Dash cams are like medical insurance, in the same way that you hope you never have to actually use it, but get it just to have a safety net in case of any nasty incidents. It puts your mind at ease knowing that if there is ever a problem with your car, whether it's on the outside or even the inside, you’ll have a recording of the event as proof.
But what makes dash cams different from say, sticking a Go-Pro on your car window? Well, dash cams are car cameras specially designed to not only shoot wider than your average camera so that it can capture a larger field of view but also record for a longer duration. It does this by recording a maximum duration of the video, depending on the microSD card stored in the dash cam, then deleting older recordings to make room for new ones.
But with so many dash cam brands and models to choose from, it can get confusing when you’re trying to pick out an affordable dash cam. So we decided to compile a list of the most inexpensive yet reliable models from the market, designed to suit your specific needs.
Editor
Jodee Tan chevron_right
Table of Contents
Top 8 Cheap Dash Cams in Malaysia
Why It’s Our Top Pick:
“70mai” is one of the biggest names in the dashcam market, and their ‘budget’ offering can be considered as one of the best of the best in its price range. Whether it's because of its sharp images, night mode, or app control, the camera has features usually only found in higher end dash cams, but offers them at an affordable price.
Overview
Beyond the fancy features and sleek design of the 70mai 1S, there’s a primary reason why the camera is as good as it is. Firstly, it uses a Sony IMX323 sensor which produces sharp 1080p footage that captures all the intricate details, not to mention the excellent night mode quality within the camera. The 130 degree lens also means you get a wide field of view.
Performance
Note that the 70mai lacks an onboard display, which is a minus in some people’s book. No to mention, it also lacks support for a rear view camera that can be the real dealbreaker for a lot of people. Still, the 70mai 1S packs a great camera with bells and whistles to boot. It also makes up for it with a decent app support that allows you to directly view and download recordings straight from the camera.
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For the more budget conscious folk who want to spend the least amount of money possible but still want a reliable dash cam to use, then the Kingslim Hidden Recorder U2 is the one for you.
Overview
Although the Kingslim dash cam is one of the most affordable dash cams yet, it offers a slew of essential features like detailed recordings and night mode. The slim design of the device also blends into the window of your car, offering a stealthy sleek look.
Performance
There is a power cord hardwired into the camera, powered by a USB connection. Although you can just stick this USB into any available car port, if you have an Android Auto media system, you can install an APK file from the camera into your system. It will then use your display to show the camera’s viewing angle.
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Although most people are satisfied with only a dash cam placed in the front of their cars, some might want to take a more careful approach and place one at the back as well. And for those who want an affordable option to do so, the GOQ T701 is probably your best choice.
Overview
The GOQ T701 is the affordable option for those looking to get the best two-lens dash cam system that produces clear results, even during the day. Featuring a 1080p front camera, it captures clear detailed video, though it does suffer slightly in darker lighting conditions.
Moreover, its 3.1 inch onboard display also allows you to quickly check the footage recorded without the need of transferring the microSD card to a laptop or desktop.
Performance
Although the addition of the rear camera is great, the rear camera itself isn’t all that with only recording able at 480p resolution, but that is certainly better than nothing thought that’s not saying much. While any small details like license plates and faces might be difficult to make out from the footage, but any incidents involving the back of your car will now have proof to it.
Night vision is one of the areas most dash cams struggle with. Fortunately the Ettro 4 not only has a stunning night vision mode, but it delivers too in an affordable package. So if you’re worried that you didn’t capture the incident that occurred in front of you due to the lack of daylight, don’t worry. The Ettro 4 is sure to capture all that detail, even in the dark.
Overview
What separates the Ettro 4 from the other dash cams on this list is not only its excellent night vision capability, but also that it records footage at a stunning 1440p resolution. This means the details in your recordings will be more enhanced and clear when compared to a 1080p recording.
The inclusion of the rear camera also means that you get a full front and back view of your car at all times, all saved and accessible through the 4 inch touch screen panel.
Performance
The biggest weakness of the dash cam is probably its design, which isn’t exactly the prettiest. Its boxy rectangular look is reminiscent of old point-and-shoot cameras but this time attached to the front of your car. While it doesn’t exactly blend into its surroundings nor is it visually pleasing, but it more than makes up for its look with its functions.
More: Even Harvey Specter can’t protect stupid drivers when you have one of these
As an occupation that’s exclusively all about ferrying passengers, you’re gonna want a camera not only for the front and back of your vehicle, but also for your interior. That’s where the GOQ D909 comes in.
Overview
The GOQ D909 dash cam is a 3-lens camera system that records the front, back, and also interior of your car. That last bit is especially important for Grab drivers who take a number of strangers within their vehicle each day, so any misdeeds that occur during that time could be recorded and used as proof against a malicious passenger.
Performance
The suction cup installation for the hook is easy to do, and attaching the camera itself to the hook is just as simple. Both the front and interior cam can be adjusted up to 30 degrees, making sure you have the best possible angle at all times to capture your footage.
Though, the camera’s biggest weakness comes down to its maximum memory capacity, which only stores up to 32GB. We do think this is fine for front facing or dual facing dash cams, but having three cameras recording at the same time means more files will eat up the storage fast.
Although dash cams are infamous for their less than standard wireless connectivity, the DDPai Dash Cam Mini stands out among the crowd for its seamless and fast app connection.
Overview
The DDPai Dash Cam Mini has one of the better app integration on the market, with a smooth and painless user interface that allows you to view the video currently recording or watch previous recordings. In addition to that, the slick design of the Mini means it will be able to fit the aesthetics of most cars.
Performance
For the DDPai Dash Cam, its memory supports up to a whopping 128GB storage; that’s recordings worth up to 24 hours of 1080p 30fps video before you encounter the need to delete older footage. Unfortunately, you might experience a glaring issue with the camera in its night mode. Some reviewers have said that footages shot at the dark or in low light situations looks blurry, with tons of details lost.
Even motorcyclists need dashcams too, which is why our budget choice for the best affordable one is the SE300, a front and rear dash cam for your motorcycle that comes included with a screen.
Overview
Because the cameras in cars are always placed in the interior, there isn’t really any chance of water damage from the rain, but with motorcycles, the cameras are constantly exposed to the elements, which is why it's probably a good idea to get a waterproof dash cam, such as the SE300. The front camera shoots at a clear 1080p resolution while the rear cam shoots at a lesser but still respectable 720p resolution.
Performance
One of the great things about the SE300 is the addition of a main unit. This device actually records and saves the footage while having an accessible screen so you can easily see the angle of your camera when you set it up or if you ever need to view the recordings urgently.
Unfortunately, the 3 inch screen isn’t exactly comfortable for viewing, and the fact that the screen isn’t exactly waterproof means it can probably withstand some splash, but not a pool. So you still have to stow it somewhere dry when not in use, like under your seat.
The Nextbase XH202 offers one of the widest front cameras in the market, allowing you to capture more of your environment to tell a more complete picture.
Overview
Wide-angle cameras allow more of the scenery to be recorded, so naturally, it’d be a great fit with dash cams. Although most only have a 130-degree field of view, the Nextbase XH202 has a lens capable of displaying a 170-degree point of view. Not only that but since the dash cam is a three-camera system, it records not only the front of the car but also its interior and rear.
Performance
Although the wider field of view is great, the 720p recording quality isn’t.
Some users expressed that they would’ve preferred a not-so-wide field of a view dash cam with lower file sizes saved, allowing for longer recordings to be stored. There are even some that considered there is too much detail lost from 720p recording to fully justify using it, so do be careful when it comes to using it in poor lighting situations.
FAQ:
- What to look for in a budget dash cam?
The thing about a dash cam is that people who don’t think they need one will at some point regret they never bought one.
And so an investment into a dash cam, even if it is a budget model, will save you a ton of headaches in the future should any incident occur with your vehicle. You don’t have to rely on hear-say or she-said he-said statements, but rather concrete facts from the recordings.
But if you already decided to buy one, particularly an affordable one, you might need to think of the features that are essential to you, and some that aren’t.
Consider these facts:
- Rear camera - This is highly recommended for most drivers as it gives you a more concrete proof.
- GPS - Unless you don’t use your phone’s GPS in your car already, this can be a useful feature if you tend to drive long distances a lot.
- Interior camera - A useful feature that’s highly recommended for vehicle hailing services as it gives you assurance in showing proof against malicious passengers.
Aside from those, some other key features we’d highly recommend are 1080p recording for clear recording and a decent night mode camera especially if you drive at night a lot. Anything besides these are probably niche features meant for specific users.
- How long can a dash cam record for?
So you're set on getting a dash cam. But there come the worries of needing to micro-manage storage since video recordings will take up a lot of space. With that in mind, how much space do you need in a dash cam so you don't have to worry about your "insurance" not recording everything?
- A generic rule here is to know the resolution that the dashcam can record up to.
- Say, the standard resolution in most dashcams these days is 1080p. There, you can expect about 50 minutes worth of continuous content to take 8GB.
- That'd be the same when you double the numbers; 16GB would mean 100 minutes' worth of recording.
- For your reassurance, try taking a video on your smartphone (if it shares the same recording capabilities) to determine the space needed.
- We recommend getting a minimum of 64GB storage to handle a few hours worth of footage recording.
- Another tip: We absolutely recommend dash cams that lets you easily access the settings and data via a mobile app for quick retrieval.