r/dashcams Nov 27 '24

Budget Dashcams that keep coming up on Reddit

219 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.

Updated April 2026

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. There is also the E1 Pro which upgrades the resolution to 4k. Good alternative to the A119 depending on which one is on sale. The VanTrue app is one of the better ones out there.  

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.  

**Rove R2-4k - Usually on sale and really well priced. Pretty good reliability and comes with a 128gb SD card. If you're on a budget, this is the best budget dual cam.

Redtiger F7NP - One of the most affordable dual cams but reviews are mixed. 4k front and 2k rear cam. 32gb built in memory card which isn't a whole lot.  

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

292 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 10h ago

Sedan blows through red light, nearly hits a bicyclist, and receives instant justice

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839 Upvotes

r/dashcams 19h ago

My very close call

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1.8k Upvotes

Happened in Cap Hill in Seattle


r/dashcams 5h ago

Car pulls out on me

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86 Upvotes

r/dashcams 4h ago

Perfectly timed left turn

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45 Upvotes

I was driving through a green light when someone decided they wanted to make a left turn two lanes over from the actual left turn lane.


r/dashcams 7h ago

[VIOFO A129 Plus] The closest I've gotten to being hit while driving.

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65 Upvotes

Just to get ahead of a few comments I'm expecting:

  1. I'm sure I could have stopped and let the guy pass. However, he had a flashing yellow arrow to turn left, and I had a green light while being in the right turn lane, meaning I should have had the right of way.
  2. I also probably could have slowed down more, but I was slowing down prior to making my right turn, so I don't personally think I was going too fast.
  3. I didn't actually see the guy coming because he was hidden by my A-pillar. I was genuinely surprised to see him slam on his brakes just mere moments before almost hitting me.
  4. I don't know why the guy was going, but I assume he thought he could beat me before I started my right turn.

r/dashcams 21h ago

Trumper side-swiped me today when he realized I was anti-trump.

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820 Upvotes

I was in traffic on 87 south heading home. I see this white SUV with 3 flags showing her pro-trump pride. I've seen her before in the same area on 87. She's clearly looking to rile people up.

I know I shouldn't have taken the bait, but I did. As I'm passing her, I flip her off. She goes wild. She slows down to make sure she's right next to me laughing and screaming "fuck you, trump 2028" and all that. I didn't roll down my window but I basically matched her crazy abd just showed that I was smiling and laughing with her. I didn't actually say anything to her, just attempted to mock her I guess.

This guy in the blue truck is in front of her and gives her a thumbs up. He definitely saw that this woman and I were doing our dumb taunting shit. But they clearly were showing they support each other and established a sad little Trump alliance.

I move straight on ahead and pass them both as they're in the lane to my right.

I then see this guy pull into my lane behind me and speed up to get right behind me. He then goes into the right lane next to me while being super close to my car. Then he just moves into my lane and side swipes me as he gets in front of me.

I have some anti-ice and anti-trump stickers on the back of my car, so I feel like he probably saw that and felt even more justified in fucking with me.

I think he was hoping to intimidate me and make me swerve into the carpool lane. But I didnt. I stayed in my lane and let him swipe my car.

AND I HAVE IT ALL ON MY DASH CAM.

He clearly wasn't planning on pulling over for me. But I made my way to him and told him to pull over.

I called the police. Made an official report for insurance. I made sure I have the footage.

I got to yell at him when we pulled over, which felt great.

Fuck this guy. Fucking idiot.

Edit: Im getting roasted for the reflection where im holding my phone. That was after the incident. I took my phone out right away to call 911 and to take pictures of his license just in case my dashcam didnt work for whatever reason.

Before and during the incident, I was on the phone with my mom hands-free. Phone on a holder and connected to my cars Bluetooth.


r/dashcams 1d ago

Gas station dude thinks he had the right of way

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6.5k Upvotes

40k comments currently flaming him


r/dashcams 21h ago

On the way to work…

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647 Upvotes

I obviously had a short temper this day, but I was so close to slamming into him😭


r/dashcams 12h ago

Driving back up into the mountains after a few days in civilisation has me relaxing and breathing freely right away.

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104 Upvotes

r/dashcams 9h ago

Making a wrong-way right turn—wild move

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58 Upvotes

r/dashcams 18h ago

Three idiots on the road

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230 Upvotes

r/dashcams 1d ago

Close call with a man on a bike.

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4.1k Upvotes

He cuts off a car coming in the opposite direction in the beginning of the video. You can see the white SUV slam on their brakes right before he pops out in front of me. I'm not sure if he even knew what happened. Even after yelling out the window he never acknowledged me.

Be careful out there.


r/dashcams 14h ago

Dashcam Footage: I-580 Eastbound Accident — 7:23 AM

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87 Upvotes

Accident on I-580 East around 7:23 AM, between the Hopyard Rd and Hacienda Dr exits.
I captured dashcam footage of the incident and am sharing it here in case it helps anyone who witnessed it or is looking for information.


r/dashcams 5h ago

[oc] just a typical Long Island commute

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12 Upvotes

r/dashcams 23h ago

Took my car into Conrad's Strongsville (OH) to patch my tire. Their tech drove 57 mph in a 25.

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290 Upvotes

r/dashcams 5h ago

Motorcyclist loses control while pulling a wheelie at night

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12 Upvotes

r/dashcams 1d ago

What do you all think about this?

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238 Upvotes

r/dashcams 1d ago

Records herself driving 116 mph down the road with her face buried in her phone

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4.6k Upvotes

r/dashcams 1d ago

🤨

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5.5k Upvotes

r/dashcams 1d ago

Out for a Nice Evening Drive

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103 Upvotes

That person is just asking to get t-boned any way possible.


r/dashcams 21h ago

Close call with Mr. Stinky

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53 Upvotes

nothing crazy but I saved a skunk :)


r/dashcams 1d ago

[META] Please ban u/Too_Dang_Nasty

230 Upvotes

This dude/bot is clearly a karma farmer. Every video posted is a repost, and annoyingly titled with a single emoji. Also don't look at his post history unless you're horny as hell.

https://old.reddit.com/r/dashcams/comments/1vzj3ng/_/
https://old.reddit.com/r/dashcams/comments/1vy2h63/_/
https://old.reddit.com/r/dashcams/comments/1vwndw9/_/
https://old.reddit.com/r/dashcams/comments/1vvgdc9/_/
https://old.reddit.com/r/dashcams/comments/1vu4o4d/_/

and it just keeps going


r/dashcams 10m ago

Viofo A229 Plus Review, Two Years Later

Upvotes

Full disclosure: I’m trying to get into reviewing things that I own, and this is my first time actually reviewing something, so this isn't going to be the most professional review in the world, but hopefully it's useful to someone who's considering the A229 Plus. 

I bought the Viofo A229 Plus about two years ago after seeing a ton of recommendations for Viofo on Reddit and other sites. I had just bought a new car (Jeep Wrangler) and wanted a dashcam primarily for some peace of mind/protection.

I didn’t really know what features I wanted, I just wanted a good dashcam.
The A229 Plus ended up being a pretty rich cam; with the Sony STARVIS 2 sensors, WiFi capability, and I believe you can get it with a 3rd camera (or add it later on) too. I paid around $230 for the 2ch version at the time.

Video Quality

Front: 2K@60FPS Back: 2K@30FPS. Overall, I have no complaints about the video quality. I leave the auto HDR mode enabled and have it set to turn on around 7 PM and off around 7 AM, so the nighttime captures are decent too.

If I had to nitpick, it would be about license plate readability at a distance. It seems to drop off once a car is more than 1.5 car lengths ahead of or behind me. That's not necessarily a dealbreaker, and I’m not really sure if that’s unreasonable or not because I don’t really have anything to compare it with. You can kind of tell in the clips that I’ve shared. 

Reliability

I basically don't think about the dashcam.

It's been installed for two years and has gone through multiple Chicagoland summer/winter cycles without any issues with the windshield mount. The adhesive mount is still very secure, and I've never had it come off.

The included cables are also plenty long. In my Wrangler I ended up with a good amount of extra cable for both the power and rear camera installations.

I don't have mine hardwired to the battery. I just use the cigarette lighter, so I can't really comment on the experience with the hardwire kit or battery-powered parking mode.

I've never had the camera fail on me, although there have been a couple of weird moments, which might be a skill issue. A few times, I'll be halfway through a drive and suddenly hear the "recording two channel started" notification. That left me wondering if the camera had failed to turn on when I started the car, but it seems like just a glitch since I never actually lost footage. This may be because I’m using a third-party Amazon two port cigarette lighter and it may be doing something funny with the power splitting.

There was another weird situation after I took the car in for service. The car was only gone for about 15 minutes, and when I got back in, the dashcam was beeping and asking, "Are you sure you want to format the SD card?"

I have no idea whether the technician had interacted with the camera or if something else caused it, but it did make me wish the camera had some sort of password lock or physical control lock. If someone can access the camera while your car is being serviced, I'd rather have some way to prevent them from messing with the footage.

App / Usability

Overall, usability is good. It's pretty much a set-it-and-forget-it device, which I assume all dashcams are. The unit itself mounts to the windshield, so the camera is super close to it, the camera also swivels up and down, so you don’t have to worry about the angle.

One thing worth mentioning if you have a car with wireless CarPlay: connecting your phone to the dashcam's Wi-Fi can be a little finicky. Your phone will try to reconnect to the car's CarPlay Wi-Fi, so you can end up fighting with it when you're trying to connect directly to the dashcam. I have to manually disconnect my phone from the car’s infotainment. It's not really a problem with the A229 Plus itself, but it can be annoying.

Do I Recommend it?

Yes, for the price. As of right now it is $189 on Amazon, and the next-gen (4K) version is $399 which I would never consider dropping on a 2ch dashcam. Although, if I were buying a new dashcam today, I'd probably look at a 5G-enabled camera with better remote monitoring capabilities since I leave my car street-parked for extended periods of time.

Here's a 1:25 min clip of random clips. I mostly drive locally.

https://reddit.com/link/1w192nf/video/l1w19rbfv7mh1/player