The 2 Best Dash Cams of 2025
Budget pick
This compact camera combines 4K resolution with other features we like in our top pick. But this one doesn’t allow for extra cameras.
This camera offers everything we like about the S1, plus a 4K rear camera, for double the money. But it’s still cheaper than our top pick.
The Miofive S1 offers many of the same features we like in our top pick, but for a fraction of the price. It has 4K recording, GPS, good image quality day or night, a supercapacitor instead of a battery, and a 24-hour parking mode.
Although its image quality isn’t as good as the Viofo A229 Pro’s, it’s still much better than that of nearly all the other dash cams we tested. It does not have a rear or interior camera, but for double the money, the S1 Ultra adds a 4K rear camera to everything we like about the S1.
Their image quality is very good, especially for the money. Even though the S1 has 4K resolution, its images weren’t as sharp as the Viofo’s. However, they were still better than those of most of the cameras we tested, and even at night you can read license plates from a reasonable distance.
The S1 Ultra’s 4K rear camera is a rarity in the dash cam market, though it records at 25 fps, compared with the 30 fps of the main and rear cameras of our other picks. This means the video won’t look quite as smooth, and fast motion might be a little blurrier, but it will be hard to notice the difference most of the time. It’s also not quite as sharp as the front camera, but for a rear camera, it’s very good.
Upgrading to the Ultra doubles the price of the base S1, but that’s still cheaper than the Viofo. For a little less money than the Ultra, the S1 Pro has a lower-resolution rear camera. You can read more about that in the Competition.
They’re easy to set up and use. The app connects easily, and it lets you crop and trim videos before sharing. After you download videos to the app, you can see where they were recorded on a map. There’s a parking-locator feature, which is helpful if you’re someone who regularly forgets where you’ve parked. We had some connectivity issues, but nothing excessive or beyond the occasionally finicky nature of all the dash cam apps we tested.
Like our top pick, these dash cams use a supercapacitor instead of a battery. The lithium-ion batteries that come in most modern electronics don’t react well to extreme temperatures. Instead, the S1 has a supercapacitor, which keeps it running long enough after you shut off the car to save the last video and power down.
The S1 is very small. Despite having a larger screen than the Viofo (3-inches), the S1 is one of the smallest cameras we tested: 3.75 inches wide by 2 inches tall by 1.5 inches deep. That makes it a better fit for cars with shorter windshields.
The mount is useful but feels cheap. The S1’s mount lets you rotate and pivot the camera. This makes installation a little easier than it is with our non-adjustable top pick, since you don’t need to get perfect placement.
However, the mount is plastic and feels very cheap, with a lot of give and jiggle. This likely isn’t a problem if you plan on setting it up and never touching it, but it doesn’t inspire confidence if you want to regularly adjust and tweak it. When you’re driving over rough surfaces, there’s more camera shake visible in recordings than with the other cameras.
A wiring kit is available. If you want to use the 24-hour parking monitor feature, you’ll either need to have a power outlet in your car that doesn’t turn off when the car does or to hardwire the camera to your fuse box. Miofive has a kit available, though your specific vehicle may or may not require additional parts. Check out the How to set up a dash cam section for more information.
A circular polarizing lens (CPL) is available separately. Unlike the Viofo, which includes one, a polarizer is only available as an add-on for the Miofive. It’s $20.
A microSD card is not included with the S1. Like most of the cameras we tested, the base S1 does not come with a microSD card. (The S1 Ultra comes with a 64 GB SD card in the box, which is a nice bonus.) The camera supports up to 512 GB of storage, and if you don’t already have a card lying around, we recommend these.
Because this camera records 4K video, you shouldn’t get a cheap microSD card. Miofive doesn’t explicitly recommend specific speeds, but the cards it sells to go with the camera are UHS-III (V30).
The build quality could be better. While it has impressive features and performance for its price, the Miofive S1 doesn’t have the high-quality fit and finish of the other cameras we tested. Among other things, the mount is cheap-feeling, and the buttons feel flimsy. You should keep this in mind and set your expectations appropriately.
