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Best buy dash cams
Since we last looked at dash cams they have continued to improve in terms of functionality and performance. There has also been a surge in the popularity of dash cams, so the results of the latest product test by the leading UK consumer group Which? are a useful guide if you are thinking of getting a dash cam.

Invaluable footage of an incident can assist in clarifying the truth where for example another driver clips your car and subsequently disputes your claim
The footage can sometimes even identify a car if it failed to stop after an incident and drove off. A dash cam can also be invaluable in connection with so called "cash for crash" scams.

The latest dash cams have a "parking mode" recording capability too that can capture a video record if your car is bumped into whilst parked.

For a classic car enthusiast it's often useful to record a memorable scenic tour so you can play it back on a screen from the data card.

Hit and run - thousands of parked cars damaged
A recent PetrolPrices.com survey has revealed that over 71% of drivers have had their cars damaged whilst parked. In the vast majority of cases, these were “hit and run” incidents, with the perpetrators driving away instead of confessing to their mistake. See the online article

See later NEWS item on a Garmin dash cam & satnav device. More

Updated: 161119
Posted: 160928

A dash cam has to provide good quality footage if it is to provide acceptable evidence that can identify another car involved in an incident both in daylight and nightime conditions. Over the last 24 months or so the improvement in the quality of the leading dash cam products has improved and prices have fallen so today you do not have to spend a great deal to get a good dash cam. In the latest issue of the consumer magazine Which? their recommended Best Buy is just £70. In their lab test tablulated results Nextbase products feature as the top four products.

Best buys with a Which? rating and typical store cost
Nextbase 312GW Deluxe - rated 72% & £99. More
Nextbase 212 Lite - rated 71% & £69. More
Nextbase 512G Ultra - rated 71% & £179. More

Nextbase Dash Cam 312GW
This product is reviewed on the Which? website and is featured on the Halfords website shown as available for £99. The 312GW is described on the Halfords' website as offering "very high quality footage, recording in Full 1080p HD at 30fps. The 312GW uses the latest 6G glass lenses which provides a wide 140 degree viewing angle to capture both sides of the road whilst maintaining image clarity. It's the first Nextbase model to have inbuilt WiFi, meaning you can quickly transfer footage to review on your smartphone or tablet, then simply share the footage with your insurer, friend’s or social media using the Nextbase app. The 312GW is also one of Nextbase's first dash cams to come with the Click & Go Powered Magnetic Car Mounting system. The mount makes installation easy, just simply slide your dash cam onto the mount with the aid of inbuilt magnets and off you go! The power of the Dash Cam runs through the mount so no need to worry about wires and the camera will automatically turn on when you start your vehicle and off when you stop. This 312GW also includes a GPS and G force recording system, which can also help to provide important evidence in the event of an accident. By tracking your location you can watch your footage with speed, location and G force data shown alongside the video. This small and handy dash cam can easily be tucked away behind your rear view mirror, ensuring your journeys are captured at all times!"
In the Which? review of the 312GW Deluxe they mention a similar model, the Nextbase In Car Cam 212 as £30 cheaper at £69 (in fact it's on special offer today at Halfords at only £59) but it does not have the GPS (location and speed recording features - some might feel that is desirable if it were necessary to release a recording as evidence) and WiFi (to transfer recorded data), but for many users not having those two features might be acceptable and provide good value for money. The saving could be used for a dash cam fitting service which neatly conceals the wiring, see below.
You will probably wish to have a 32GB Micro SD card to provide good recording capacity. Those cards can be obtained from many retailers like Clas Ohlson, Halfords, John Lewis and Maplin.

Dash cam fitting service
Halfords also offer a dash cam fitting at some of their major retail park stores. Why should I get my Dash Cam professionally fitted? There are several reasons: wired in it's always on - your dash cam will turn on when you turn on the ignition, and turn off when you turn the engine off, meaning that you're always recording in case something happens out on the road. Normally, your dash cam is plugged into the cigarette lighter for power, but by getting it permanently installed by one of Halfords' professional fitters, the power cable can be neatly hidden behind the dashboard and hard wired to your car's ignition - freeing up your cigarette lighter for any other gadgets!
More on Halfords' website

Dash cams to avoid
The Which? report mentions a number of dash cams as "Don't Buys" including the Nextbase 302G (45%), Garmin Dash Cam 35 (45%), Nextbase In Car Cam Duo TwinCam (44%), Nextbase In Car Cam 101 Go (38%) and Garmin Dash Cam 30 (36%).