BlackboxMyCar 2022 Holiday Dash Cam Gift Guide
Believe it or not, it’s already that time of the year to start shopping for holiday gifts. We know, we know. It’s not even Black Friday yet - but what’s the harm in starting early?
While the Best Dash Cams Under $150 offers a great selection of dash cams that deliver performance, reliability and value, if you're looking for something a little extra special, we will need to move the budget bracket up slightly.
BlackVue's Entry-Level Model that Delivers Performance and Ease-of-Use
CONSUMER SCORE: 76% gave it ★★★★★
The DR590X is BlackVue's entry-level Full HD dash cam. But unlike other entry-level dash cams, BlackVue offers more than just the bare essentials. You can expect the advanced features you would find in other high-end BlackVue models. For instance, not only would you get motion and impact detection with buffered recording, you can also customize the detection zones.
The BlackVue DR590X comes with built-in WiFi so you can use the BlackVue App to control your camera settings and view your footage using your smartphone.
Available in Front-only 1-Channel, Front-and-Rear 2-Channel and Front-and-Interior 2-Channel.
Once you select the BlackVue DR590X as the perfect gift, think about how it will be used, and what accessories might make for an even better experience.
External GPS Antenna - Required in order to use GPS speed and route tracking, as well as road safety and traffic camera alerts.
Award-Winning Cloud Dash Cam with Super Night Vision 2.0
The Thinkware Q800PRO is a 2K QHD dash cam and delivers great video quality. It diverges from the dash cam norm by not including any form of screen or display. The camera housing is rotatable up to 90 degrees vertically to offer the best recording angle, no matter the windshield shape and design.
Thinkware's parking mode is of the very best in the industry and advanced parking surveillance features come standard on the Thinkware Q800PRO, including Energy Saving Parking Mode 2.0, which reduces power consumption by ⅓ while giving you 3x longer video recording than your typical motion detection or impact detection parking modes.
And not only does the Thinkware Q800PRO watches over your car while it’s parked, it also lets you monitor your car remotely through the Thinkware Cloud smartphone app. It lets you check your car’s location, and you can set up zones on the map so that if it leaves the area, an alert will be sent to the app - perfect for courier companies, or just parents who want to know where the kids are at any time.
Available in Front-only 1-Channel and Front-and-Rear 2-Channel.
Once you select the Thinkware Q800PRO as the perfect gift, think about how it will be used, and what accessories might make for an even better experience.
OBD-II Power Cable - For a simple plug-and-play solution for parking mode. This is a great alternative to the traditional hardwire installation. We carry OBD power cables for gas, hybrid and electric vehicles.
Dash Cam Battery Pack - Extend Energy Saving Parking Mode coverage without wear and tear on the car battery with a dedicated battery pack like the BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8.
Reddit's Favorite 4K Dash Cam
CONSUMER SCORE: 88% gave it ★★★★★
The VIOFO A129 Pro Duo is not as sleek as its rivals in the 4K Dash Cam category nor does it come with Cloud-capabilities, but the fact that you get 4K recording resolution, night vision, parking mode, motion detection, automatic emergency recording, GPS tracking, and dual-channel for under $300 makes this dash cam well worth considering. The only thing missing is Cloud, but if you don’t really care for Cloud storage or other Cloud-features, then you’ll be happy with this dash cam.
The setup was very easy and Viofo offers both a built-in screen and a smartphone app for quickly reviewing and saving clips. Unfortunately, you will find yourself needing to remove the interior trim of your vehicle when you install the A129 Pro Duo front and rear cam as VIOFO's cables are known to be thicker than many other brands.
Available in Front-only 1-Channel and Front-and-Rear 2-Channel.
Once you select the VIOFO A129 Pro Duo as the perfect gift, think about how it will be used, and what accessories might make for an even better experience.
MicroSD Card - The VIOFO A129 Pro does not come with a microSD card, so be sure to include one with your purchase. Because 4K video files are bigger, we recommend getting a larger microSD card, like the 128GB.
Dash Cam Battery Pack - 4K UHD cameras typically consume more power, even in parking mode. We strogly recommend pairing the VIOFO A129 Pro with a dedicated dash cam battery pack like the BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 for peace of mind parking protection.
Rotatable Interior Camera Built for Rideshare
CONSUMER SCORE: 100% gave it ★★★★★
Designed specifically for Uber, Lyft and other ridesharing drivers, the VIOFO T130 features a number of enhancements, including improved infrared night vision and dual-axis rotatable interior lens to allow you maximum coverage from all angles. You get a 2K QHD front camera and a 1080p Full HD rear camera and 1080p Full HD in-cabin camera for a combined 300° coverage around the car - total camera coverage that doesn't compromise. The interior camera can easily be adjusted from 60° up to down and 90° left to right, giving you Full HD @30FPS recordings at a 165° view of the interior and the driver’s side window in a single movement.
Once you select the VIOFO T130 as the perfect gift, think about how it will be used, and what accessories might make for an even better experience.
MicroSD Card - The VIOFO T130 does not come with a microSD card, so be sure to include one with your purchase. Because you are recording out of 3 cameras, we recommend getting a larger microSD card, like the 128GB.
Dash Cam Battery Pack - 3-Channel systems typically consume more power, even in parking mode. We strogly recommend pairing the VIOFO T130 with a dedicated dash cam battery pack like the BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 for peace of mind parking protection.
Smart Time Lapse in 2K QHD
While the FineVu GX300 doesn’t come with the new FineVu features you would find in the GX33, like AI Damage Detection, it does offer our favourite feature - Smart Time Lapse recording.
Smart Time Lapse reduces the recording framerate from 30FPS to 10 FPS for driving captures, and even lower at 5FPS for parking captures. And when an event is detected, whether in driving or parking mode, the GX300 reverts back to 30FPS so you get a proper capture of the incident.
With this Smart Time Lapse feature, you can record up to 1,134 minutes on a 32GB microSD card without overwriting - that’s 5 times more than the 193 minutes you would get in standard recording mode. So if you have a smaller capacity microSD card, or if you are looking for a dash cam that can give you great footage for a road-trip vlog, the FineVu GX300 is our top pick.
Once you select the FineVu GX300 as the perfect gift, think about how it will be used, and what accessories might make for an even better experience.
Dash Cam Battery Pack - Extend Power Saving mode coverage without wear and tear on the car battery with a dedicated battery pack like the BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8.
Looking for more? Our complete 2022 Holiday Dash Cam Gift Guide is now available. The Best Gifts Under $150 is the perfect place to start if you're looking for simpler dash cam for a new driver or a second car, and the Best Gifts at $500 is the best way to splurge and spoil yourself this Holiday.
In the end, though, you’re not just buying another stylish car gadget, you’re buying a solution to a problem we all face - mystery scratches and dents - so can you really put a price on knowing what happened to your car after a long day on the course or the console? Yes, you can. Let us know how we can help!
