A dash cam with parking mode can record video 24 hours per day, even when the car is parked and the engine is off. This feature is invaluable in the case of vandalism and hit-and-runs, helping you to identify and catch the perpetrator.
In this article we will explain:
- How exactly parking mode works
- What’s the difference between the various parking modes like buffered, radar, etc
- How to power a dash cam when the car is off (without draining the car’s battery!)
- What are the best dash cams with parking mode
- What level of parking protection to expect, and at which prices
Comparison Table: Top Parking Mode Dash Cams 2025 / 2026
Here’s a quick overview of our top picks for 2025, with a detailed breakdown of each model to follow.
 |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model | Thinkware U3000 | 70mai T800 | Viofo A229 Plus | Vantrue E1 Pro | Viofo A119 v3 |
| Description | Radar Mode | Best Video | Best Value 2CH | Most Discreet | Low-Cost 1CH |
| Price | $460 → Amazon | $340 → Amazon | $200 → Amazon | $140 → Amazon | $90 → Amazon |
| Channels | 2 | 3 | 2-3 | 1 | 1 |
| Cloud View | Yes | Yes | - | Yes | - |
| Avg Video Score | 2.75 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 2.75 | 3.5 |
| Radar | Yes | - | - | - | - |
| Buffered Mode | Yes | - | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Time-Lapse | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Simple Mode | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Scroll right to see all cameras. Prices subject to change, for reference only. Links to vendors are affiliate links.
Video Scores: 0=Poor, 1=Mediocre, 2=Fair, 3=Good, 4=Very Good, 5=Excellent (details)
Contents
Overview Table
How We Assess Video Quality
What Is Parking Mode?
- Different Kinds of Parking Mode
- Choosing the Best Dash Cam for Parking Mode
- Power Supply: How to Avoid Draining Your Car’s Battery
The Best Dash Cams With Parking Mode 2025 / 2026
How We Assess Video Quality
We’ve reviewed thousands of dash cam videos over the years, by users around the world. For each dash cam, we evaluate dozens of user-submitted video samples, recorded at day and at night.
From these video samples, we then asses the video quality of each channel, separately by day and night. Video scores are as follow:
Poor (0) – Can barely see anything
Mediocre (1) – Can see what is going on, but it’s hard to read license plates even of cars that are very close
Fair (2) – Can sometimes read license plates, but it’s hit and miss
Good (3) – Can read most license plates of nearby cars by pausing the video, even while we’re in motion
Very good (4) – Can read license plates without pausing the video, even when driving by
Excellent (5) – All environmental details clearly visible
While license plate readability is our primary metric, we also consider factors like dynamic range (handling shadows and bright skies), color accuracy, effects and artifacts such as glare at night, and field of view when determining the final score.
The arithmetic average of video scores for all channels, by day and by night, is the total video score of the dash cam.
You can compare video quality of each dash cam side-by-side in the overview tables.
What Is Parking Mode?
As the name implies, parking mode allows you to keep your dash cam running while your car is parked and the engine is off. That way, you’ll have 24/7 video footage that you can consult in the case of a hit-and-run or vandalism incident.
In order to not fill up its memory card with useless files in which nothing is going on, most parking modes will only save files when an event happens that’s worth recording. An event can either be an impact that triggers the camera’s G-sensor, or some motion detected visually or by radar.
All dash cameras have G-sensors that can detect an impact to your car. Some also support optical motion detection.
Keep in mind that using motion detection makes sense when you’re parking in a quiet spot. On a busy street however with lots of traffic, it may lead to your camera recording all of the time, wasting precious battery power as well as storage space.
Different Kinds Of Parking Mode
1. Simple (impact or event activated) parking mode: If an impact or motion is detected by the camera, it will come alive and start recording, hopefully catching the perpetrator. This type of parking mode consumes less energy than buffered or time-lapse modes. Therefore, it is often also called “Energy Saving Parking Mode”.
The problem with simple parking mode is that it takes most cameras several seconds to wake up and start recording. In the meantime, whoever damaged your car might already be gone.
2. Buffered parking mode (recommended): The camera records continuously, and saves the video footage to its memory (RAM). Only when an impact or motion is detected will a video clip be saved to the SD card. This clip typically starts 5-10 seconds or so before the event, and ends 10-20 seconds after.
That way, you have a much better chance to see who or what damaged your vehicle.
3. Time-lapse mode: An alternative to the above modes is time-lapse mode, in which the camera shoots a still picture every second or so (1fps). This allows you to watch a time-lapse version of what was going on around your car while you were gone.
4. Low bit rate mode: The camera will run around the clock, but record at a lower video quality or lower resolution than usual. Not recommended, as your chances to identify license plates in case of a hit-and-run are significantly lower than with the other modes.
5. Radar parking mode: The newest and most advanced parking mode. It’s comparable to buffered parking mode, but needs a lot less energy.
As of today, only Thinkware dash cams support radar parking mode.
So Which Parking Mode Is Best?
Usually, we prefer buffered parking mode, as you’ll get a video of everything that happened before and after the event that triggered recording. Radar parking mode is even better, as it can run for up to 40 days if you power the dash cam through a battery pack (see below).
However, when you’re parked on a busy street or in a parking lot with lots of movement, motion detection might kick in all the time and fill your memory card with scores of useless videos. In that case, time-lapse parking mode is better.
When parking for long periods of time (several days), we recommend using either simple or radar parking modes. Those are the ones that consume the least amount of energy.
We generally don’t recommend running a dash can in low bit rate mode, because most of the time, video quality isn’t good enough in this mode to read other cars’ license plates.
Choosing The Best Dash Cam For Parking Mode
A dash cam that will be used for parking surveillance should fulfill the following criteria:
- Should be at least dual channel ideally (but see below)
- Discreetness: You probably don’t want your dash cam to be too visible, especially if you will be using it for parking surveillance. In a sketchy neighborhood, a large shiny camera might attract the attention of thieves.
- Video quality: Should obviously be as good as you can get. 4K resolution is pretty much standard these days, but 1440p and 1080p cameras are perfectly sufficient to clearly capture license plates, as well.
- Reliability: This one is huge. You don’t want a dash cam that you can’t rely on, especially if you’re going to have it running for long periods of time. The models presented here are all known to be reliable.
- SD card: Last but not least, make sure to get a memory card that’s made for heavy use. For further details, refer to our article about Which SD Cards Last Longest In Dash Cams.
Single, Dual, Or Triple Channel?
Good single channel (1CH) dash cams are available for $100 or less. In some cases, like if you usually park backed up against a wall, a single channel dash cam can be sufficient.
For maximum protection when parked, we recommend using at least a dual channel (2CH) dash cam. Having two channels is very much preferable, as it doubles your field of view and therefore increases your chances of seeing who damaged your car.
A three-channel dash cam (3CH) additionally records the inside of the car. This gives you an additional camera angle for extra security. You will also gain an (albeit limited) view through the side windows.
Optional: Cloud Connectivity
Some dash cams can connect to the cloud. When connected, you can configure the camera to send alerts to your phone if an incident is detected in parking mode. You can also view live video from your car in the smart phone app, which can be quite useful.
There are various other features, such as GPS tracking, geo-fencing, fleet management, and more. Not every cloud offers all the options, it depends which manufacturer you choose.
Of course, connecting to the cloud has an added cost, since you need an internet connection in the car (some brands include this, others don’t), plus a SIM card and data plan.
For a complete breakdown of features per dash cam brand, as well as a thorough cost analysis, check out our guide to dash cams with cloud connectivity.
Power Supply: How To Avoid Draining Your Car’s Battery
Dashboard cameras usually don’t have internal batteries, or if so, they are very low capacity. For the camera to keep recording even when ignition is off, the dash cam needs to be connected to your car’s fuse box with a hard-wiring kit instead of simply plugged into the cigarette lighter or a USB port.
Modern hard-wiring kits will protect your car’s battery from depletion.
A fancier, but also more expensive, solution is to install an external battery pack that powers your dash cam.
A battery pack eliminates the risk of depleting your car’s main battery. Also, there won’t be a load on the car battery while you are parking. Some cars will interpret this as a parasitic load, which may cause them to cut the circuit.
This setup basically serves as an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) for your dash cam. The battery pack recharges when the engine is running. A full charge typically takes less than an hour.
Modern battery packs hold enough energy to keep the dash cam running for between 20 and 48 hours in buffered parking mode, and up to 40 days in radar parking mode (Thinkware only).
Here’s our favorite dash cam battery packs:
→ Editor’s Choice: The BlackVue B-130X is the most reliable battery pack in 2025. Capacity: 7500mAh, charges in 50 minutes. Order from: Amazon US / UK (ad)
→ Best Value: The Thinkware iVolt Mini. Small in size, holds 4500mAh, and charges in 45 minutes. Order from: Amazon US (ad)
For a complete overview of all the battery packs available right now, check out our article Battery Packs For Dash Cams.
The Best Dash Cams With Parking Mode 2025 / 2026
Now let’s have a look at the best parking mode dash cams, ordered by price. We’ll start with the more expensive models, and work our way down to the more affordable ones.
Thinkware U3000: High-End Cloud Cam
Price: Amazon US / CA / UK – more countries & vendors (ad)
Channels: 2
Resolution: 4K front, 1440p rear
Overall Video Quality: 2.75/5
Supported Parking Modes: Simple, Time-Lapse, Buffered, Radar
Power Supply: OBD-II power cable (included) or External Battery Pack
Full Review: Thinkware U3000 Review
The Thinkware U3000 is the dash cam with the most parking mode options: This is the only dash cam brand that supports radar parking mode.
Radar parking mode works like this: When the camera detects an impact, a buffered video will be saved to the memory card. The buffered video starts 10 seconds before and ends 10 seconds after the event.
When it senses a person walking close to the car, it will record a normal video (starting the moment the person is detected). In the camera’s settings, you can configure the “awareness radius” of the radar module: Between 1 and 5 meters.
Apart from radar parking mode, the U3000 also supports simple, time-lapse, and buffered parking modes. The main advantage of radar mode is that it consumes less power than regular buffered parking mode.
Note though that radar parking mode is NOT compatible with cloud connectivity, so that’s a major drawback.
Another negative of the U3000 is that its video quality is not on par with other, newer cameras listed below, like the 70mai T800 or the Viofo A229 series.
“Regular” buffered parking mode is called “Motion Detection” mode by Thinkware. The difference to Radar parking mode is that it is compatible with cloud connectivity and live video streaming. Radar parking mode is not, in order to conserve energy.
An OBD-II cable is included to power the dash cam when the engine is off (so no hard-wiring kit is necessary). Alternatively, you can use an external battery pack such as Thinkware’s iVolt Xtra or iVolt Mini.
When used with Thinkware’s iVolt Xtra, the U3000 can run in simple or radar-assisted parking mode for up to 40 days according to the manufacturer.
This camera also supports cloud connectivity. Thinkware’s cloud account is free, but it needs a Wi-Fi access point in the car, together with a data plan. Thinkware’s cloud supports remote live view, alerts when an event is detected, and other features.
Pros:
- Cloud alerts & remote view
- Radar parking mode (runs for up to 40 days with battery pack)
- OBD-II power cable and CPL lens included
Cons:
- High price
- No screen
- Sub-par video
- Radar parking mode not compatible with cloud
70mai T800: Best Video Overall
Price: Amazon US / CA / UK – more countries & vendors (ad)
Channels: 3
Resolution: 4K front & rear, 1080p interior
Overall Video Quality: 4.0/5
Supported Parking Modes: Simple, Time-Lapse
Power Supply: Hard-wiring kit ($50 with cloud module, $20 without) or battery pack
Full Review: 70mai T800 Review
The 70mai T800 is the dash cam with by far the best video quality as of December 2025. It records crystal clear 4K footage both front and rear, plus it comes with a 1080p interior camera. The interior camera can be switched off for privacy if you prefer.
This camera doesn’t support buffered parking mode. You can set it to simple parking mode (wake up upon impact), time-lapse, or a combination of the two. In combined parking mode you get time-lapse footage up to the event itself, and when an impact or movement is detected the camera wakes up in 1-2 seconds and starts recording normally.
You get a notification if there have been parking mode videos recorded when you return to the car.
The T800 also support cloud connectivity. If you’re in the US, get the UP05 hard-wiring kit, which has a slot for a SIM card (not included). If you’re outside the US, the UP04 is the way to go.
If you don’t need to connect to the cloud, you can instead use the UP03 kit which doesn’t have the LTE module for the SIM card. It just powers the dash cam in parking mode.
A welcome advantage of the 70mai T800 is that unlike most other dash cams, it comes with a 512GB memory card included in the price if you order it from Amazon.
Pros:
- Best video on all 3 channels
- Cloud support (including alerts & remote view)
- User-friendly
- Great support
Cons:
- No buffered parking mode
- Thick rear camera cable
Viofo A229 Plus: Best Value Front And Rear
Price: Amazon US / CA / UK – more countries & vendors (ad)
Channels: 2 or 3
Resolution: 2K front and rear
Overall Video Quality: 3.5/5
Supported Parking Modes: Low bit-rate, Time-lapse, Buffered
Power Supply: Hard-Wiring Kit ($20) or External Battery Pack
Full Review: Viofo A229 Plus Review / Comparison to A229 Pro
The A229 Plus is a 2-channel dash cam with Starvis 2 sensors front and rear. It records very good 1440p video both ways, and for less than $200 it is excellent value for money.
It is also available as a 3-channel version, with a separate interior infrared camera. Or you can upgrade it later if you so choose.
This camera supports buffered, time-lapse, and low bit rate parking modes. Buffered parking mode offers the best protection. Time-lapse is also a good option if you want continuous video, but low bit-rate isn’t ideal since video quality is reduced so you might not be able to read that crucial license plate.
Downsides: Viofo dash cams don’t support cloud connectivity. Also, the manufacturer recommends that you use either their own Viofo branded memory cards, or SanDisk Max Endurance cards to avoid stability issues.
The maximum supported card size is 512GB, which is enough for 21 hours of front and rear video.
Viofo offer a remote control button (available separately) that you can place near the steering wheel, so you don’t have to reach over all the way to the camera when you want to save a video.
Pros:
- Best value for money
- Optional remote lock file button
Cons:
- No cloud
- Picky with memory cards
Vantrue E1 Pro: Tiny 1CH With Cloud
Price: Amazon US / CA – more countries & vendors (ad)
Channels: 1
Resolution: 4K front
Overall Video Quality: 2.75/5
Supported Parking Modes: Simple, Low bit rate, Time-Lapse, Buffered
Power Supply: Hard-wiring kit or External Battery Pack
Full Review: Vantrue E1 Pro Review
The E1 Pro records only one channel (no rear camera). It is quite small, measuring less than 2″ on each side. There’s a screen on the rear, with 3 tiny buttons. However with the camera being this small, some users find it rather fiddly to control using the on screen menus.
A better option is to use the remote button (included), or voice commands which are available for the most frequent commands such as “Lock video” and “Take photo”. Of course, you can also use the app and configure the camera comfortably on your smart phone.
This camera supports buffered parking mode as well as collision, time-lapse, and low bit rate (but not radar) parking modes. To connect to the cloud you need Vantrue’s LTE module, and a SIM card with data plan (not included).
Pros:
- Reasonable price
- Buffered parking mode
- Cloud support
- Small size
Cons:
- Cloud relatively new, may be slower or less reliable than other brands
- Tiny buttons fiddly to use
- Pricey LTE module
Viofo A119 v3: Affordable 1CH Cam
Price: Amazon US / CA / UK – more countries & vendors (ad)
Channels: 1
Resolution: 1080p
Video Quality: 3.5/5
Supported Parking Modes: Simple, Time-Lapse, Buffered
Power Supply: Hard-Wiring Kit ($15) or External Battery Pack
Full Review: Viofo A119 v3 Review
For those of you who are looking for a low-cost single-channel dash cam without extras such as Wi-Fi or cloud support, the Viofo A119 v3 is an excellent choice. It supports buffered, time-lapse, and simple parking modes
Even though it records at 1080p only, its overall video quality is good nonetheless. Extras such as a CPL filter and a GPS mount are available, but not included.
Pros:
- Good value for money
Cons:
- No rear camera
- 1080p only
- No cloud
- No Wi-Fi