The dash cam market is changing fast, as vendors hop onto the 4K-resolution bandwagon. We just reviewed four of the first models out the door and can’t deny the allure of supercrisp 4K images. But there are caveats, which we’ll discuss below and in the individual reviews. Until we review a few more 4K models, our top picks remain 1080p dash cams, which you can find in the chart below.

Say, did you buy an Owl Car Cam? The company shut down abruptly, leaving users stuck with expensive dash cams and no support. Read more about the untimely death of Owl Cameras, Inc.

Our quick-hit recommendations:

As 4K UHD (2160p) dash cams have entered the market, we know it’d be easy to fall victim to the specsmanship of a higher-res image. From what we’ve seen so far the gain in detail can vary, but the storage investment is consistently heavy: four times the storage of 1080p, or around 1GB for every three minutes of video. For most purposes,1080p is the more frugal everyday choice. Don’t avoid 4K UHD, but read the reviews first so you know whether the cost is justified.

We just reviewed a first batch of 4K dash cams, and have a few more in the hopper to round out our selection before we declare a winner. Our latest crop also includes a new top pick for front/interior dual dash cam: 

The Owl Car Cam smartphone-driven dash cam debuted in late 2018 with some cool features—and a high price. In early 2020, readers started telling us they couldn’t contact the company anymore. PCWorld investigated Owl Cameras Inc. and confirmed that the company had run out of money, and its assets and technology were sold to Xirgo Corporation. The fate of Owl Car Cam users remains unknown, though the acquiring company said it was looking for possible solutions. 

Small, easy to use, and with absolutely sterling day and night captures, this is one of, if not the best budget dash cams we've tested. It even has a real battery to capture events if the 12-volt is interrupted. Great stuff, but spend the extra $22 for the GPS mount. You'll thank us in the long run.

The Vantrue OnDash N1 Pro (available on Amazon) is our new favorite low-cost dash cam. It’s compact, light, relatively inexpensive, takes good video under all conditions, and has a real battery to keep running if the 12-volt fails. Because we recommend GPS for legal and travelogue reasons, I’m going to talk about it as if the $22 optional GPS mount were part of the deal. If you’re smart, it will be. Read our full review.

With Alexa, a dash cam, and a constant eye on the road, the Garmin Speak Plus has enough bells and whistles to justify its $200 price tag.

Garmin’s Speak Plus dash cam (available on Amazon) deserves mention because it’s the only dash cam (other than its predecessor, the Garmin Speak) that can be controlled using Amazon’s Alexa smart assistant. You can also, of course, ask Alexa to do other things around your home while you’re in the car. You’ll need to keep your smartphone handy to enjoy all the features, though. Read our full review.

With the Dash Cam Tandem, Garmin has finally nailed its formula. Along with existing small size, full feature set, clever magnetic mounting system and the improved motion compensation from company’s last generation of front dash cams, you now get an interior camera. And hey, the company throws in a 16GB microSD card! Yup, ride-givers who want to document the cockpit goings-on while on duty now have a Garmin option. You get what you pay for, and with the Tandem that’s a lot—well worth our top spot among dual dash cams. 

Nextbase’s GW modular series (available on Amazon) has raised the bar for dual-channel dash cams. They’re pricey, but feature an HDMI port that, besides outputting video, accepts any one of three rear camera options. Beyond that, there’s phone connectivity, Alexa, GPS, and a touchscreen. If it weren’t for the lack of infrared lighting for interior night captures, the 422GW would be pretty darn perfect. For my purposes it still is, but if you’re driving a taxi or patrol car at night, the unit’s interior captures aren’t going to cut it. Read our full review.

The Viofo A129 Duo dual-camera system produces high-quality day, night, and low-light video from both its front and rear cameras, and it does so for a good price. Better still, its supercapacitor will take video for 2-3 seconds after a power failure. Aside from an overly thick cable to the rear camera, we have no complaints.

The A129 Duo is easily our favorite budget dual-camera dash cam (available on Amazon), with superior 1080p day and night video from both the front and rear cameras. It holds its own against far more expensive competitors. Aside from the somewhat unwieldy rear cam cable, it’s all goodness, all the time. Read our full review.

The Akaso Trace 1 Pro is the premium version of Akaso’s affordable Trace 1 (available on Amazon), which lacks GPS. The Pro version adds the missing GPS, doubles down with Wi-Fi phone connectivity, and at $130 on Amazon, is still in the financial ballpark for most users. Read our full review.

Few people are as well situated geographically as I am to test dash cams. Within two blocks there are major four- and six-lane thoroughfares, numerous bike lanes, joggers, dog walkers, oblivious ear-budded pedestrians, and a major bus nexus serving both public and private coaches. The opportunities for near-accident are endless.

For every dash cam, I mount it in my car, judging the ease and convenience of doing so. Tip: Many dash cams rely on adhesive for mounting to your windshield. Hot conditions can make it next to impossible to remove the film that protects the adhesive. Remove the film in a cool environment, or place it in the fridge for a minute or two before installing it.

I put each dash cam through several days’ and nights’ worth of driving, recording video and judging the image quality. All the dash cams I’ve reviewed in the last couple of years take good daytime video. However, night video is often plagued by murky shadows and headlight flare. That said, quality is improving rapidly with the introduction of new sensors. Take a close look at the night shots in each review. 

I try all the features: Buttons, display controls, apps. Aside from rear-view support and GPS, the most salient differences between the products are the interface controls and extra features, such as the lane departure and collision warnings that you get with some models. I try them...and I turn them off. In practice, they usually tell me I’m changing lanes, in heavy traffic, or have just been cut off. Additionally, the collision warnings generally come too late to do anything but distract you at exactly the wrong time. 

Note that the one thing I can’t relate to you is longevity, as my testing occurs over a relatively short amount of time. Please check user reviews on various sights and pay attention to the warranty.

Dash cams have plenty of room to evolve. As nice as dual-channel is, there’s talk about true 360-degree video. Check out TechHive’s review of PowerDVD 16’s 3D playback to see how compelling that can be.

See the list below for details on dash cams we’re reviewed that are currently available, from highest to lowest in ranking. Check back for reviews of new products in this ever-expanding category.

This story, "Dash cam reviews: Catch the maniacs and meteors of daily driving" was originally published by PCWorld.