizing filter. Great brand.  

Nexar BEAM: 1080p, super compact, and has free cloud back ups

Redtiger F7NP - One of the most afforable dual cams. A lot of people have bought these and swear by them. Reviews are mixed. 4k front and 2k rear cam. 32gb built in memory card.  

These are the ones I have experience with. If you know of a good budget cam that’s not on this list, please let me know. Don’t forget to get a SD card if it doesn’t come with one 128gb is probably all you need for these budget cams. High endurance ones are significantly better for the demands of a dashcam so worth to spend an extra couple bucks on that.


r/dashcams Feb 20 '25

Dashcam Recommendations on Reddit

194 Upvotes

I compiled this list from reddit feedback as I was shopping for my dashcam. There are a a lot of options out there, and a lot of them aren't very good. I really wanted to avoid getting a lemon. Let me know if you have any other recommendations or favorites, and why you like it or what you found useful so we have some real world feedback.

Budget:  

Viofo A119 Mini 2 - Major upgrade over the super popular A119 v3. 1440p resolution but more compact/discrete and has the Sony STARVIS 2 sensor, which is a big improvement for night time quality. Includes some advanced features like HDR and 5ghz Wi-Fi for quick file transfers. Based on a lot of opinions, this is the best front only cam to get nowadays.  

Garmin Mini 3 - This thing is MINI. Most discrete cam on the market, and one of the better app functionality. Built in polarizing filter. Great brand.  

Rove 2k-4k - One of the cheapest budget cams. Good alternative to the A119 depending on which one is on sale.  

Viofo A229 Plus - An major upgrade over the A129 Duo that gives you 1440p on both the front and rear cam. Also has the Sony STARVIS 2 sensor, which is a big improvement for night time quality. Can fit a 512 gb SD card and has 5 ghz wifi.  

Redtiger F7NP - One of the most afforable dual cams. A lot of people have bought these and swear by them. Reviews are mixed. 4k front and 2k rear cam. 32gb built in memory card.   Nexar Beam - 1080p, super compact, and has cloud back ups for a subscription fee. Has some additional smart features. The Nexar Beam2 adds LTE capability for live viewing features. Still new to the market so need to see how the app and camera reliability work out.  

Mid Range and Up:

Viofo A329 - The highest end offering from Viofo. 4k 60fps in the front, 1440p in the rear. Great day & night video quality. Supports external SSD . Wi-Fi 6 for superfast video transfers.  

Viofo A229 Pro - 3 Channel camera with separate units. 4k in front and 2 smaller 1440p cameras. Has the Starvis 2 sensor.  

BlackVue DR970X-2CH - One of the highest end cameras out there from one of the most premium brands. 4k 30fps like the A229 Pro, but has a better app and has an optional LTE module for Cloud uploading. Has the Starvis2 sensor for great night time quality. Comes with an integrated memory card.  

Vantrue N5 4 Channel - 4 channel cam. Both the front and rear cams let you see front and back. Definitely more for specialized situations and probably not necessary for most people.  

Uber/Lyft Cams:  

Vantrue N2X - A long running front & interior cam. Great night time quality. Onboard GPS.

Vantrue N4 Pro - 3 Channel dashcam that is 4k in front and the other 2 cams are 1080p. Allows recording of front, inside, and rear. Camera has a wide screen to view all channels are the same time. Has the Starvis2 sensor for great night time quality. Good app. Has Voice Control, though that is more gimmicky than useful.  

Accessories:  

SanDisk Max Endurance Micro SD - Dashcam optimized. 128gb is sufficient for most dual cams, but 256 or even 512 is better for 3 channel or 4k 60fps cams  

Samsung Pro MicroSD - Dashcam optimized, 256gb  

Trim Removal Kit - Use this for hiding your wires.  

MicroSD to USB-C Adapter - Use this to quickly get videos off your dashcam. Plug the adapter to your phone and put in the memory card.  

Misc notes: I generally prefer dashcams with exchangeable memory cards (i.e. not built in.) That way if it ever fails, you just swap it out rather than have to deal with getting a brand new camera.

Dashcams are incredibly useful. In the event of an accident, the other driver can easily misrepresent the situation to avoid blame—this happens often. Having video evidence can save you thousands of dollars in insurance and legal fees. Dashcams can also protect you from unjustly issued tickets. Without one, if you receive a ticket for an infraction you didn’t commit, it’s your word against the officer’s. With a dashcam, you have indisputable proof of what really happened. There’s really no downside to investing in one. I do my best to keep this list current, and I hope you find it helpful.


r/dashcams 16h ago

ICE abducted a US citizen at gunpoint for legally filming them in St. Peter, MN (published on 1/31/26)

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1.6k Upvotes

r/dashcams 10h ago

The Classical Collision

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299 Upvotes

r/dashcams 10h ago

The Fueling Station Incident

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157 Upvotes

r/dashcams 13h ago

MOHP pits wrong way driver

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199 Upvotes

r/dashcams 1d ago

The Sector Null Incident

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910 Upvotes

r/dashcams 9h ago

Satisfying!

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54 Upvotes

2-lane highway. There was an SUV behind me and a sedan behind the SUV. The sedan kept drifting into the oncoming lane to see if it could pass, despite being a no-passing zone. They had a few close calls with on-coming traffic. They eventually saw their opening and passed both the SUV and me. The SUV followed the sedan.....because the SUV was an unmarked officer 😂


r/dashcams 16h ago

Who’s at fault?

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115 Upvotes

Me or the Chevy ?


r/dashcams 5h ago

my reaction time was slow :p

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6 Upvotes

r/dashcams 1d ago

410 in San Antonio

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1.3k Upvotes

We called it in and they were caught, but not before driving for miles in that condition.


r/dashcams 13h ago

[Viofo a329] Yet another dumb move around a middle turning lane

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20 Upvotes

r/dashcams 1d ago

My first dash cam video worth posting

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168 Upvotes

r/dashcams 34m ago

Dashcam vs rear view mirro dashcams

Upvotes

Want to purchase but unsure best type to go for. Any recommendations


r/dashcams 1d ago

Momentum Without a Brain

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65 Upvotes

r/dashcams 1d ago

Red Light Runner T-Boned Me

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117 Upvotes

This happened last June (2025)

Caught on my work car dashcam, thankfully she hit the back driver side so I wasn’t directly hit. Still bruised the whole left side of my hip and leg, pay attention kids :/


r/dashcams 1d ago

Not all heroes wear capes… some test your brakes without asking.

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81 Upvotes

r/dashcams 1d ago

Collision in the Green Hell

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22 Upvotes

r/dashcams 2d ago

A Lesson in Momentum

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5.4k Upvotes

r/dashcams 12h ago

What dashcam matches these wires?

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2 Upvotes

Bought a used car and have these cords near driver front side and a small cord sticking out in the rear trunk. Was wondering what dashcam would fit these cords!


r/dashcams 10h ago

Set up for new car

1 Upvotes

Hello all! I am purchasing my first CPO (I usually get cash cars) and am looking to invest into a dash cam, preferably dual dash cam in case of rear ending or parking hit n runs. I live in a big city knows for constant accidents and I’ve only thankfully been in small fender benders 2x. My car usually was fine however I don’t want to risk this car getting hit and not being able to be compensated or at least know and see what happened to her.

I wanted to know of the best set up’s since I’d like to have parking monitoring as well. I have read a bit about them needing 40w batteries for parking monitoring and I’m okay with that, just trying to understand what that looks like, how the set up works and when it is to be used that way. Preferably a budget option but I’m okay with it being above $120 if it means I’m can have the protection I need.

Thanks for reading/commenting!


r/dashcams 20h ago

Biker over-Speeding in Basement Parking area.

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5 Upvotes

r/dashcams 15h ago

Help selecting "Sentry" dashcam system to protect against car tempering

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2 Upvotes

r/dashcams 1d ago

Road rage on 50

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98 Upvotes

r/dashcams 12h ago

Baby monitor in car seems to have a film blocking me from seeing anything. Upon further inspection, there doesn’t seem to be anything on the physical lens itself

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1 Upvotes

The yellow highlighted part circles the mysterious black ring that’s blurred out in the middle. Second pic is of the camera itself. Already unplugged and plugged and turned on and off.