VanTrue Nexus 5 Dash Cam

£319.99

These days you can never be too safe on the road, with accidents unfortunately hitting an all-time high during the summer months. Therefore, the need for a dash cam for your car has become a firm must-have piece of tech to provide a digital witness to any accidents that could occur.

When I got the chance to review the Nexus 5 Dash Cam from Vantrue, I was super excited as it boasts to provide a complete 360° view across 4 cameras which captures footage both outside and inside your car. I found setting up the Nexus 5 system was a little more complex than a standard front dash camera, however with the help of the installation manual it was set up and ready to go in a few steps.

The front camera is attached to your front windscreen and provides a 1944p resolution and 30fps with a 158° view of the road ahead thanks to a Sony STARVIS 2 IMX675 + WDR sensor. However, on the back of this camera is a smaller front cabin camera that delivers 1080p resolution and 30fps video capture with a 160°view inside the car of the driver and passenger seat. When testing the camera, I was impressed with how high quality the image is, which remained high in resolution no matter the time of day.

The front camera plugs into the main auxiliary power outlet of your car, and then, using the cables included in the box, you run these cables along the interior roof of your car to the rear camera which sits inside the car’s rear window. The rear camera provides a 1080p resolution and 30fps camera, which also has a 165° view behind the car, and on the reverse is a back rear cabin camera which is directed at the back seats capturing footage in 1080p and 30fps with a 160° view, much like the front cabin camera. These cameras combined provide a complete view of both inside and outside of your car for careful accident monitoring whilst you’re on the road, and for checking your kids are okay in the back seat on a long drive too. All recordings from the cameras are linked to the Vantrue app, but the dash cam system does require a SD Memory card to store all the footage. However, a SD Card is not included in the box so must be purchased separately.  

The Nexus 5 does so much more than just record the road whilst you’re driving, in fact when you’re parked the car Nexus 5 system has a 24-hour parking mode which detects motion or collision using a low bitrate and low framerate to ensure that even if your car is hit or even broken into whilst parked, the cameras across the car will capture the perpetrator in the act or the vehicle and license plate of the offending driver. In addition to this, the Nexus 5 has a buffered motion detection setting which records 10 seconds before and 30 seconds after a detected event to ensure that it captures anything awry whilst you’re away from your car. However, to utilise the parking mode you need to hardwire the dash cam into your car, which may require the purchase of a Vantrue hardwiring kit which is not included with the Nexus 5.

One of my favourite aspects of the Nexus 5 is that you can utilise voice controls to take photos, mute/unmute the microphone, and record or lock videos all without touching the screen. This is great for capturing something on the road, or, as the cameras also point into the car, you can actually take photos inside the car too! Whilst taking pictures of the backseat is not something I’d have thought about when driving it can make a fun little addition when on a road trip to capture the memories.

Ultimately, having tested out the Nexus 5 over the last few weeks, I’m super impressed. I felt safer on the road knowing that I had an extra layer of protection watching the road and recording everything just in case of an accident. However, I love that the Nexus 5 also delivers so much more than just a dash cam, with a bunch of extra parking and monitoring features to provide you with even greater visibility across your car whether parked or driving. Therefore, for me, the Vantrue Nexus 5 Dash Cam is now an essential accessory that will be staying in my car for the foreseeable future. I appreciate it is a pricey dash cam, however with camera quality, 360° view and the fact you’re getting 4 cameras for the price of one, for me it is 100% worth the price point.

The Vantrue Nexus 5 Dash Cam would make a perfect gift for a new driver, or even someone who loves to drive all the time. Plus, if you’re off on a road trip this summer, the Nexus 5 makes a great addition to your car set-up to make sure your trips are supported by a complete monitoring system for extra protection on and off the road.

Also - According to Martin Shang Chun, Director of Marketing Strategy at Vantrue, the N5 will also support a 4G LTE version, which is expected to be available to consumers in the fourth quarter of 2024. 

Available from: www.vantrue.com. 

If you're interested in the Nexus 5 Dash Cam or any other products from VanTrue you can use code: 'gadgethead' for 25% off or use this direct link to access the discount: https://www.vantrue.com/discount/Gadgethead. 

Pros:

• 360° view of the road across 4 cameras
• Top quality camera quality for a greater view of the road
• Has voice controls for handsfree operations of photo and recording settings

Cons:

• Does not include a SD Memory card in the box which is essential for footage storage