Best inspection cameras 2026
Some parts of your car are tricky to see, which is where a borescope comes in. Discover which of the seven we tested passed its screen test
Whether you’re a seasoned mechanic, an enthusiast or perhaps a classic-car owner wanting to check a car’s structural condition, a borescope inspection camera is a useful addition to your toolkit.
Modern vehicles are packed with complex components and have tightly packed engine bays, making it hard to see into every nook and cranny. With a borescope, you can easily inspect hard-to-reach areas such as behind engine blocks, inside suspension turrets, or deep within the dash – places that would otherwise need major disassembly just to look at.
If you’re working on an old car, you can see inside box sections, look closely at floor areas and body seams, or use the cameras to determine wiring issues or spot blocked drainage channels.
How we tested
The first test was to inspect the inside of a suspension turret on a car that has received a corrosion advisory for that area on its previous MoT test. The second looked inside an engine’s upper cam cover to see how much of its operations were visible. As well as what was shown on screen, we also evaluated the seven cameras’ features, build quality and battery life, the sturdiness of the cables and price.
Draper 31758 Endoscope Inspection Camera
- Price: around £42.50
- Battery: DC charger USB-C
- LED/screen brightness: Yes/yes
- Rating: 4.5 stars
- Contact: toolstation.com
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There was a stand-out winner in this test, not only because it’s a bit of a bargain, but also because it has the clearest screen, the longest cable and a lithium-ion battery with the ability to operate for five hours. The Draper has adjustable LED and screen brightness, variable contrast settings, the ability to rotate the image through 180 degrees and an IP67 rating, which means it can be submerged briefly in water.
The five-metre cable is long enough for non-automotive tasks, such as inspecting gutters or household plumbing. The Draper also comes with a handy storage bag. A brilliant-value product with greater functionality than any of its rivals here.
Bosch UniversalInspect Inspection Camera
- Price: around £99.98
- Battery: 4 x AA
- LED/screen brightness: Yes/yes
- Rating: 4.5 stars
- Contact: toolstation.com
We love the robust feel of the Bosch camera, as well as its compact size – it’s the perfect borescope to keep in your toolbox, because it takes up very little space and comes with a protective pouch. We like the way that the camera cable coils round the unit. It has a freeze-frame function, image rotation, and adjustable LED brightness and screen brightness. We also appreciated that you can record camera sessions using a micro SD card, to be played back on a computer screen. It’s not cheap, but it’s very good indeed.
Stanley Inspection Camera
- Price: around £116.98
- Battery: 4 x AA
- LED/screen brightness: Yes/yes
- Rating: 4.5 stars
- Contact: toolstation.com
The Stanley is the most expensive camera here, but it also feels the most rugged and durable, with a strong case and a simple four-button operation. Although it’s not fully waterproof, it is splashproof for use in rainy weather, has an AV-out function and a sturdy cable, which was the most stable of all of the cameras during our two tests. The image is pin-sharp and it focuses quickly, but the built-in screen is quite small – connect it to a monitor, though, and it has the best resolution of any unit we tested.
Clarke CIC140 LCD Inspection Camera
- Price: around £83.98
- Battery: 4 x AA
- LED/screen brightness: Yes/yes
- Rating: 4.0 stars
- Contact: machinemart.co.uk
The Clarke camera feels well made and thanks to its sturdy cable and adjustable brightness and AV-out setting, you can view its image on a computer screen as well as the built-in one. That’s a good job, because the screen on the unit is quite small and not as easy to see as some of the Clarke’s competitors in this evaluation. That said, the focus is sharp and the borescope comes with a robust plastic carry case, making it ideal for tradespeople to keep in their vans.
Magnusson Inspection Camera
- Price: around £89.99
- Battery: 4 x AA
- LED/screen brightness: Yes/yes
- Rating: 4.0 stars
- Contact: amazon.co.uk
We like the heavy-duty nature of the Magnusson, as well as its simple four-button controls with adjustable brightness and the ability to rotate the image on screen, However, the screen is quite small and the resolution not as sharp as our top choices, while the lack of a case means it could potentially get damaged. Yet it does have an AV-out function to connect to a separate screen, and is the only camera here to be fully waterproof.
Vorth Endoscope with 4.3-inch screen
- Price: around £19.99
- Battery: DC charger USB-C
- LED/screen brightness: Yes/yes
- Rating: 4.0 stars
- Contact: amazon.co.uk
Tool supplier Vorth sells its wares via an Amazon Shop and its products have impressed us in the past. The endoscope is another budget item with a high-quality feel, and it has features we’d expect on a more expensive item, such as adjustable brightness levels and the ability to rotate the screen through 180 degrees. It also has the second longest cable of the cams tested. It took a while to focus, but the image was clear in both tests.
P100 Endoscope Camera Automotive
- Price: around £18.99
- Battery: DC charger USB-C
- LED/screen brightness: Yes/no
- Rating: 2.0 stars
- Contact: temu.com
The P100 is a budget-friendly option for those who only need a basic inspection tool. It uses a DC charger with USB-C connections, but the battery only lasted 27 minutes on test. It does the job, but the construction feels cheap and it lacks the features of other cameras tested. There’s also no storage case and the cable is quite flimsy and prone to moving around, while the screen only has one brightness setting. The Vorth (left) costs only £1 more and is much better.
Verdict
The Draper 31758 was the outright winner for value and image quality, while the Bosch UniversalInspect and the Stanley Inspection Camera are both recommended. We like the Bosch’s size and ability to record onto a micro SD card, while the rugged Stanley feels professional and has very clear imagery.
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