Dash Cam Pre-Purchase Checklist

Work through this before you buy any dash cam. Print it or keep it on your phone, and note your answers so you can compare options side by side.

Know your car and your use

Note your vehicle's make, model and year, and where the rearview mirror mount and any sensors sit on the windshield.
Check whether your windshield has a tinted band, heated elements or toll-tag area you need to avoid when mounting.
Find your 12V socket (cigarette lighter) and see whether it turns off with the ignition or stays powered.
Decide who it's for: solo commuting, a teen driver, rideshare, or a family car shared by several people.
Decide what you want to record: front only, front and rear, or front, cabin and rear.

Video resolution and frame rate: higher numbers help, but look at how the footage handles night and glare, not only the headline resolution.
Field of view: wider sees more lanes but can make distant details smaller.
Storage: note the memory card type and size it supports, and how many hours it holds before overwriting old clips.
Loop recording and event locking: confirm the camera saves collision clips so they don't get overwritten.
Parking mode: check whether it needs a hardwire kit, and what it does to your car battery.
Wi-Fi or app access: useful for pulling clips to your phone, but check how clunky the app is.
GPS: helpful for logging speed and location, but check whether it's built in or an add-on.
Heat tolerance: if you park in hot sun, look for a camera that uses a capacitor rather than a battery.

Choose between plugging into the 12V socket and hardwiring to the fuse box. Hardwiring is tidier but takes more effort.
Measure the cable run from the camera to the power source and make sure the supplied cable is long enough.
If you'll add a rear or cabin camera, plan how the cable will route to the back or along the headliner.
Be ready to pay a shop for installation if you're not comfortable working with fuses.

Check your state's rules on windshield mounting placement before you stick anything to the glass.
Look up local rules on audio and cabin recording, and tell passengers if you record them. Laws vary, so confirm what applies where you live.
If a teen will drive the car, talk with them about what is being recorded and who can view the footage.
Plan how you'll back up and delete clips, and who has access to the memory card or app.

Read the return policy and warranty terms.
Confirm the camera works with the card size you plan to use.
Check how firmware updates are delivered and whether the maker still supports the model.
Write down your top three must-haves and drop anything that doesn't meet them.
After installing, test it: record a short clip, play it back, and check that the date, time and angle are correct.