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The most affordable dash cams can have Full HD or even 4K cameras and even rearview mirrors, and cost less than $100.
Prices ranging from $50 to $100 may not seem like a lot of money to spend on the most affordable dash cams, especially when many of these compact devices shoot in Full HD and have advanced features like wide-angle lenses and hour-long parking modes.
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But the truth is that there are plenty of dash cams to choose from in this price range and there are even some from well-known brands like Nextbase, Thinkware and if you stretch your budget a little you can also choose Garmin.
You can even find dash cams that can record two or even three images at once, capturing the front and rear of the car as well as the interior—a feature ideal for rideshare drivers. You can also buy a dash cam with GPS or even 4K video recording for under $100.
This guide includes 11 dash cams priced at $100 or less. They are made by different brands, and although their basic functions are the same, they differ greatly in design and additional features.
Which one you choose will depend on your specific situation, but we hope the selection presented here demonstrates what’s available in this area of the dash cam market.
An excellent inexpensive DVR from a well-known manufacturer. The F70 is small, compact, and shoots Full HD video at 30 frames per second. It’s easy to use: it draws power from a wall outlet and records to a microSD card.
Why buy one camera when you can buy two for one price? This dual dashcam records not only the road ahead (2K resolution), but also what’s happening inside the car. It can also upload footage to your phone via the app without removing the memory card.
Many budget dash cams don’t have a built-in display, but this model from renowned manufacturer Nextbase has a 2.5-inch screen so you can view footage and change settings without the need for additional hardware.
Thinkware is a leading dash cam brand, and the F70 is one of the most compact and affordable options. The front camera has a 2.1-megapixel CMOS sensor capable of recording Full HD (1920 x 1080) video at 30 frames per second.
The lens has a 140-degree field of view, which isn’t the widest we’ve seen, but is about the same as lenses on the market under $100. Like most dash cams, there are no batteries. Instead, supercapacitors hold enough energy to ensure the footage is saved and the camera turns off properly when the plug is unplugged or the car is turned off.
Other features include a parking mode (requires optional wiring kit, sold separately) and a port for adding a Thinkware GPS antenna.
This model comes with two cameras in one unit, which is proof enough of what a $100 dash cam can do. One faces the windshield and records in 2K resolution, while the other faces the car interior and records in Full HD.
Dash cams with built-in cameras are best for taxi and rideshare drivers who may want to record their passengers (and of course there’s a notice explaining this). Both cameras have a fairly wide 155-degree lens and infrared night vision for reliable night-time recording in case of an accident.
A parking mode is also available, which activates the dash cam when a stop is detected, but requires a wired kit or external battery to operate.
We admit we’re a little over budget, but we think this is the best compact dash cam you can find today. The Mini 2 uses Garmin’s extremely simple and compact windshield mount system, which takes up only a coin’s worth of space and is extremely compact.
Despite its size, the Mini 2 is still impressive, with Full HD resolution at 30fps, a 140-degree lens, and HDR to help balance exposure in particularly bright and dark conditions.
This is very important because the main function of a dash cam is to clearly display details such as vehicle license plates and road signs. A Wi-Fi connection means videos are automatically uploaded to Garmin’s cloud storage when an Internet connection is detected.
Nextbase 222 is another popular brand in the DVR market. It features a Full HD image sensor and six-layer glass lens, delivering impressive video quality at an affordable price. We especially like the quick-release magnetic mounting system found on all Nextbase products.
This makes it easy to remove the dash cam and switch between vehicles, and the 2.5-inch display makes it easy to place the dash cam in the correct position and view recorded footage.
There’s also infrared night vision and a parking mode, although like all dash cams in this article, a wiring kit (sold separately) is required.
The Toguard CE41 gives you two cameras for the price of one, recording views of the road ahead and inside your vehicle at a very reasonable price. It’s also very discreet, thin and compact.
The built-in camera features a 140° lens, four infrared LEDs and an F/1.8 aperture, allowing you to capture valuable footage even when passengers are in the dark. At the same time, the front camera provides a wide viewing angle of 170°.
The loop recording feature means you can set the camera to overwrite recordings, meaning you don’t have to worry about the memory card running out of recording. If there is a sudden impact, the recording is automatically blocked and saved.
In parking mode, the camera automatically turns on when motion is detected. The recordings are in crystal clear HD 1080p quality. The storage capacity is also impressive, with space for SD cards up to 256GB.
We demoed this dash cam from Z-Edge, proving that you can buy a dual camera system for under $100. The front camera records in 2K resolution when used alone or when connected to the rear camera using the included cable, they shoot in Full HD at 30fps.
Wi-Fi for fast file transfer to your smartphone, wide dynamic range (not exactly industry standard, but still useful), and a large 2.7-inch display for setting up and viewing recordings. The dash cam supports microSD cards up to 265GB, providing enough space for 40 hours of Full HD recording when using both cameras simultaneously.
The Kingslim D1 is another dual-camera system, but this time it sells for just $80 (sometimes Amazon sells for even less). The Kingslim D1 can record 1080p Full HD video on the front panel and 720p HD video on the rear panel.
It’s important to note that both cameras feature wide-angle lenses with an impressive field of view of 140 degrees at the rear and 170 degrees at the front. This is a great addition because it means your shots will include both the sides of the front fender and the area directly in front of you.
Unlike most other dash cams in this price range, it also has wide dynamic range and built-in GPS. This will add speed and location information to your record, which can be critical if you need to prove that you were driving below the speed limit at the time of the accident.
If you think dual-camera systems under $100 are impressive, how about a triple-camera system? This is what Galphi offers, combining a front-facing system with internal and rear cameras.
This dash cam is ideal for drivers who want to keep an eye on their passengers and the traffic in front and behind them. It has a forward-facing lens with a 165-degree field of view, while the other two have a 160-degree field of view.
The camera can also have a built-in monitor for viewing playback footage, as well as infrared night vision and an optional parking mode (with the wired kit installed).
This dash cam offers higher resolution than most other dash cams in this segment, with a 1440p sensor capable of recording video at 60 frames per second. Higher resolution provides greater detail, and higher frame rates mean smoother, clearer video—key to spotting details that could prove your innocence, such as street signs and road markings.
The Viofo has a 140-degree viewing angle lens and a built-in 2.0-inch LCD display, and its design means it fits flush against the windshield, taking up less space and being less distracting than some other models.
4K DVR for under $100? You better believe it. This is the V1 from Rexing, and in addition to Ultra HD resolution, it features a 2.4-inch display, a 170-degree wide-angle lens, Wi-Fi for transferring recordings to smartphone apps, and accepts microSD cards up to 256GB. .
There’s also a parking mode that’s available when the dash cam is hard-wired into your vehicle, and Wide Dynamic Range technology helps improve video clarity in difficult lighting conditions. An optional GPS antenna can be purchased separately and added to the camera to record speed and location data in your recordings.
You can buy this dash cam on 70mai for just $50. It’s compact, records in 1080p Full HD and has infrared night vision. It doesn’t have a built-in display or GPS like other more expensive models, and it doesn’t have a rear or internal camera. But for drivers looking for a simple but effective dash cam that records in HD and takes up little space, we think this could be a good buy.
Unlike most other products in this price range, it has voice control, so you can ask the dash cam to record events ahead that don’t directly affect your car.
Viewing Angle: DVRs usually have wide-angle lenses. The wider the viewing angle, the greater the chance of seeing what is happening at intersections and paths, but the objects ahead will be smaller.
Resolution: 4K footage is great, and high resolution means sharper, crisper images with more detail, but 4K dash cams haven’t reached budget level yet. The higher the resolution, the larger the video file and therefore the more storage space required. Most budget dash cams record in HD, but 1080P is better than 720P, and 2K is even better.
Battery powered video recorders. Some dash cams come with batteries and can be easily installed wirelessly, but the battery life is not very long, usually around 30 minutes. Some dash cams can be plugged into a USB or 12V power source and continue to work indefinitely, although the cables may look messy.
Professional installation. An alternative to battery power is to have a professionally installed dash cam with hidden wiring. It will cost more and the camera won’t be portable from one car to another, but it will look better. Some budget dash cams offer this option, but a wired kit will cost extra (and you may also have to pay for installation).
Protection while parking. The benefit of a wired dash cam is that it can continue to run while your car is parked and record suspicious activity, attempted thefts, or bumpy parking.
Front and rear video recorders. Sometimes danger comes from behind, which is why rear-facing dash cams are very useful. We have a separate buying guide for the best front and rear dash cams. Some front-facing dash cams come with optional rear camera upgrades.
Car cameras. Some drivers, especially those who drive people for a living, will need a dashcam that can record what’s happening inside their vehicle. Our guide to the best Uber dash cams recommends the best options for this purpose. If you’re looking for front, rear, and built-in cameras, check out our guide to the best 3-channel dash cams.
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Post time: Oct-09-2023