Factory and dealer fit dash cams
With dash cams becoming such big business, some manufacturers have got in on the action too
Factory and dealer fit dash cams
We tested a couple of the more aesthetically pleasing alternatives to aftermarket products against our current sector favourite – the Nexbase 612GW. Footage quality remained key, but we also assessed the installation, ease of use and cost. Citroen’s ConnectedCam is integrated seamlessly into the car, and is a great argument for more manufacturers to fit dash cams at the factory.
Where that’s not possible, MINI proves that a dealer-fit option can be almost as slick without sacrificing quality, however a standalone dash cam is still the best-value option Even though it’s not the tidiest installation, the Nextbase has the edge over its rivals here.
Factory fit: Citroen ConnectedCam
- Price: £380 (standard on Flair-spec cars)
- Rating: 4 stars
Citroen is the only marque to offer a factory-fitted dash cam at the moment. The unit is available on the C3 supermini and will soon come to the C5 Aircross. The ConnectedCam shows this solution should be investigated by more manufacturers. It sits neatly behind the rear-view mirror and stores footage on its 128GB internal memory.
Simply press either the snapshot or the video button. The camera also auto-saves 90-second clips if it detects an ‘event’. Functions are accessed via a slick app, and the footage is of decent quality. Recordings aren’t as high-res as on the Nextbase 612GW, although reg plates are clearly legible day and night. It’s pricey, but standard on top-of-the-range Flair trim cars.
See the Citroen ConnectedCam here
Dealer fit: MINI Advanced Eye
- Price: £475 (including fitting)
- Rating: 4 stars
MINI’s Advanced Eye sits neatly at the top of the windscreen, the cables are almost completely hidden and the cam turns on and off with the ignition. Our test car had a rear-facing cam, which is visible in the rear-view mirror. The 1080p footage is good and copes better than the Citroen with sun glare. There’s no companion app, but it’s easy to load footage from the SD card on to a computer. It’s neat but pricey.
