Recommendations – Dash Cameras
Below you will find my most current recommendations for each product category. As always, these are NON-SPONSORED recommendations based on as much empirical information and testing as I can gather.
Last Updated: March 11, 2025
Basic Dash Cams
Best Dash Cam Under $100
Viofo A119 Mini 2
MSRP: $129.99
Common Price: $113.99
Link: https://amzn.to/41CAzLr
If your budget is under $100 and you’re okay with just a front facing dash cam, the Viofo A119 Mini 2 is miles ahead of other cameras in the price range and has excellent 1440p video quality with great HDR implementation, a wide field of view, good parking modes, and an incredibly compact and discrete form factor.
Best Dash Cam Under $200
Wolfbox X5 4K 3Ch
MSRP: $399.99
Common Price: $199.99
Link: https://amzn.to/3Ykm2Bw
If you want more cameras, the three channel Wolfbox X5 is a crazy deal for $199 and has the same sensors and most of the same options as the $299 Vantrue N4 Pro. The Wolfbox was also the only camera that survived all 16 impacts without stopping the video feed. Its only weaknesses are fewer and less functional parking modes, weaker HDR video processing, and a mount that tends to bounce on bumpy roads leading to a bit more motion blur at night.
Best Night Performing
Vantrue N4 Pro 4K 3Ch
MSRP: $379.99
Common Price: $299.99
Link: https://amzn.to/4gLufW3
Last year’s winner the Vantrue N4 Pro is still the king of nighttime image quality, and the recent PlatePix firmware update seems to have improved it even more, but you’ll need to decide if the slightly better image quality and better parking modes are worth the extra $100 over the Wolfbox, especially since the Wolfbox also comes with a 128 gigabyte SD card, while the Vantrue’s is sold separately.
Best Overall Performance
Viofo A329 4K 2Ch
MSRP: $469.99
Common Price: $399.99
Link: https://amzn.to/4gJE4UM
The Viofo A329 4K had the best daytime video quality, the 2nd best nighttime quality, and the best parking modes, but for $100 more than the Vantrue and twice the price of the Wolfbox, you get one less channel and marginally better performance. So, unless parking modes or one of the more niche features like USB-C SSD recording, or HDMI video output are important for you, then the Vantrue N4 Pro or Wolfbox X5 make more sense.
More information on Basic Dash Cams: https://youtu.be/HswpRHu_X-k
LTE Dash Cams
Best Overall Performance
Blackvue DR970-2CH Plus LTE
MSRP: $539.99
Common Price: $539.99
Link: https://amzn.to/3P0RQ9U
If you want the ultimate connected dash cam, the BlackVue DR970X-2CH Plus LTE was the clear winner with great parking notifications with useful 10 second pre-roll, automatic cloud upload of events, real time GPS mapping and event mapping, and even a daily driver safety report. All that comes at a hefty price though, with an almost $600 upfront cost, plus $7.99 a month for the BlackVue cloud and $23.99 a month for cellular service. Though, I will say, the BlackVue is compatible with the T-mobile network, which is only $15 a month for 3GB, so you can save yourself $9 a month by just swapping out the sim card. Still, in my opinion the BlackVue should be the clear choice for businesses with employees driving company vehicles and the BlackVue cloud even has a separate fleet plan that enables more features like geofencing and longer GPS tracking records.
Runner-Up
Thinkware U3000
MSRP: $429.99
Common Price: $379.99
Link: https://amzn.to/430hJwq
The Thinkware U3000 is a pretty compelling option for someone who wants GPS reports for their vehicles and can deal with the lack of cellular connectivity. I personally used the built-in Wi-Fi hotspot on my Rivian, but you could also hotspot from your phone, or for a company vehicle you could even just have it connect to your business’s Wi-Fi once the work day was over and you’d still get GPS reports marked up with safety concerns like hard acceleration, braking and cornering.
More information on LTE Dash Cams: https://youtu.be/hhnsOQ3Xmnk