Front and rear dashboard cameras are also called dual-channel or dual-lens dash cams, or simply just dual dash cams. These are dash cams that have one camera recording out the windscreen, and one camera out of the rear window.
We’ve reviewed most of the major front and rear dash cams on the market today, and found enormous differences in quality and what each camera can do. In this article, we’ll present you the best dual-lens dash cams going into 2023.
So let’s jump right in! For an idea of what to expect for which price, this table should give you a quick overview:
Overview Table: Best Dual Dash Cams
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model | BlackVue DR900X Plus | BlackVue DR750X Plus | Thinkware U1000 | Viofo A129 Pro Duo | Viofo A129 Plus Duo | 70mai A500S |
| Description | Best Cloud | Great At Night | Radar-Assisted Parking Mode | Highest Bit Rate | Best Value | Best Low-Cost |
| Price | >$450 → Amazon | $380 → Amazon | $350 → Amazon | $250 →Amazon | <$200 → Amazon | <$100 → Amazon |
| Front Video | 4K | 1080p | 4K | 4K | 1440p | 1440p |
| Rear Video | 1080p | 1080p | 1440p | 1080p | 1080p | 1080p |
| Cloud View | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | - | - |
| Wi-Fi | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Parking Mode | Buffered | Buffered | Buffered | Buffered | Time-lapse | Impact |
Scroll right to see all models. Links to vendors are sponsored links and help to support this site.
Contents
Types Of Front And Rear Dash Cams
The Best Front And Rear Dash Cams 2023
- Thinkware U1000
- BlackVue DR900X-2CH Plus
- BlackVue DR750X-2CH Plus
- Viofo A129 Pro Duo
- Viofo A129 Plus Duo
- 70mai A500S
Types Of Front And Rear Dash Cams
Classic Front And Rear Cams
When you think of a front and rear dash cam, the first thing that comes to mind will probably be a device that has one main camera recording the view through your windshield, plus a smaller camera that looks backwards through the rear window of your car.
That’s actually the type of cameras that we’ll be looking at in this article. For simplicity, we’ll just be calling them “front and rear cameras” or “dual cameras” here.
However, there are a couple of other camera setups that technically also record front and rear:
Taxi / Uber Cams
Taxi or Uber cams are dual-channel dash cameras that record your passenger cabin with the rear-facing lens. The forward camera looks out your windshield, as usual.
In order to get a good picture at night, taxi cams use infrared (IR) LEDs to invisibly illuminate the passenger cabin when driving at night. The IR LEDs should turn on and off automatically, depending on if there’s a sufficient level of light inside the car.
Taxi / Uber cams can have both lenses mounted in the same device, or the rear-facing camera can be separate. Having a separate rear camera gives you more freedom to adjust the field of view, but you’ll also have one more item mounted on the windshield.
If you’d like to learn more about this type of camera, check out our article “13 Best Uber Dash Cams With Infrared“. We’re not including any of those here.
Three-Channel Dash Cams
As video processing hardware is becoming more powerful, an exciting new development is the appearance of the first 3-channel dash cams (also called 3-way dash cams).
Invaluable for Uber, Lyft, and ride-share drivers, 3-way dash cams give you the best of both worlds: They record the passenger cabin, in addition to the road ahead of and behind your car. So you’ll actually have three camera lenses: One facing forward, one looking through the rear window, and another one facing back from your windshield, with IR LEDs for better night vision.
If you’re looking for a 3-way dash cam, check out this article: The Three Best 3-Channel Dash Cams 2023
The Best Front And Rear Dash Cams 2023
The cameras you’ll find listed here have a couple of things in common. Firstly, they are record at least 1080p resolution (1920×1080) both with the front and rear cameras. Many are able to record 1440p (2560×1440) or even 4K (3840×2160) video with the front camera.
Of course, all the cameras we’ve included in this best-of list have loop recording, auto on/off, and a time and date stamp on video. They also all support GPS (though this may be an optional extra for some cameras).
If GPS is enabled, you will have the option to have a speed stamp in the video feed. This can be either in mph or km/h.
All the cameras listed here have a G-sensor that detects impacts and protects the relevant video files from becoming overwritten, as well as a “lock file button” to let you manually mark video files for safekeeping.
Also, all dash cameras have a built-in microphone and speaker.
Now let’s have a more detailed look at each of the cameras, one by one:
1. Thinkware U1000: 4K Dual Dash Cam With Cloud
Price: Amazon US / CA / UK – eBay US / AU – more countries & vendors (affiliate links)
Resolution: 4K front, 1440p rear
Overall video quality: Good
Reliability: Good
Memory capacity: 128GB (over 6 hours)
Features: Live view over cloud, alerts over cloud, integrated GPS, Wi-Fi, cloud connectivity, capacitor, lock file button. Parking modes: Impact-triggered, time-lapse, and radar-assisted buffered (needs extra radar module)
Full Review: Thinkware U1000 Review
The Thinkware U1000 is a solution for you high-tech enthusiasts out there, for whom money isn’t much of an issue. This is a highly modular camera with many optional extras, and if you get all the extra modules plus a large high-endurance memory card, it’s easy to spend well over $500 on this device.
Thinkware’s Cloud
The U1000 comes with cloud connectivity, meaning you can check the video feed from your car from anywhere with your phone. If an incident is detected by the camera’s G-sensor, it will send a notification to your phone. The camera needs to be connected to the internet for the cloud features to work, so you’ll need a wireless access point in your car (not included).
Thinkware’s cloud is free.
Video quality of the front camera is very good at 4K resolution, especially during the day time. The rear camera’s video is fair only, so we’re rating the overall video quality of the U1000 as “good” on average.
Other Features
The U1000 has advanced parking mode features. In the basic version, you can choose between impact-triggered and time-lapse parking modes. Buffered parking mode is available also, but only if you get an extra radar module that detects movement of nearby cars. The radar module costs around $100 extra.
The radar module saves energy when running the Thinkware U1000 in buffered parking mode. So far, this is the first and only dash cam to integrate radar technology.
Other features of the U1000 include integrated GPS, Wi-Fi, and a lock file button. It is powered by a capacitor instead of an internal battery, which improves heat resistance.
2. BlackVue DR900X-2CH Plus: Best Video Quality, Most Cloud Features
Price: Amazon US / CA – eBay US / AU – more countries & vendors (affiliate links)
Resolution: 4K front, 1080p rear
Overall video quality: Very good
Reliability: Very Good
Memory capacity: 256GB (over 16 hours)
Features: Live view over cloud, alerts over cloud, integrated GPS, Wi-Fi, capacitor, lock file button, buffered and time-lapse parking modes, low-voltage cutoff
Full Review: BlackVue DR900X-2CH Plus Review
BlackVue have been one of the leading brands in the dash cam world since the beginning. The DR900X-2CH Plus is their latest 4K camera, with 4K maximum resolution to the front and 1080p resolution at the rear.
The DR900X’s video quality is very good for the front camera, and good for the rear camera.
BlackVue’s Cloud
Like the U1000, it supports cloud connectivity, allowing you to live-stream the camera’s footage to your phone or computer. If an incident is detected, it will send a notification to your phone. You’ll need a wireless access point in your car for cloud connectivity to work.
What sets the DR900X apart from the U1000 is that you don’t necessarily need a mobile hot spot in your car to connect the camera to the cloud. If you prefer, you can get BlackVue’s LTE module, called CM100, that plugs directly in the camera. Of course, you’ll need a SIM card for the LTE module to work, so the only real difference to a mobile hot spot is that the CM100 plugs into the dash camera directly instead of using the Wi-Fi network.
BlackVue will charge you to use their cloud. While there’s a free option that should be sufficient if you’re only going to use one dash cam, check BlackVue’s cloud pricing here if you’re going to want an upgrade.
Other Features
Apps are available for iPhones and Androids that allow you to control to the camera with your phone, using Wi-Fi.
This camera doesn’t have a screen, but it does come with a voice menu for basic functions.
A buffered parking mode is supported. Unlike older BlackVue models, the DR900X comes with a hard-wiring kit and doesn’t need a Power Magic Pro for parking mode to work. Low-voltage cutoff and timer functions are built into the camera.
In buffered parking mode, the dash cam will keep recording continuously while the car is parked, but without saving the footage on the memory card. Only when it detects an event will the footage be saved in a special folder. Upon your return to the car, the camera will announce that events have been detected so you will know that there are videos for you to review.
It also supports time-lapse parking mode.
3. BlackVue DR750X-2CH Plus: Same Features, Better Night Vision
Price: Amazon US / CA / UK – eBay US / AU – more countries & vendors (affiliate links)
Resolution: 1080p front and rear
Overall video quality: Very good
Reliability: Very Good
Memory capacity: 256GB (over 16 hours)
Features: Live view over cloud, alerts over cloud, integrated GPS, Wi-Fi, capacitor, lock file button, buffered and time-lapse parking modes, low-voltage cutoff
Full Review: BlackVue DR750X-2CH Plus Review
BlackVue’s DR750X-2CH Plus comes with exactly the same features as the DR900X-2CH Plus, including the industry’s most advanced cloud system. The big difference between the two is that the DR750X records only 1080p with its front camera, unlike the DR900X which supports 4K.
Also, the DR750X Plus costs about $80 less than the DR900X Plus.
1080p sensors are generally more light sensitive than 4K sensors (because their pixels are larger). So the DR750X records better video at night with its forward camera. During the day time, a 4K camera is better obviously.
So if you do a lot of driving at night, this might be the best option for you, and also save you some money.
4. Viofo A129 Pro Duo: Great 4K Video At A Competitive Price
Price: Amazon US / CA / UK – AliExpress – eBay US / AU – more countries & vendors (affiliate links)
Resolution: 4K front, 1080p rear
Overall video quality: Good
Reliability: Good
Memory capacity: 256GB (over 7 hours)
Extras: 2″ screen, Wi-Fi, capacitor, lock file button, optional GPS in mount. Parking modes: Buffered, time-lapse, and low bit-rate. Optional additional remote lock file button. Optional CPL filter.
Full Review: Viofo A129 Plus Duo Review
If Thinkware’s and BlackVue’s high-end dashboard cameras are a bit too pricey for you, you may want to go for a Viofo device instead. Hailing from China, Viofo produce good quality, highly reliable dash cams in the mid-price sector.
While they don’t offer cloud connectivity, most other perks such as buffered parking mode, Wi-Fi, and GPS are included.
What makes the A129 Pro Duo stand out is its excellent 4K video quality. As Viofo have to worry about sending videos to the cloud, they can get by with a lot less compression than its competitors from BlackVue.
As a matter of fact, this camera lets you choose the bit rate of the video it records in the settings. The maximum setting is 50 Megabits per second, or Mbps. (The BlackVue DR900X Plus records at 15Mbps.)
As a result, the A129 Pro Duo is capable of recording better 4K video during the day time than any other 4K dash cam currently on the market. At night though, Thinkware and BlackVue still have an advantage, mainly due to its better sensors.
The drawback of having a high bit rate obviously is that the video storage will fill up much faster, so it makes sense to get a large memory card. A 256GB card will hold about 7 hours of front and rear video at the maximum bit rate setting.
When hard-wired to the car’s fuse box using Viofo’s hard-wiring kit, the A129 Pro supports buffered, time-lapse, and low bit rate parking modes.
5. Viofo A129 Plus Duo: Best Value Dual-Channel Dash Cam
Price: Amazon US / CA / UK – AliExpress – eBay US / AU – more countries & vendors (affiliate links)
Resolution: 1440p front, 1080p rear
Overall video quality: Good
Reliability: Good
Memory capacity: 256GB (over 11 hours)
Extras: 2″ screen, Wi-Fi, capacitor, lock file button, GPS in mount. Parking modes: Time-lapse and low bit-rate. Optional additional remote lock file button. Optional CPL filter.
Full Review: Viofo A129 Plus Duo Review
If you’re happy to do without 4K resolution, the Viofo A129 Plus Duo is our pick for the best value-for-money front and rear dash cam. For almost $100 less than the A129 Pro, it records good quality video front and rear.
With a maximum capacity memory card of 256GB size, you can record up to 11 hours of front and rear video (before the loop recording kicks in and the oldest files are overwritten).
The mount of the camera contains a built-in GPS receiver.
The A129 Plus Duo doesn’t have buffered paring mode, but it does support time-lapse and low bit-rate parking modes if you get the corresponding hard-wiring kit.
A CPL filter is available for the forward facing camera only. The camera has a lock file button (the round one with the yellow triangle on it), but if you find this inconvenient to reach while driving, Viofo also offer a remote lock file button that works via Bluetooth.
You can place the remote button anywhere you like, near your steering wheel for example, so you don’t have to reach all the way over to the camera if something happens on the road that you’d like to keep video of.
6. 70mai A500S: Best Low-Cost Front And Rear Dash Cam
Price: Amazon US / CA / UK – AliExpress – eBay US / AU – more countries & vendors (affiliate links)
Resolution: 1440p front, 1080p rear
Overall video quality: Fair
Reliability: Good
Memory capacity: 128GB
Extras: 2″ screen, lock file button, GPS, Wi-Fi, basic motion-activate parking mode (needs extra hard-wiriing kit)
Full Review: 70mai A500S Pro Plus Review
The 70mai A500S is our recommendation for those who can’t (or don’t want to) spend more than $100 on a front and rear dash cam. This camera is also known as 70mai Pro Plus, and it is the cheapest dual dash cam we are currently able to recommend.
For its price, the A500S does a decent job, even though it does have some limitations. Video quality is fair overall: At day, you should be able to read most other car’s license plates — at night though, this can become difficult.
A great plus of the 70mai A500S is its stealthy wedge shape. Unlike some other low-cost dash cams that stand out like a sore thumb on your windshield, the A600S blends into the cars interior just like the other dash cams featured in this article.
This camera comes with a 2” screen, and is fairly intuitive to set up and use. A lock file button is included.
The A500S comes with built-in GPS and Wi-Fi. Free apps are available for Android and iPhones.
If you order the corresponding hard-wiring kit, you can run the A500S in a basic impact-triggered parking mode. If the camera’s G-sensor detects an impact while the engine is off, the camera will wake up and record what is happening.