Our core mission at Dash Cam Discount is to provide the most detailed information we can about which dash cams you should buy. We create in-depth guides to answer questions we get frequently, and also full dash cam reviews & ratings.
As you can tell by our name, we try our best to find the best prices & discounts on dash cameras. We refuse to ignore quality when looking for the lowest prices though, which is the trickiest part of the job.
Dash Cam Discount isn’t influenced by advertising agencies and we stand proudly knowing we provide our unbiased opinions on every dash cam we test. We are 100% independent and operate with genuine intentions.
Our Expertise
Dash Cam Discount is a team of passionate dash cam experts who love cars, photography, and most importantly justice. We hate to see honest individuals in situations after a car accident, where the driver who was at fault isn’t honest with police or insurance companies.
Each post includes a detailed biography about the author & their area of expertise. Some of us have experienced the unfortunate reality of the world and have been victims in situations that a dash cam would have solved.
How We Decide What to Review
We started as a “coupon” type website, intended to compile several discounts together and simply have them in a list. While doing so, several readers began asking for opinions on which of the discounts were worth it. This began our review process.
We review a large range of car cameras, however we also rate all of the individual parts that make up a dash cam. This list includes cameras, lenses, software, apps, mounts, dash cam bags, memory cards and much more.
At this moment in time, we don’t review crowdfunding projects before released to the public. We may keep it on the ‘to-do’ list for when it becomes highly requested though. The reviews posted on Dash Cam Discount are carefully constructed, as we realize we have many readers who buy any thing we rate highly. For this reason we’re strict with what dash cams we review, as well as with the criteria needed to obtain a high rating!
The Testing Process
Our reputation rests upon our rigorous reviewing process, which is unmatched in the dash cam industry. Understand that we’ve installed and tested every single dash cam by driving with them for an extended period of time. Here’s what impacts dash cam rating:
4K, 2K, 1080p and 720p are the most popular resolutions currently offered for dash cams, listed highest to lowest respectively. 720p is good quality for a video camera, however a 720p dash cam wouldn’t see a street sign or license plate far away.
Dash cams with 4K capture are the highest resolution. High resolution means sharper and clearer video footage with extreme detail. The downside to high resolution is that the file sizes are bigger, so more storage is needed.
Dash cams usually have wide-angle lenses, which impacts the amount of driving action that’s captured. The wider the angle of view, the more likely it is to take in what’s happening in next to or around the vehicle, but objects up ahead will be smaller.
A standard front facing dash cam will max out at 180 degree angle, while some professional grade dual facing trucker dash cams have a 360 degree angle of view. Typically, front facing dash cams are going to be half the price of the 360 degree dash cams. The way 360 degree dash cams work is that there’s 2 cameras installed back to back to see the interior and exterior of the car. To read more details about on cost differences you’ll see in 180 degree vs 360 degree check out our dash cam price guide.
We’ve only started to include ‘ease of installation’ as a factor in our ratings recently. After installing hundreds of dash cams we don’t run into too many issues, but there are definitely complexities involved.
Battery powered dash cams would rank highly in this category, while cams that have a ton of wires and require USB + 12V running indefinitely would rank lower. Of course, the caveat is that battery powered dash cams don’t last more than 2 hours.
Wired dash cams shine in this category as they allow you to use your dash cam 24/7 for security. Battery powered dash cams aren’t capable of parking protection for more than a couple hours.
The advantage of a car camera with a high parking protection rating, is the dash cam records any accidents that occur when you’re not in your car, as well as suspicious activity such as theft or vandalism.
We rate Dynamic Rage with DxO Analyzer, which is a measure of a camera’s (not just dash cam) ability to capture detail such as shadows and light changes.
We mentioned battery powered dash cams earlier in the ‘Ease of Installation’ section, however the ‘Power Type’ we often judge off of quality of power and length of camera life cycle.
In this section, hardwired dash cams outshine battery powered dash cams by a mile. Some dash cams don’t offer the ability to be hardwired, you’ll typically only see this in dash cams with ‘Parking Mode’ and advanced security features.
In short, hardwiring gives dash cams the ability to be record 24/7 without draining too much of your cars battery. It’s easy to see why this is helpful with security.
Intertwining with both power types and parking protection, security features include anything from Parking Mode security via hardwiring to record your cars surroundings when you are not in the vehicle.
Other dash cam features that give higher ratings in the ‘Security Features’ category, is an all in one dash cam that has built-in GPS and alerts the authorities if you get in an accident.
With the constant advancement in the technology available in dash cams, we plan to update this list as we see fit.
Advanced features aren’t mandatory for a functioning dash cam, but add to the aesthetic and may be mandatory for some people. These features include:
- Wi-Fi
- Cloud connectivity (uploading videos to the cloud)
- Driver assist aids
- Voice control
- GPS
- Night Vision
How we stay consistent
Fortunately we’re planning on having out hands full with strictly dash cam reviews for the foreseeable future. We’ve developed an easy testing method for each of the above steps in the testing process.
Some parts of the dash cam are easily tested in a lab setting, such as camera quality and lenses, while other pieces are evaluated based on subjective real world use. In order to limit subjectivity, we’ll get multiple opinions from our dash cam professionals.
The way we accomplish non-biased objectivity is by using experienced team members provide comparisons based of dash cams used in the past. Each category has criteria that can be filled such as ease of installation or video efficiency. There’s always several moving parts but we always make sure we are focusing on the same topics in all our ratings.
The other consistency check revolved around our ‘best of’ lists. The average car driver may only want a simple narrow front facing cam while a truck driver may want a wider lens.
Dash cams are a very individual purchase depending on your situation. For that reason we always explain which dash cams to consider based on you. We will create different ‘best of” lists, such as ‘best 3 channel dash cameras‘ and ‘best front facing dash cams’. This list is directed to help our readers who drive cars, while the ‘best 360 degree fleet dash cam’ would be the best list for truckers.
Dash Cam Discount peer review system is something we actively promote due to our dedication to keeping bias away. We pride ourselves on the final verdicts of our ratings, and our reputation for the best reviews is what makes us stand out compared to other dash cam websites.
Dash Cam Testing Criteria & Guidelines
This page is intended to provide structure and consistency amongst our various product reviews. We have determined that the following product features are the most important for any potential buyer shopping for a dash camera.
Value For Money
In the Value For Money category, our team looks to make sure you’re getting what you paid for. We ensure the product is priced appropriately compared to competition.
To ensure you’re getting your money’s worth from a dash camera, it’s important to purchase from a reputable company that stands behind their product with a quality guarantee. Additionally, it’s important to look for products that are built with premium materials that last.
When searching for the right dash cam for you, it’s important to make sure you’re getting what you expect.
Camera Resolution & Lens Quality
If you’re considering buying a dash cam, video quality and resolutions will probably be a high priorty. That is why this category is dedicated to our team reviewing the camera lens quality, as well as video quality.
The importance of this category rating shouldn’t be understated. After all, the point of a dash cam is to help protect you on the road. If a dash cam doesn’t provide a clear and high quality image, it won’t get a high rating from us!
In our reviews, pay special attention to this category. Although, we’ll make our concerns abundantly clear in each review. The main question we ask when rating this category is – Can we read license plates and street signs from the video recording?
Ease Of Use
In the Ease Of Use category, our team checks to ensure the dash cam is easy to install and use on a daily basis.
Each type of dash cam has it’s place depending on who’s looking to purchase. However, some aren’t intuitive on how to set up and install.
This category is dedicated to keeping a beginners experience in mind – someone who may not want to spend hours installing a dash cam and ten to fifteen minutes every time they get in the car.
Quality Material & Additional Features
You don’t want to buy a new dash camera every few months, you want to buy one and have it last a lifetime. A dash cam is a big purchase for most, so ensuring it’s created with high quality materials is important for keeping it over the long term.
Typical questions we ask when testing these dash cams are:
Does the dash cam have parking mode?
Is there a built-in GPS?
Can the dashcam use radar detection to inform you on your driving speed?
- Is the G-Sensor High Quality?
In this section our team reviews the material used to build each dash cam, we check that each product is quality tested. Since many dash cam manufacturers aren’t currently required to prove their cameras are effective, it’s up to consumers to do their research. That’s where we come in!
We go through the hassle of testing to make sure there are no surprises. Finally, we check that the company you’re buying from can back up the validity of their claims.
See First-Hand How We Apply Our Standards:
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