Dash cams have gone from gadget to essential. UK insurers increasingly factor footage into liability decisions, and a £100 dash cam paid for itself the first time a customer of ours avoided a 'crash-for-cash' setup on the Edinburgh bypass. But the market is flooded with no-name kit that fails the moment you need it. Here's what to actually look for.
4K dash cams sound impressive, but most are 'interpolated' — they upscale a smaller sensor. For UK conditions a genuine 1440p QHD camera (Nextbase 422GW, Viofo A129 Plus) reads number plates further out than a budget '4K' unit. Spend on sensor quality, not pixel count. The key question: at what distance can it read a plate at night? 30 metres is reasonable; less and it's not earning its keep.
Front-only covers the most common collisions — front-end shunts. Dual (front + rear) is the sensible default; rear protection catches rear-end claims, which insurers love to dispute. Three-channel (front + rear + cabin) is for Uber/Bolt drivers, fleet operators and anyone who's been falsely accused of anything by a passenger. For most private drivers, dual is the value sweet spot.
Parking mode keeps the camera recording (or motion-triggered) while you're parked. It needs a hardwire kit drawing low current and a camera with a heat-tolerant supercapacitor (not lithium, which fails in summer car interiors). Nextbase, Viofo and BlackVue do this properly. Avoid budget brands that claim parking mode but use lithium batteries — they swell and fail.
Cigarette-lighter cameras only record when ignition is on. Hardwired (via a kit, ideally professionally fitted) records 24/7 with safe battery cut-off. Hardwire kits are £20–£30 plus 30 minutes fitting. If you want parking protection, hardwire isn't optional.
A camera with built-in GPS stamps speed, location and direction onto the footage. This isn't snooping — it's the bit that wins liability disputes. Most insurers won't take seriously a video without GPS data. Pay the £20–£40 extra for the GPS model.
Major UK insurers (Aviva, Direct Line, LV, Admiral) all accept dash cam footage. Some give 10–15% discount for fitted dash cams. Footage must be unedited, with original timestamps; export the file directly to the insurer without trimming. Don't post it to social media first — that can complicate the claim.
Yes, fully legal — but the camera must not obstruct the driver's view (mount behind the mirror).
Some insurers (Adrian Flux, Swiftcover, LV in some categories) offer 10–15% off. Always check before assuming.
Only if you park on the street or in public car parks regularly. For driveway parking it's nice-to-have, not essential.
A correctly installed hardwire kit cuts off at a preset voltage (usually 12.0V) to protect the battery. Cigarette-lighter installs only run with ignition on.
A high-endurance 64GB or 128GB card. Avoid no-brand cards — SanDisk High Endurance or Samsung Pro Endurance are the safe bets.
Bob's Mechanical Repairs — independent family-run garage in Birnam, Dunkeld, Perthshire. Call 01350 727 276 or email [email protected].