Enhance your road safety and protect yourself with our guide to the best dash cams in Canada. We've reviewed top models for video quality, reliability, and advanced features.
Most Canadians spend a lot of time on the road every week. Commuting to and from work, running errands, chauffeuring kids around, enjoying family (or solo) adventures…that’s a lot of time spent driving! And we’re all familiar with the long list of things that can go wrong… poor driving decisions made by other people, unavoidable accidents, even animals darting into the road unexpectedly! Wouldn’t it be nice to have backup?
That’s where a dash cam comes in super handy. They’re very small little cameras that attach to your windshield (possibly even to your back window as well) that’ll capture and record all of the events that take place while you’re driving. They can even monitor your car while it’s parked! This footage can be used as evidence for the police or for sharing compilation videos on YouTube. Or both!
If a dash cam sounds like the last thing you need to perfect your car, we approve! And we’re here to help you find the best fit. Dash cams will vary in things like price, resolution, storage capacity, orientation, screen size, frame rate, and so much more. And you’ll want to think about each feature to make sure you buy your perfect match.
This comprehensive guide will investigate the best dash cams in Canada right now and outline the criteria you should consider while making your purchase decision. Let’s dive right into our top five products.
The Best Dash Cams Right Now
Top Pick: Rove R2 4K Dash Cam
Upgrade Pick: Viofo A229 Pro 4K HDR Dash Cam
Compact Pick: Garmin Mini 2 Dash Cam
Budget Pick: Orskey CameraCore Dash Cam
Also Great: Redtiger F7N 4K Dual Dash Cam
Our Top Pick for The Best Dash Cam
Rove R2 4K Dash Cam Review
What We Think of the Rove R2 4K Dash Cam
The Rove R2 4K Dash Cam has a lot going for it. It has one of the best companion apps out there, and since you’ll need to use it to review, download, and share footage, that’s a really good thing. You’ll be able to capture footage while driving (of course), but also while parked. The parking mode automatically activates the camera if activity is detected around your vehicle, just in case.
We think you’ll also be really happy with the quality of the footage. The camera records in 4K, and while that does take up more storage space than lower-quality resolutions, you’ll have the advantage of seeing every detail, even license plates and street signs. Plus, with the top-tier night vision, you won’t miss any of those essentials after dark. This thing even has GPS built in to track your route and speed. Fun, eh?
There is only one feature that falls short of expectations, and that’s the field of view. With only 150 degrees of your surroundings captured, there is the possibility that you’ll miss some activity that you want recorded. The best dash cams offer a wide 170-degree field of view, in comparison. Otherwise, the lack of a rear-facing camera will be the only other reason you might want to keep looking.
Overall, the Rove R2 4K Dash Cam is a really versatile and well-rounded option. GPS tracking, parking protection, night vision, a companion app, a high storage capacity…the list could go on and on. And on. If you want a high-quality dash cam for a reasonable price, this is the way to go.
Performance: 5/5
Usability: 4.5/5
Price: 4/5
Quality: 5/5
What Reviewers Are Saying About the Rove R2 4K Dash Cam
Reviewers are really happy with the Rove R2 4K Dash Cam. They like the app layout and its ease of use, and they’re fans of the footage management too — they like being able to save important videos while letting the rest be written over. The camera quality is really good, even at night, and the parking mode is reliable. They have no regrets.
Rove R2 4K Dash Cam Pros and Cons
Buy If…
You’d like to take advantage of GPS tracking
Night vision quality is important to you
You want to monitor your surroundings while driving and while parked
An intuitive companion app is a must-have
Don’t Buy If…
You want an extra-wide field of view
You’d prefer a dash cam that watches the front and back
Rove R2 4K Dash Cam Specifications
Dimensions: 2.5” x 2.6” x 1.2”
Display Size: 2.4”
Weight: 1.1 lbs
Resolution: 4k
Field of View: 150º
Orientation: Front
Frame Rate: 30 fps
Max Storage Capacity: 512 GB
Warranty: 1 year
Our Upgrade Pick
Viofo A229 Pro 4K HDR Dash Cam Review
What We Think of the Viofo A229 Pro 4K HDR Dash Cam
There are so many reasons to choose the Viofo A229 Pro 4K HDR Dash Cam. The GSP tracking is a good one — you can monitor your routes, average speed, and more! Another one is the superb camera quality — 4K in the front and 2K in the back plus night vision equals a pretty stellar recording. You’ll be able to make out license plates, street signs, and other details with ease. Day or night.
You’ll also really love the parking modes. You can choose from one of three modes (auto event detection, low bitrate, and time-lapse) to monitor your car while it’s unattended without using too much storage space. Throw in the ability to use voice commands to save videos, take pictures, start/stop recording, turn Wi-Fi on and off, etc., and you’ve got a pretty flawless dash cam on your hands. Er, car.
The main reason you might choose to look for a different option is the price tag. This is one of the most expensive dash cams around (roughly 14 times as expensive as the most affordable options), and while this is matched by a ton of valuable features, it’s still a lot of money to shell out on a dash cam. The field of view is also a bit narrower than other options, so that’s another thing to keep in mind.
Overall, the Viofo A229 Pro 4K HDR Dash Cam is a remarkable piece of equipment. You’ll struggle immensely to find anything better. No matter what you’re looking for in a dash cam (aside from a budget-friendly price), this thing will give it to you.
Performance: 5/5
Usability: 5/5
Price: 1/5
Quality: 5/5
What Reviewers Are Saying About the Viofo A229 Pro 4K HDR Dash Cam
Reviewers have amazing things to say about the Viofo A229 Pro 4K HDR Dash Cam. It’s easy to install and the companion apps are intuitive on both Android and iOS platforms. Everyone is really happy with the quality of the videos from both cameras, and they like that they can lock certain footage to prevent it from being written over. The GPS tracking and parking modes are also exceptional.
Viofo A229 Pro 4K HDR Dash Cam Pros and Cons
Buy If…
You want to capture every detail day and night
You’d like to use your dash cam hands-free
GPS tracking is a must-have
Versatile parking modes would be nice
Don’t Buy If…
You’re not prepared to spend a lot of money
You’d like an extra-wide field of view
Viofo A229 Pro 4K HDR Dash Cam Specifications
Dimensions: 1.7” x 2.3” x 3.9”
Display Size: 2.4”
Weight: 1.9 lbs
Resolution: 4k (front), 2k (rear)
Field of View: 135º
Orientation: Front and rear
Frame Rate: 30 fps
Max Storage Capacity: 512 GB
Warranty: 1 year without registration, 18 months with registration
Our Compact Pick
Garmin Mini 2 Dash Cam Review
What We Think of the Garmin Mini 2 Dash Cam
The Garmin Mini 2 Dash Cam is a pretty cool camera. One of our favourite features by far is the voice control. You can start and stop recordings, save videos, and even take still pictures with just your voice. And you have multiple options for storing footage too. You can send videos to the cloud and/or use a microSD card (anywhere between 8 and 512 GB) for local storage.
Of course, one of the most appealing features is the compact size. The entire camera is only as big as a car key fob, so after installation, you won’t even notice it’s there. You’ll also love being able to activate the camera remotely to check out the surroundings around your parked car. And, if there’s an incident while it’s parked, you’ll get an alert directly to the companion app. Helpful, isn’t it?
There are a few things you might not like about this one though. Of course, since it doesn’t have a display, you won’t have a live feed of the footage. This might be a dealbreaker for some people. You also won’t get any rear-facing views since it only has one camera. Lastly, the footage isn’t quite clear enough to make out license plates and street signs, so if that matters, you should look at other options.
Overall, the Garmin Mini 2 Dash Cam is the perfect option for folks who’d prefer to sacrifice a live feed in favour of an unblocked line of sight. You’ll be able to control it with your voice while you’re driving and upload event footage to the cloud. Pretty neat, huh?
Performance: 4.5/5
Usability: 4.5/5
Price: 4/5
Quality: 4.5/5
What Reviewers Are Saying About the Garmin Mini 2 Dash Cam
Reviewers like almost everything about the Garmin Mini 2 Dash Cam. It’s a super easy cam to install, and they love that it basically disappears behind the rear-view mirror. The voice control feature works really well and is very convenient, and they love checking on their vehicle when they’re away. The video clarity could be better, though, and some people miss having a display screen.
Garmin Mini 2 Dash Cam Pros and Cons
Buy If…
You’d like to forget that the camera is there at all
You’d prefer multiple options for storing footage
Voice control sounds fun
Parking protection and remote monitoring would be nice
Don’t Buy If…
You’d like to watch footage in real time
You’d prefer to get footage from the rear as well
You’ll want enough clarity to read license plates
Garmin Mini 2 Dash Cam Specifications
Dimensions: 1.2” x 1.1” x 2.1”
Weight: 0.06 lbs
Resolution: 1080p
Field of View: 140º
Orientation: Front
Frame Rate: 30 fps
Max Storage Capacity: 512 GB
Warranty: None
Our Budget Pick
Orskey CameraCore Dash Cam Review
What We Think of the Orskey CameraCore Dash Cam
The Orskey CameraCore Dash Cam offers a surprising number of excellent features for its price. One of them is the crash recording. Although the cam will overwrite old data, any footage that contains an accident (recognized by the G-sensor) will be saved regardless. This will be a lot of help for police reporting purposes. It also has great night vision, so you won’t miss out on details when the daylight fades.
You’ll also be really happy with its performance when the car is parked and unattended. Motion detection allows the camera to record important events while preserving the storage capacity, and the parking monitor will lock the footage to a folder if your car gets hit by another vehicle or dinged by a door or robbery attempt. And you get all that for a really exceptional price.
There are a few shortcomings that we want you to know about before you make your final decision. This dash cam doesn’t come with an SD card for storing footage, and the biggest size it can hold is a 32 GB card. That only gives you two hours of recording before it’s overwriting data. And you’ll have to buy it separately. Also, there’s no rear-facing camera, so you might miss essential accident/theft footage.
All in all, the Orskey CameraCore Dash Cam is the best choice if you’re shopping on a budget and don’t want a ton of low-quality features in return. It’s not without its flaws, but as far as budget-friendly dash cams, you really won’t do much better than this one.
Performance: 4.5/5
Usability: 4.5/5
Price: 5/5
Quality: 4/5
What Reviewers Are Saying About the Orskey CameraCore Dash Cam
Reviewers like the Orskey CameraCore Dash Cam quite a bit. They’re happy with the night vision performance and the daytime clarity. They had an easy time installing it, too. They appreciate the crash recording and parking protection a lot. They would prefer a higher storage capacity, though. And some people plan to upgrade to a dash cam that comes with a rear camera as well.
Orskey CameraCore Dash Cam Pros and Cons
Buy If…
A budget-friendly option is a must
You’ll be using the camera at night as well as during the day
You want to capture everything in front of you
You don’t want to lose accident footage
Don’t Buy If…
You’d like to store a lot of footage at a time
You want a rear-facing camera as well
You’re not interested in making an extra purchase before you can use your dash cam
Orskey CameraCore Dash Cam Specifications
Dimensions: 1.4” x 3.5” x 2”
Display Size: 3”
Weight: 0.8 lbs
Resolution: 1080p
Field of View: 170º
Orientation: Front
Frame Rate: 30 fps
Max Storage Capacity: 32 GB (2 hours of footage)
Warranty: 1 year
Also Great
Redtiger F7N 4K Dual Dash Cam Review
What We Think of the Redtiger F7N 4K Dual Dash Cam
The Redtiger F7N 4K Dual Dash Cam is one of our favourite cameras right now, and it’s certainly our top pick for folks looking for something with an all-inclusive feature list and a reasonable price tag. A 4K front camera, 1080p rear camera, exceptional field of views on each, and the Starvis sensor all work together to produce impeccably clear images day and night.
It has GPS built in too, so you can look back on your route and check out your average speed and a bunch of other metrics. Plus, it’s got a great parking protection system in place. As long as you hardwire the camera, it’ll automatically record theft attempts or damage before and after the incident. Cool, right? A minimalist screen saver can display your speed and direction if the camera footage is too distracting.
The only problem you might have with this option is its price tag. It’s 4x as expensive as the most affordable dash cam, and while it provides a ton of valuable features in return, it still might be a bit much for some people. That’s regrettable, but understandable. Not everyone will need something this high-tech.
Overall, the Redtiger F7N 4K Dual Dash Cam has a ton to offer. And we mean a ton. Whether your priority is parking protection, nighttime monitoring, accident recording, or calculating route metrics, this dash cam can meet (and far exceed) your needs.
Performance: 5/5
Usability: 5/5
Price: 3/5
Quality: 5/5
What Reviewers Are Saying About the Redtiger F7N 4K Dual Dash Cam
Reviewers have a very high opinion of the Redtiger F7N 4K Dual Dash Cam. It’s incredibly easy to install and set up, even for people who’ve never used a dash cam before, and the image quality is exceptional. That holds true at night, too, although some of them do say that the night vision range could be better. The GPS tracking is reliable and also very easy to export. They’d all choose this one again!
Redtiger F7N 4K Dual Dash Cam Pros and Cons
Buy If…
You want to capture detailed images day and night
GPS tracking sounds like a great idea
You want to monitor your car even when it’s parked
You’d prefer a minimalist screen saver while you’re driving
Don’t Buy If…
You don’t have a lot of money to spend on a dash cam
Redtiger F7N 4K Dual Dash Cam Specifications
Dimensions: 3.8” x 1.3” x 0.8” (front)
Display Size: 3.18”
Weight: 1.3 lbs
Resolution: 4k (front), 1080p (rear)
Field of View: 170º (front), 140º (rear)
Orientation: Front and rear
Frame Rate: 30 fps
Max Storage Capacity: 256 GB (18 hours of footage)
How to Properly Choose Your Dash Cam
Price
Some dash cams are as affordable as $30, others cost upwards of $450. Generally, more expensive dash cams will have front and rear-facing cameras, higher resolutions, support for voice commands, GPS tracking, and a larger storage capacity.
Field of View
The field of view matters a lot when it comes to dash cams. Accidents can come from every direction, and you’ll want to capture as much activity as possible. A wider field of view will always be more desirable, and you might even want to look for a rear-facing camera as an addition to maximize this.
Resolution
The most common resolution for a dash cam is 1080p, but you can also see 2K and 4K cameras pretty often. If you want to read street signs and license plates, 4K is the way to go.
Storage Capacity
All dash cams will be able to house a microSD card for local storage, but their max capacity will vary. Some can only hold 32 GB cards; others top out at 512 GB. Since footage will be written over as the SD card fills up, a larger storage capacity will be more convenient for looking back.
Parking Protection
Parking protection matters too! Most dash cams offer a variety of parking modes to make sure problematic activity is captured even when you aren’t driving.
Disclaimer: The prices displayed are accurate at the time of publication. We’ll do our best to keep them as up-to-date as possible, but you may see slight changes. The products in this list are ranked by independent third parties. Rankings are based on both reviews and independent testing.
