Dash cams: parking mode, night footage and storage

Sensor and night performance

Resolution on its own does not produce a readable licence plate at night. A larger sensor gathers more light, and good processing lifts the darker parts of the frame without turning headlights into white blobs. A polarising filter cuts dashboard reflections, which is often the difference between reading a plate and losing it to glare.

Parking mode and how it is powered

Most cameras record while parked only if they are given a permanent supply, either through a hardwire kit or the diagnostic port. Better implementations buffer a few seconds before an impact and save the clip, and they cut power before the car battery is flattened. Check the voltage cut-off setting and the storage a parking loop consumes.

Storage, loop recording and heat

Loop recording overwrites the oldest clips, so card size sets how far back you can look. Cards rated for continuous writing last longer, and cameras with a capacitor rather than a battery tolerate hot dashboards better. Files are overwritten quickly; save anything you might need immediately.

Field of view and mounting

A wide lens catches more of the lane but flattens detail at the edges; a narrower one reads plates better straight ahead. Mount the camera behind the mirror where it does not block vision, and check that it does not obstruct any driver-assistance sensor.

How we compare them

Our comparison rows cover resolution, sensor, parking mode and power source. See the dash cam comparison.