GROUP TEST

Fast becoming an essential for regular drivers, more dashcams now work with your Apple devices

Six dashboard cameras compete to help out in the event of an accident

Not so long ago, dashcams were the preserve of the backstreet cab driver, but now they’re an essential tool for anybody who spends a

reasonable amount of time in a car. In the age of bogus insurance claims, uninsured drivers and less-than-desirable automotive skills, dashcams have really come into their own. And, what’s more, a growing number now work with Macs and iOS devices, too.

We’ve gathered together a bunch of the best dashcams you can buy around the £100 to £150 price range. Less expensive dashcams are available, but our picks come with various features (depending on the model) such as Wi‑Fi, accompanying iOS apps, and even a second lens for recording to the rear.

None of these cameras are designed for long periods of use outside your car, although they can be used for basic still shots of an accident or something else you need to record. The model from Asus does brand itself as a ‘portable cam’ as well as a dashcam, though we doubt you’d use it for that unless your phone is out of power.

Most of the time, these cameras will just sit there recording in a continuous loop while you’re driving. Incident detection (using a G sensor to detect ‘g-forces’) means that when you have an accident, the incident will be ‘marked’ (write-protected) so it isn’t recorded over. Anecdotally, you can keep driving once this has happened, but if you’ve been involved in an incident we reckon you’ll want to get the footage backed up to your Mac or iOS device as soon as possible. Asus’s camera is probably cleverest in this regard, as it immediately backs up footage of any incidents to cloud storage via any Wi-Fi network it recognises – so, probably when you get home.

Dashcams increasingly feature motion detection, so even when parked they’ll start recording if someone approaches your car. Clever stuff. Let’s see which camera’s best!

When you have an accident, the incident will be marked so it isn’t recorded over