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Since most people are on the road every single day, be it commuting to work, driving for a living, or simply running errands, the odds of being involved in an accident at least once in your driving history are pretty high. Unfortunately, many drivers have been involved in conflicts regarding collisions or citations if they can’t prove their side of the story. A dash cam will protect you every second that you’re in the car, so you have video proof of the things you did or didn’t do behind the wheel. Below, you’ll find all of the information you need to choose one of the best dash cams in Canada.
Why trust us?
To make your shopping experience as simple and efficient as possible, we put all the hard work in for you. We dedicated 23 hours to researching dash cams on your behalf and narrowed down a list of 15 dash cams to find the best dash cams in Canada for you to choose from. We evaluated all products rigorously to test their usefulness, quality, and reliability to ensure you end up with a great product no matter which one you choose. Our analysis was conducted without bias to guarantee an objective, helpful list of dash cams for you to choose from.
Best dash cams in Canada
- Best Overall: Thinkware U1000 4K UHD Dual-Channel Cloud Dash Cam
- Best for Cloud: BlackVue DR750-2CH LTE Cloud Dash Cam
- Best Budget-Friendly: Viofo A129 Plus Duo 2K 2-Channel Dash Cam with GPS
Best overall: Thinkware U1000 4K UHD Dual-Channel Cloud dash cam
The Thinkware dash cam offers one of the most sophisticated vehicle surveillance technology to users who drive for a living or want high-quality protection in case of an accident or unfair citation. This dash cam records 4K UHD video for crystal-clear footage even at high rates of speed. Its 4K resolution tracks at 30FPS, but the camera can also be switched to 2K QHD at 60FPS if this is more your speed. The rear camera is only operable with the 2K resolution. Still, its crystal-clear quality is enough to read license plates at a distance and won’t miss a single frame of important information. For improved recordings at night, the Thinkware dash cam is equipped with an 8.24megapixel Sony STARVIS image sensor, so you can trust your camera to catch things even you miss in the dark.
An anti-glare filter is included on the dash cam to stabilize light exposure and enhance colour clarity for a clearer picture. The camera is rotatable to ensure compatibility with your vehicle as well. This Thinkware dash cam has a parking feature that keeps the camera rolling while preserving most of its energy use in either motion or impact detection. To take your protection one step further, the dash cam is also equipped with GPS that tracks your vehicle flawlessly, while the safety camera alert and advanced driver assistance system keep you safe at all times. The wide-angle view camera views 150° around your vehicle at the front and back and uses loop recording to ensure continued storage space on its 128GB SD card. This dash cam does record sound as well as store to the cloud with optional cloud alerts whenever the camera detects an event. For full, unrelenting protection, the Thinkware U1000 dash cam is the way to go.
What sets the Thinkware U1000 4K UHD Dual-Channel Cloud dash cam apart?
The video quality with the Thinkware dash cam is worlds apart from nearly half the market. At 4K resolution and 30FPS or 2K resolution and 60FPS, your vehicle is covered from front to back without any skipped frames or blurry images. It is equipped with one of the most sophisticated cameras available on dash cams at any price range and is just as clear at night. With cloud technology, parking surveillance, and driver-assist features, users will have a hard time getting into trouble on the road. The dash cam is also incredibly slim and inconspicuous, making it one of the least noticeable dash cams around for under-the-radar surveillance.
What could be improved on?
We have no suggestions for improvement with the Thinkware U1000 beyond a better cold-weather rating since -10° C isn’t a lot of wiggle room for colder months and more northern locations. Overall, its performance, recording quality, and user-friendly features make it one of the best options on the market, hands down.
Performance of the Thinkware U1000 4K UHD Dual-Channel Cloud dash cam
Recording quality
The recording quality of the Thinkware dash cam is phenomenal. With either 2K or 4K resolution and an excellent frame-per-second rate, the front and rear cameras will capture every tiny detail while you drive, and the enhanced night vision lens captures reliable footage day or night. The 150° field of view is also one of the largest available.
Storage capability
The Thinkware U1000 dash cam offers cloud storage as well as looped SD recording to ensure you never miss a second of important footage. The data can be accessed with an SD card reader, on your phone, or from a desktop or laptop computer, and with a storage capacity of 128GB on the SD card, this is one of the most data-accessible dash cams on the market.
Temperature durability
We’re very pleased with the temperature durability of the Thinkware dash cam. It is perfectly reliable in temperatures ranging from -10° C to 60° C, ensuring your camera is functional in the heat of summer but not so much in the cold of winter. This is an excellent range for most of the year, but it isn’t as reliable in cold weather as some other dash cams on the market.
Best for Cloud: BlackVue DR750-2CH LTE Cloud dash cam
The BlackVue cloud dash cam is the best option if you’re a religious cloud user and don’t trust traditional, physical storage models for securing and storing your dash cam footage. Its cloud functionality operates on fast LTE data for real-time viewing playback when you need proof at the scene of an accident. The field of view is a generous 139° to watch on either side of your car, but it’s simultaneously small enough that your picture isn’t distorted. The camera records in full HD with a rate of 60 frames per second to virtually eliminate motion blur even when you’re travelling at higher rates of speed, such as on a highway. To help save energy and prolong your battery life, the BlackVue dash cam also operates on a parking mode that uses motion and impact-triggered video recording with advanced buggered recording to view a small window around the time of the event for a full picture of what happened.
One of the best features of the BlackVue dash cam is its built-in LTE hotspot that only needs an active SIM card to function – though it only works with Telus, Rogers, and Bell SIM cards. Another excellent cloud feature with this dash cam is the notification system that alerts you instantly to any event occurring with your vehicle when you’re not around. Plus, you can view a live view through the lens of your camera if you’re alerted to motion, such as a break-in, around your vehicle. The BlackVue dash cam also comes with a rear camera that records at the same full HD 1080p quality, though the rear camera only records 30 FPS rather than 60. The dash cam does have GPS functionality as well, so you know exactly where your car is and where certain events take place. If you need a backup for your cloud backup, its 256GB sim card with looped recording should provide all the confidence you need that your footage is safe and accessible at all times.
What sets the BlackVue DR750-2CH LTE Cloud dash cam apart?
We’re incredibly impressed by the cloud functionality of the BlackVue dash cam. Not only does it backup all of your data instantly with its own 4G LTE hotspot with a SIM card, but it will also send you real-time alerts to your smartphone whenever an event triggers the camera’s sensor. The operational temperature range is also a notable feature since it is more compatible with extreme weather climates and can be used for a few extra weeks of the year in colder climates. Finally, the BlackVue dash cam records with full HD video for incredibly reliable surveillance at high speeds, in weather, and at night.
What could be improved on?
We have no suggestions for improvement with the BlackVue DR750-2CH LTE cloud dash cam.
Performance of the BlackVue DR750-2CH LTE Cloud dash cam
Recording quality
The recording quality of both the front and rear cameras of the BlackVue dash cam is incredible, with 1080p HD streaming, 60FPS and 30FPS, respectively. With audio recording capabilities also built-in, this dash cam is capable of recording every second of important data you may need to defend yourself against a citation or after an accident.
Storage capability
The BlackVue dash cam offers one of the most robust storage systems for your recorded data. It offers one of the most sophisticated cloud storage operation systems with a built-in hotspot PLUS a generous 256GB SD card for a physical storage system.
Temperature durability
We’re happy with the temperature durability of the BlackVue dash cam compared to the competition. It can operate in slightly colder weather than average with a -20° C maximum and is ideal for hotter climates, thanks to a high 70° C maximum.
Best budget-friendly: Viofo A129 Plus Duo 2K 2-Channel dash cam with GPS
Although this model is priced lower than many of its competitors, you would not know it from its rich feature list and overall quality. The temperature range alone is comparable to that of similar products on the market, and it doesn’t lack any obvious features that you’d expect a dash cam to have. Provided you have a free-standing battery; this model can record impacts that occur when you aren’t even in your vehicle. Parking mode allows the camera to start filming when motion is detected to ensure you always capture the images you need. The GPS functionality allows you to include speed and location in the recordings, providing you with some of the most in-depth and inclusive videos a dash cam can provide. The high-quality camera provides you with some of the best visuals both day and night, so no minute needs to be left uncaptured.
One great benefit of this dash cam is that it can connect to your phone via Wi-Fi. Using your smartphone, you can download footage, watch recorded videos, and even see previews of footage. Without the need for data transfers to a computer, access to this information in real-time can be a lifesaver in emergencies like car accidents. You’ll get wide-angle recordings of both the front and rear of the car, so you’ll never miss any information that could be valuable later. The high FPS capabilities guarantee clear images, even of fast-moving vehicles. The dash cam unit itself does have a high-quality 2” screen with easy-to-use buttons, so you have multiple ways of accessing the information it records. This model can accommodate an SD card up to 256 GB, so you won’t have to worry about emptying the storage all that often.
What sets the Viofo A129 Plus Duo 2K 2-Channel dash cam with GPS apart?
The most notable feature of this dash cam is its weather resistance. It has one of the best temperature durability’s on the market, so while it may still act up in the most extreme winter freezes, this dash cam will offer you the closest experience possible to year-round filming.
What could be improved on?
The resolution of the cameras is really the only feature that leaves something to be desired. With a maximum resolution of 2k on the front camera, it just will not be able to compete with the models that can offer 4k videos.
Performance of the Viofo A129 Plus Duo 2K 2-Channel dash cam with GPS
Recording quality
With a 2K resolution on the front camera and a 1080p resolution on the rear camera, this is the main feature that gives away the lower price point of this model. While it can record at both 30 frames-per-second and 60 frames-per-second with both cameras, the resolution will not be as impressive as those seen in higher-end models at the lower frame rates.
Storage capability
With a max SD card size of 265 GB, the storage capacity is more than adequate. You will have to purchase the SD card separately, but this will actually save you some money if you already have one handy at home. You can download the video to many sources, too, not that you’ll need to worry about clearing space all that often.
Temperature durability
The temperature durability for this model is equal or even superior to that of the higher-end, more expensive dash cams on this market. With a range of -20° C to 65° C, you won’t have to worry about this dash cam failing you in any poor Canadian weather conditions when you need it the most. Neither extreme heat nor extreme cold will shut this dash cam down.
How to choose the best dash cam in Canada
Budget
Dash cams aren’t the cheapest type of camera in Canada, but there are many affordable options for people who value simplicity and don’t need high-end features. There is a fairly large window in price when deciding between dash cams, and your budget will determine the number of features, including recording quality, GPS and timecode tracking, the presence of a screen for settings adjustment, Wi-Fi compatibility with an app on your phone, and more. Depending on why you want to use a dash cam, such as for driver monitoring vs. personal liability, you’ll need different features and can either expect to pay more for your dash cam or find a great deal. Either way, you should be prepared to spend a couple hundred dollars or more for a reliable, quality dash cam.
GPS
GPS tracking is a handy feature no matter your purpose for installing a dash cam in your vehicle. This software is usually included with higher-end dash cams and shows data such as travel speed and sudden stops or starts. With GPS, you may even enjoy turn-by-turn directions like a normal GPS. GPS can even prove that you were travelling under the speed limit in a certain location to help you fight a speeding ticket or show the location and timestamp of a crash in case of a hit and run. No matter what, it can be useful to have your dash cam know where you are and upload that information to the cloud or your phone.
Storage capabilities
Most dash cams are capable of recording onto an SD card directly in the camera, but this is usually not the best option since it will either overwrite data to continue recording new information or will stop recording when it becomes full. SD cards do have a variety of memory capacities, so depending on the camera, you may have to worry less if your SD card can hold several month’s worth of footage. Still, smaller capacities may limit your storable footage. The most popular storage option for dash cam footage is the cloud. The cloud can hold unlimited amounts of data, so footage from 3 years ago would still be accessible today if you needed it. Some dash cams even livestream to a phone app via Wi-Fi connection for on-the-spot playback of an event.
Recording quality
The frame rate of a dash cam refers to how quickly it can capture data without suffering from skipped frames or motion blur, particularly if your commute regularly takes you onto highways with higher speeds. As a general rule of thumb, your dash cam should have a record at least 30 frames per second, though higher is always better for crystal-clear images no matter how fast your vehicle is travelling. You also need to test the camera’s field of view to ensure that the dash cam can capture around your vehicle to show what’s happening around you. The wider the field of view you have, ideally between 125 and 165 degrees, the more information your dash cam will collect about your surroundings, including people, animals, and vehicles. Many dash cams will also include HD recording for an even clearer picture, but this will cost a bit more; you’ll usually have a choice of 2K or 4K video resolution or between 1080p and 1440p video quality options.
Temperature durability
As with most electronics, your dash cam’s minimum and maximum operating temperature are important to know, especially if you live in an area with extreme heat or cold. Since your dash cam will be mounted permanently in your car, you need to know that the camera can still function effectively in the sweltering heat or blistering cold so that you’re protected from liability at all times.
App compatibility
Some dash cams upload to the cloud, which is the most popular choice for most drivers and is standard practice in the industry. Still, some dash cams also connect to an app on your phone via Wi-Fi so that you can back up and store important driving and accident data right on your phone. This makes it incredibly convenient to pull up footage or email accident recordings to interested parties in the case of a collision. An app also makes it easy to set up and change settings on dash cams that don’t have large screens.
Emergency recording function
Since most people install a dash cam in their vehicle to prove innocence in case of a collision, an emergency recording function can be lifesaving. This feature automatically turns on if it detects a sudden shock, such as from being rear-ended or hit when parked. This feature will prevent video from being overwritten and will begin about 30 seconds before the incident occurred to protect you from liability and provide enough footage to prove that you were not at fault in the accident. This auto-recording feature records automatically even if the camera has been stopped purposefully or accidentally in order to protect drivers from liability.
