Vantrue Element 3

£299

Dash cameras are a necessary addition to every car to help keep your own record of unforeseen accidents and avoid some hefty insurance claims when fault cannot be determined easily. With Vantrue monitoring the road and keeping a record of the goings on both around and within your car is made easier with a range of innovative dash cameras that record crystal-clear footage no matter the lighting, time of day or location. 

I don’t drive anywhere without a dash camera in my car, especially on my rather long commutes to work, as I like the added protection it gives me knowing it is there recording just in case an accident occurs. Therefore, when I got the chance to test out Vantrue’s Element 3 I was super excited as it boasts to deliver ultra-clear image quality that monitors both inside and outside of your car whilst you’re on the road and when you’re parked.

The Element 3 dashcam records in 2.7K, with a 1080p video playback. This allows the camera to accurately pick up license plates and passengers, even in the darkest or rainiest conditions. To achieve this the dash camera is fitted with a Sony Starvis night vision mode which utilises infrared lights to capture everything you need even in the lowest of lighting. Therefore, should an accident occur, the camera will have captured the events occurring both inside and outside of the vehicle to help back up any claims with clear evidence.

The entire dash camera is designed with protection and safety in mind, and so has a parking mode that captures video clips from 15 seconds before an event and 30 seconds after to ensure any license plates or people are caught in the video. This is also utilised for collision detection, which records in a low frame mode and low bit rate, which ensures no vital evidence is missed should your car be broken into or hit whilst parked.

One of my favourite aspects of the dash camera is that the device is built with a G-sensor which when triggered from a collision will automatically lock and save the current video being recorded to an emergency folder for use in filing a traffic dispute or insurance claim. This ensures that even if the worst should happen, you don’t have to go and save the footage yourself to avoid it being overwritten or discarded. Instead, the footage will be securely stored should it be needed in the future. In addition to this, the dash camera is designed to auto-save the current video if a sudden power failure occurs, and when the dash cam memory becomes full it only rewrites over the oldest footage stored which is likely to no longer be needed. However, to save any footage, the dash camera connected seamlessly with your device via Wi-Fi where you can save and download all videos for future needs.

The Element 3 dash is controlled by the included innovative remote controller which you can stick to your dashboard. This allows you to quickly press to record, save and take a picture whilst you’re driving. This helps to avoid excessive adjustments whilst on the road which could distract you from driving. I’d personally like to see voice controls integrated across the dash camera so that you can be completely hands-free – however, voice controls are currently available on other models, so the option is there if this is preferred. 

In my opinion, every driver could benefit from a dash camera in their car, and so I think buying yourself or a loved one is a great purchase for that added peace of mind. With the Element 3, you get top quality camera quality supported by Vantrue’s innovative systems that safe, lock and protect your footage so you always know that you have an additional set of eyes on the road should something occur.

Pros:

• High-quality camera that works even in low lighting
• Magnetic mount captures GPS and speed for added evidence for claims
• Automatic lock and save function when the G-sensor triggers

Cons:

• The remote control is fine, but I prefer a completely handsfree dash camera to keep all the focus on the road