
VIOFO
A229 Pro Series
Top-tier video, reliable evidence, but app struggles.

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I went for a Garmin Dash Mini 2 because it's discreet, doesn't get in the way of vision, and the data can be extracted easily. Fancier dash cams exist but it's all I need.
A Garmin Dash Mini is less than £100, then plus installation if you want to hard wire it. It's cheaper because it doesn't have a screen. But videos are still visible via the app and memory card. It's also very small and fits nearly behind the mirror.
Had garmin mini 2 and 3 for a while and the quality is decent enough for me. Plates are not as readable as I'd like them to be but I like the smallness of it.
Yea it's good enough to show what happened if something happens. I'm getting 2nd mini 2 one for the back cos I'm not liking how close people pull up behind on lights.
I have the Garmin Mini 2 in my 911 and my daily Jeep. Behind the mirror and out of my view, so it works well.
Garmin Mini, I have the 2 but I think they're on 3 now. One for the front, one for the back. I didn't hard wire them into the battery, just the USB cables (and front via a dongle to my powered mirror). Reasonable and do the job. Subscription is optional- double check that, some require one. I just got big micro SD cards, so they store a ton.
https://preview.redd.it/y6roa2zh0gpg1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=db1cc7b01adf3772a21650f272ed089ccd08fc74 same, it’s super clean.
Less than 10mins start to finish. Hardest part was prying the plastic panels off, bc I was afraid of breaking something. https://youtu.be/7aKps4Vepdg?si=EU6l_Ert--YHJXXj
I run a Garmin Mini 2 in my daily and its pretty solid for the size. Thing is barely noticeable behind the rearview mirror and records decent 1440p footage. Only downside is no rear cam option but for what you described it should work fine.

VIOFO
A229 Pro Series
Top-tier video, reliable evidence, but app struggles.

VIOFO
A229 Plus Series
Dual-cam coverage, great video, but app still problematic.

FITCAMX
Integrated / Universal Series
OEM fit is great, but night video/recording unreliable.

VIOFO
A119 Mini 2
Compact, budget-friendly Starvis 2 clarity; app issues.

ROVE
R2-4K Series
Affordable, easy; 4K claims debated, SD card picky.

Ranked #1
VIOFO - A229 Pro Series

Ranked #1
FITCAMX - Integrated / Universal Series

Ranked #1
VIOFO - A229 Plus Series

Ranked #1
VIOFO - A229 Pro Series

Ranked #1
Vantrue - N4 Series