Protecting yourself on the road is more critical than ever. With the rise of insurance fraud and the potential for misunderstandings with law enforcement, a reliable dash cam is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity. A dash cam acts as an unbiased witness, providing crucial video evidence in case of accidents or disputes. While front-only dash cams offer a degree of protection, the Best Dash Cam 2024 Front And Rear setup provides comprehensive coverage, capturing events both in front of and behind your vehicle.
But with a vast market flooded with options, choosing the right dash cam can be overwhelming. Price ranges vary dramatically, from budget-friendly models to high-end flagship devices. Is a $400 dash cam significantly better than a $70 one? What features truly matter? To answer these questions, we’ve rigorously tested ten different dash cams across various price points, evaluating their video and audio quality, field of view, parking modes, and impact resistance. Our goal is to determine the best dash cam 2024 front and rear for your needs, ensuring you have the best protection on the road.
Video Quality Testing – Budget-Friendly Front and Rear Dash Cams
We began our testing by examining the video quality of several budget-conscious dash cams. Four cameras were tested simultaneously, side-by-side, and assessed based on field of view, clarity, and license plate capture capabilities during both day and night conditions.
First in the budget category is the 70mai A500s, priced at $69.99. This single-channel dash cam features a built-in display and a 1944P camera utilizing a Sony IMX335 image sensor.
Next, we tested the Viofo A119 Mini 2, available for $98.99. Also a single-channel camera with a built-in display, it boasts a 1440p Sony Starvis2 IMX675 image sensor with HDR.
Moving slightly up in price, we evaluated the 70mai X200 OMNI at $139.99. This unique 1080p single-channel dash cam features a motorized panning lens, a built-in display, and is compatible with 70mai’s 4G UP05 Hardwire Kit for remote monitoring.
The final contender in our budget round was the Vantrue S1 Pro, a two-channel dash cam priced at $159.99. It includes a built-in display, the same 1440p Sony Starvis 2 IMX675 image sensor as the Viofo A119 Mini 2, a 1080p rear camera, and compatibility with Vantrue’s optional LTE Module for remote live view and parking alerts. This is the first true front and rear dash cam in our budget category.
In terms of field of view, the Viofo A119 Mini 2 demonstrated the widest horizontal view, capturing both a yield sign and a one-way sign in the frame. Conversely, the 70mai A500s offered the tallest vertical field of view, showing the top of a tree and extending down to the car’s dashboard.
When examining dynamic range, the Viofo A119 Mini 2, 70mai Omni, and Vantrue S1 Pro all exhibited excellent HDR capabilities. They effectively managed to avoid blown-out highlights and crushed shadows, resulting in balanced images. In contrast, the 70mai A500s showed clipped highlights in bright areas like clouds and lacked detail in darker regions such as tree limbs and distant black objects.
License plate capture is a critical function of any dash cam. While most dash cams can capture plates on stationary vehicles, the 70mai A500s struggled significantly. It produced blurry images even of easily readable plates, indicating focus issues.
During daytime testing, the Vantrue S1 Pro and Viofo A119 Mini 2 performed almost identically, unsurprising given their shared image sensor. The Viofo A119 Mini 2 was slightly better at capturing pedestrians on the roadside, while the Vantrue S1 Pro had a marginal edge in license plate capture from passing cars, although neither produced perfectly legible plates in that scenario.
However, at night, the Viofo A119 Mini 2’s HDR tuning appeared superior for license plate capture. It effectively prevented headlight glare from washing out the reflective coating on license plates. The Vantrue S1 Pro, A119 Mini 2, and OMNI all utilized HDR to enhance passing license plates, creating a visually striking effect where plates seemed to “jump” out of the video. Ultimately, the Viofo A119 Mini 2 impressed with the best overall image quality in this budget category, combined with a wide field of view and a competitive price, making it a clear winner in this round. It advanced to the next round to compete against midrange dash cams.
Video Quality Testing – Midrange Front and Rear Dash Cams
Moving into the midrange category, we tested three front and rear dash cam options, seeking to find the sweet spot between price and performance.
The first midrange contender was the SJCAM M60, priced at $162. This two-channel front and rear dash cam boasts a top-of-the-line 4K Sony Starvis 2 IMX678 sensor for the front camera and a 1080p rear camera.
Next was the Wolfbox X5, costing $199. This three-channel camera offers 4K resolution for the front camera with the same Sony Starvis 2 IMX678 image sensor, a 1080p cabin camera integrated into the main unit, and a 1944p rear camera. The Wolfbox X5 also features a built-in display with the first touchscreen interface we encountered in our testing.
The final camera in the midrange round was the Rove R2-4K Dual, claiming to be a 4K dash cam with a Sony Starvis 2 front sensor. However, it utilizes the IMX675 image sensor, which is natively 1440p. It appears Rove is upscaling the video to 4K in software. Despite this potentially misleading marketing, the Rove R2-4K Dual has sold over 10,000 units in the previous month on Amazon, indicating its popularity.
Examining the field of view at our test intersection, the SJCAM M60 stood out with the widest view in this group. It captured the yield sign on the left and significant space beyond the one-way sign on the right. The Wolfbox X5 appeared to have the tallest vertical field of view, showing more of the skyscrapers, although this could be influenced by camera aiming as the SJCAM showed more of the car’s dash.
In still frame analysis, all midrange cameras performed reasonably well capturing license plates of passing trucks. However, the Wolfbox X5 clearly outperformed the others, achieving the best plate capture. The Viofo A119 Mini 2 (carried over from the budget round), SJCAM M60, and Rove R2-4K Dual were closer in performance, ranking behind the Wolfbox. This trend continued throughout daytime testing, with the Wolfbox consistently delivering the best license plate captures. The other three cameras competed for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th positions in daytime video quality.
At night, the Viofo A119 Mini 2 exhibited the most HDR-like image and demonstrated superior resistance to motion blur in low-light conditions. This was evident in captures of pedestrians walking their dog. However, for license plate capture specifically, the Wolfbox X5 consistently remained on top. It captured plates effectively in various scenarios: when stationary and other cars were moving, when other cars were stationary and the test vehicle was moving, and when both were moving at similar speeds in traffic. This consistent performance secured the Wolfbox X5’s advancement to Round 3. Notably, the $99 Viofo A119 Mini 2 continued to be a strong contender, holding its own against the midrange group.
Video Quality Testing – Flagship Front and Rear Dash Cams
Our final round focused on the highest-priced flagship dash cams, representing the pinnacle of dash cam technology currently available.
Leading this group was last year’s top performer, the Vantrue N4 Pro, priced at $299. This three-channel dash cam with a built-in screen features a 4K Sony Starvis 2 IMX678 image sensor for the front camera, a 1080p aimable cabin camera, and a 1080p rear camera – a comprehensive front, rear, and interior dash cam solution.
Also priced at $299 was the Vantrue E360, a unique dash cam employing two fisheye lenses to provide a full 360-degree panoramic view. This covers the road ahead, the entire cabin, and everything in between. For our testing, the E360 output separate video files for the front and rear-facing cameras, each at 1440p resolution. Like the Vantrue S1 Pro, the E360 is compatible with Vantrue’s optional LTE Module.
The most expensive dash cam in our test was the new Viofo A329 4K, priced at $399. This front and rear dash cam features a 4K Sony Starvis 2 IMX678 sensor for the front camera and a 1440p rear camera. Key upgrades from the previous A229 Pro include a 4K60fps mode (when HDR is disabled), support for USB-C connected external solid-state drives for recording, and an HDMI micro output for external displays.
An important detail for this round is that both the Vantrue N4 Pro and Viofo A329 4K include circular polarizing filters (CPLs). CPLs significantly reduce reflections from the dashboard, improving video clarity. The Vantrue N4 Pro’s CPL is a $20 optional accessory, while the Viofo A329 4K includes it in the box. All cameras were updated to their latest firmware, and the Vantrue N4 Pro displayed a “PlatePix” icon, indicating it was using its highest quality recording mode.
At our field of view intersection, the Wolfbox X5, Vantrue N4 Pro, and Viofo A329 4K exhibited virtually identical fields of view, expected given their shared image sensor. The Vantrue E360, however, offered an exceptionally wide horizontal and vertical field of view. While this captures a vast surrounding area, it compromises detail. In the comparison footage, the traffic light change was perfectly synchronized across all four cameras, but the E360 made everything appear significantly further away.
Predictably, the Vantrue E360’s wide field of view negatively impacted license plate capture. For the other three cameras, a clear ranking emerged in daytime picture quality, despite all using the same sensor. The Viofo A329 Pro took first place, followed by the Vantrue N4 Pro in second, and the Wolfbox X5 in third. This ranking held true across various license plate capture scenarios: parked cars, cars passing at stoplights, and cars moving at similar speeds in traffic. The Viofo A329 Pro also produced the least artificially sharpened image overall, evident in the less pronounced white lines around power lines (a byproduct of sharpening algorithms in other cameras).
At night, the Vantrue E360 improved slightly due to its larger field of view gathering more light, but it remained poor at capturing fine details like license plates. The Starvis 2 sensor dash cams, however, excelled at nighttime plate capture. For stationary cars while the test vehicle was moving, the Vantrue N4 Pro achieved the best capture, with minimal distortion and motion blur on the car itself. When the test vehicle was stopped and other cars were moving, the Wolfbox X5 performed best. In scenarios where both vehicles were moving, all cameras performed well, with the Vantrue N4 Pro having a slight edge.
The differences in nighttime performance primarily stemmed from how each camera’s software handled HDR processing. Excessive reliance on longer exposure times led to motion blur. The Vantrue N4 Pro seemed to best balance exposure, minimizing streaking in bright areas. The Wolfbox X5’s mount exhibited some bounce, causing misalignment of HDR exposures and resulting in more motion blur and distortion.
Rear camera video quality was also evaluated. The Vantrue N4 Pro’s rear camera offered the widest field of view and slightly better HDR implementation. The Wolfbox X5’s more zoomed-in lens captured finer detail, while the Viofo A329’s rear camera struck a balance with moderate field of view and higher resolution, resulting in good detail.
Video Quality Results: Top Performers
After rigorous testing, we ranked the top four dash cams based on video quality. For daytime video quality, the rankings are: 4th place – $98 single-channel Viofo A119 Mini 2, 3rd place – $199 three-channel Wolfbox X5, 2nd place – $299 three-channel Vantrue N4 Pro, and 1st place – $399 two-channel Viofo A329 Pro. For nighttime video quality: 4th place – Wolfbox X5, 3rd place – Viofo A119 Mini 2, 2nd place – Viofo A329 Pro, and 1st place – Vantrue N4 Pro.
Parking Mode Testing: Protecting Your Vehicle While Parked
With the video quality leaders identified, we delved into parking mode capabilities. Parking mode allows your dash cam to monitor your vehicle even when it’s parked and unattended, providing an extra layer of security. To utilize parking modes, you’ll need to hardwire your dash cam to your car’s electrical system using an optional hardwire kit. This kit typically connects two power wires: one to a constant 12V power source and another to a source powered only when the car is on. This setup allows the dash cam to detect when the vehicle is parked and activate parking mode.
Most modern dash cams offer four primary parking modes:
Impact Detection: This is the most common parking mode. It uses the dash cam’s accelerometer to detect impacts, such as collisions, window breaks, or even forceful door openings or closings. Among our top four dash cams, the Vantrue and Wolfbox offer a dedicated impact detection mode. The Viofo dash cams utilize an “auto mode” that detects both motion and impact, lacking a specific impact-only mode, which results in higher power consumption.
To assess battery drain in parking mode, we measured the average power draw over a 10-minute period. In impact mode, the Wolfbox X5 exhibited the lowest power consumption, entering a deep sleep mode and drawing less than 0.01 watts in collision mode. The Vantrue N4 Pro drew 0.64 watts in 2-channel mode and 0.99 watts in 3-channel mode. The Viofo dash cams consumed roughly double the power of the Vantrue models due to their combined motion and impact detection in auto mode.
However, the Viofo dash cams demonstrated superior event capture capabilities. They triggered recording approximately 15 seconds before an impact, while the Vantrue triggered about 4.5 seconds after impact, and the Wolfbox only activated after the impact and approximately 30 seconds after the initial event.
The Vantrue N4 Pro also has a motion detection mode, which consumes over three times the power of impact mode but functions similarly to Viofo’s auto mode, including a pre-roll buffer to capture events before they happen. However, the Vantrue N4 Pro displays a warning message recommending the use of low-power impact detection in hot conditions to prevent overheating. In parking modes, the Viofo A119 Mini 2 reduces resolution and crops the field of view. The Wolfbox X5 lacks a motion detection parking mode entirely.
Timelapse Mode: All four cameras offer timelapse mode, which records continuously at a lower frame rate, saving storage space and extending recording duration. Vantrue and Viofo allow users to adjust the frames per second, while the Wolfbox X5 uses a fixed 10 FPS. We measured the power draw for each camera in timelapse mode.
Low Bitrate Mode: Viofo and Vantrue dash cams offer a low bitrate mode, recording in a lower quality format to further reduce file size and conserve SD card space. This mode is ideal for extended parking mode recording. We also measured the power consumption in low bitrate mode.
In summary, for parking mode functionality, the Viofo A329 4K emerged as the clear leader. It offers the most comprehensive set of parking modes, the greatest flexibility, the best event capture (pre-roll and sensitivity), and a good field of view, all with reasonably low power consumption.
Impact Testing: Real-World Accident Simulation
We introduced a new test this year to assess dash cam performance during impacts, inspired by a real-world incident where a Viofo A229 Pro froze after a car accident. To simulate accident conditions, we designed a jig to test impacts from the front, rear, and both sides of each dash cam.
While we didn’t replicate any video freezing issues, our impact testing revealed a significant concern: mount reliability.
The Wolfbox X5 performed best, recording continuously through all 16 impacts and only detaching from its mount on one driver’s side hit. Crucially, the Wolfbox’s power supply is not integrated into the windshield mount, and its secondary quick-release mechanism proved more robust, allowing the camera to continue recording even after detaching from the windshield mount.
The quick-release mounts were the primary weakness for the other dash cams. Both Viofo cameras detached easily from their mounts on all side impacts. The Vantrue cameras failed on both front and rear impacts. This mount detachment issue is a significant concern, especially in accidents where recording is most critical. It seems easily addressable for Viofo by adding a small sliding switch to lock the quick release mechanism.
A temporary workaround is to move the dash cam’s power cable from the windshield mount directly to the main unit. If the dash cam detaches, it will at least continue recording as long as power is supplied. This modification doesn’t affect functionality on Viofo dash cams. However, on the Vantrue N4 Pro, the only alternative power input is through the rear camera port, and the rear camera doesn’t function when powered through the windshield mount. To address this for the Vantrue N4 Pro, a 3D-printed clip was designed to prevent the quick release from detaching, and the file is publicly available for free here. However, a more robust, locking mount design is needed in future hardware revisions.
Conclusions: Choosing the Best Front and Rear Dash Cam for 2024
Despite some shortcomings, the dash cams from Viofo, Wolfbox, and Vantrue remain the best dash cam 2024 front and rear options available.
For budget-conscious buyers seeking a front-only dash cam under $100, the Viofo A119 Mini 2 ($98) is the clear standout. It offers excellent 1440p video quality with impressive HDR, a wide field of view, good parking modes, and a compact, discreet design.
If you need comprehensive coverage with multiple channels, the three-channel Wolfbox X5 ($199) is an exceptional value. It offers similar sensors and features to the more expensive Vantrue N4 Pro. The Wolfbox X5 was also the only camera to withstand all impact tests without stopping recording. Its drawbacks are fewer parking mode options, less refined HDR video processing, and a mount prone to bouncing on rough roads, potentially increasing motion blur at night.
Last year’s winner, the Vantrue N4 Pro ($299), remains the king of nighttime image quality, further enhanced by the PlatePix firmware update. However, consider if the slightly superior image quality and parking modes justify the $100 price premium over the Wolfbox X5, especially as the Wolfbox includes a 128GB SD card, while the Vantrue’s SD card is sold separately.
Finally, the Viofo A329 4K ($399) delivers the best daytime video quality, second-best nighttime quality, and the most comprehensive parking modes. However, at $100 more than the Vantrue N4 Pro and twice the price of the Wolfbox X5, it offers one fewer channel and only marginally better performance in some areas. Unless parking modes or niche features like USB-C SSD recording or HDMI video output are critical for you, the Vantrue N4 Pro or Wolfbox X5 present more compelling value propositions.
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