Garmin - Dash Cam Mini 3

Used to have Thinkware U1000 in my previous car. Now have a Garmin X310 front w/ Dongar splitter and Garmin Mini 3 rear tucked and plugged into power outlet in the trunk.

I have a Garmin X310 and Mini 3. The newer Garmin dashcams with 4K recording are great but they are indeed pricey. Their app UI is some of the best I’ve found, it just works, compared to most of the other Chinese brands that can be clunky, annoying, and not as polished. That said, I would definitely agree with u/as_1409 and find some of the better well known and more affordable Chinese brands such as Viofo, Vantrue, Thinkware, BlackVue, etc. Perhaps later in the future once you have some disposable funds you can check out Garmin :) You can also save on installation costs by doing it yourself. It is not difficult. Just plan accordingly and have the tools you need. I’ve installed dashcams in all my cars. If you want a fun weekend project I can certainly help answer any questions you may have.

Garmin X310 + Dongar adapter (front). Garmin Mini 3 (rear).

Just ordered the mini 3 as my first dash cam. Connecting it to a pass through charging power bank so I can get up to a couple of days recording while parked. Power bank connected to cigarette lighter. Top tip I saw on YouTube, you can simply plug a usb cable from your phone to the Dashcam and transfer files significantly faster using a MyFiles or similar file manager app on your phone. Apparently the WiFi transfer is a bit slow. Many times faster by just plugging a cable in.

Got this. Hardware is great. App is appalling. Doesn't connect. Vault subscription doesn't work. See the downward App review trend on Google Play. Cancelling subscription and returning to Amazon. Think I'll try Nextbase. Could have been great.

Garmin Dashcam Mini 3. Pricey but very compact and only consumes 1.2 to 1.8W. I've connected mine to a pass through charging powerbank rather than the 12V battery always on. Cigar lighter adapter charges the Powerbank when ignition is on and it passes power through to the Dashcam. 1 week of park mode. 3 to 4 days of continuous recording. I didn't want to risk flattening the 12V battery with an always on connection not did I want just 12 or 24hrs of operation. Built the system for about 250 bucks. Though may add an LTE capable camera so I can remotely check a live feed. Note, a Dashcam makes negligible difference to your range. They are powered from the 12V battery. And although this is charged from the traction battery via DCDC conversion (or the ICE generator to the traction battery) even if you had 10 Dashcams you wouldn't notice more than a fraction of a mile difference on EV range. It's in the noise.

The best-ish ones go in the $1000+ range for the front and back cameras installed. I've been using Garnin Mini 2 &3 for a while now. They are in your price range, are from a good brand, the performance is decent, and are not too bulky. You can save some cash if you spend some time doing a DIY hard-wired setup.

I have a Garmin Mini 3 - and prior to that, in my last vehicle, I had a Garmin Mini 2. The 3 comes with a polarizing filter already on the lens. I'm sure it's not the best quality camera out there, but it's small, discrete, and I've always had a positive experience with both units. I only bought the 3 because I couldn't find where I put the 2 (I thought we had thrown it away in our garage cleanup effort). Literally like two days after I got the 3 installed, we found the 2. So I put that in the wife's car.

I use Garmin cams. I have a DC47 in my car and I think the one in my Silverado is a Garmin Mini 2 or 3. Both do the job.

I just got the Garmin Mini 3 for the front. It’s been great so far. Nice and small to hide behind the mirror. Also ordered a Dongar adapter for the clean look. Thinking about getting a Mini 2 for the rear

I have the Garmin mini 3 for both front and back. Place it behind the mirror. Shouldn’t be a problem with the eyesight. A dongar adapter will help with a clean looking install so you don’t have wires everywhere. I have a 24 Forester Sport

Combo came with dash cam, specific model adapter, and memory card. Easy plug and play clean install. Can’t see wiring or camera from either front seat. Powered mirror turns it on and off when truck turns on and off. Not crazy video quality but good, cheap insurance living in a metroplex.

Not sure what you mean. This camera does have a screen for viewing.

Rear view mirror completely blocks it however that’s how I intended it to be. You can likely adjust to see a rear screen if you have one that has that.

for me honestly i just buy two dashcams 🤷 my go to was the garmin mini 3, small enough to not notice, records footage, easy to hard power, mic mute and no big ahh screen to make my windshield look like an uber driver. honestly dash cams that are “4k uhd gigasonic enhancer” are a bit useless, records the same and compression is usually so high you can’t record moving licence plates anyways even if it’s “4k” so it ends up looking only slightly better than a much cheaper, smaller, and power efficient 1080p camera when things are actually moving. Obviously there will be some exceptions if you fork out the money, but the train station i usually park my car the longest (and where its most likely to get hit) has LNPR cameras on entry and exits so i can always request that along with my footage of the vehicle.

Halfords were selling the Garmin mini 3 for EUR 130 last week and it comes with a 16gb SD card. It's a great little camera, if space is tight, and the app is actually good.  I also bought a nextbase piqo 2k before that but I couldn't get it to fit without being in the way of something. It was only eur 120 but you have to buy a card. The next base app looks good but it's a bit slow. I had a Garmin mini 2 for five years before that and it was a great little device but I think I pulled it out of too many cars and the cable was mangled so I thought I'd treat myself to a new camera on my new car. The nextbase is going in the wife's car and my daughter is going to buy a new cable for the mini 2 for her own car. It all worked out in the end, all 3 devices are quite good. 

I have a garmin mini 3. It takes great video but its slow to connect to from your phone via wifi. I have a viofo a119 mini in another car but I don't think the angle would be right for a rear dash cam. The garmin mini 3 fits really well and isn’t too intrusive. https://preview.redd.it/pczycgw1xaue1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1f49e58449e8e04300a899d96dc382dd4a632b11

I just installed a Garmin Mini 3 using a Dongar adapter. Pretty straightforward install.

Put a Garmin mini 3 just to the right of the rear view mirror up high. That would work great with that 10 pin connector.

Garmin Mini 3. I love my Mini 2. It’s small, has one button to save recordings, stores a ton on its internal miniSD, and the app works well.

I have a garmin mini 3 in my outback, and it's super easy to install with a hardwire kit. A rear camera would be nice to have, as they can settle edge cases ( like if someone rear ends you when on their phone and tells the cops you break checked them).

I got a Garmin mini 3 as part of a Black Friday bundle on Dongar. It works super well and I don’t really go back to check the videos, but you do need to make sure you turn off CarPlay to be able to connect to the live feed and it will be so. Excruciatingly. Slow. But if something were to happen and I needed that footage, I’d sit in the truck and wait for as long as I needed. It’s really just to make me feel better that I’ve got it recorded, even if it takes 40 years off my life to download the video

Having good luck with the Garmin Mini3

I got a Garmin mini 3 cause it doesn't have a screen, the brightness from the screens keep interfering with the eyesight

Type s 401, the a229 viofi, and one other that gets recommended a lot on the dash cam sub. Sometimes just randomly my eyesight would bug out or just not work all together such as lane departure and "obstacle detection" which I just decided to go with the Garmin mini because a lot of Subaru owners (at least people who own newer models) recommend the Garmin because of the no screen which I so far have not had issues with. Oh and my car is a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek. I was worried the anti collision would randomly activate on me and slam on the brakes

I have the Garmin mini. If you want to check out the video quality, just look at my post history. I uploaded a video from the dash cam the other week. It shouldn't be too far down from some cat picture posts.

3rd Gen here, not sure if it's the same on other gens. But I have the Garmin Mini and the mirror plug and it's an extremely easy install and the camera is good. I have one of the older versions of the Mini so I'm assuming that in the newer versions it has an updated camera.

I like the garmin mini, it's small enough to not obstruct the already small windowscreen area with a pointless screen.

I like the Garmin Mini or Mini 2 because it doesn't have a big ass screen to take away space from my window screen, particularly as one of my cars has a very small window.

Garmin Dash cam mini. It hides nicely behind the rear view mirror

And it’s an actual brand I recognize and trust

I called Volvo about installing a dash cam and they said not to put it near the radar system as it can interfere with it ! I installed a Garmin mini on the driver’s side. The manual shows a risk area around the radar system - indicated by a red line.

I never installed it by the radar, avoided it due to Volvo advice and other folk reporting issues!

I plugged mine into the back of the rearview mirror. It’s a Garmin mini and the adapter cord is only about 3 inches long. You can barely tell it’s there in the passenger seat. And the driver seat you don’t see it at all. I’ll see if I can find the kit that I used. It was really easy took about an hour. There is no 12 V port anymore, which is really annoying because it means that I can’t have a back dash cam which I would like to do.

I'm running a Garmin mini with a dongle to connect it to mirror power so I'm not running cables. It's been great & you can connect multiple cameras and sync them in the app

Before buying mine a did a quick YouTube search and found some sample videos. These days most are pretty good. I like the garmin mini’s because they are very unobtrusive.

I use the Garmin mini in my 2020 Xle. I have the GM2 on the front and the GM 1st Gen on the rear. They’re rather small profile and work great.

I went with 2 Garmin Dashcam minis and they have been great along with the constant power adapter. Not sure about installation shops bc it’s fairly straightforward to install yourself.

Got the same. I ran the wire to the USB connection though. Just tuck it behind the headliners and you’re good to go

I have a Garmin mini hooked to the dimmable mirror. Works great for me and very inexpensive.

My Garmin Mini has been fine since 2021. Agree that connectivity sucks ass, tho.

Garmin mini on sale right now. I've had no issues with it.

I run two Garmin Minis hooked up to the OBD port with Garmin's easy install thing. Extra long cable for the rear. Wires tucked under head liner and the rear wire ran through the rubber hatch boot. Very clean install.

I also have the Garmin mini. It's about as inconspicuous as it gets

I run a garmin mini with a dongar setup to power both my rear mirror and the dash. All in 100$.

If you have the powered rearview mirror you can get an adapter that plugs into the factory harness for the 2023 and below models. They may be the same on the 2024. It keeps everything tidy. I use a garmin mini.

Same set up, it’s hidden away and you can’t even notice it. The quality is surprisingly good and gets the job done.

Garmin hd mini. Got it on sale on Amazon for 50 bucks A couple years ago. Comes with a little ball and slot attachment you can just pull it off and store it if you need to, I also use window shades to block the sun.

One more vote for the Mini. Use them for our work trucks as well and the sizing was great and non intrusive.

I have a Garmin mini dash cam! I've had it almost 2 years. It gets the job done, and connects to my phone if needed. I'm not even going to pretend to know if it was easy to install though, my fiance did the wiring and somehow wired it to the rearview mirror.

I have the same one on my 2018 put it right behind the mirror and also ran the wires up the passenger side of the dash.The video is great,

Install was ok, it gets constant power from obd, wire was run behind side curtain airbag trim on driver side, and popped the sunglasses holder out to grab the wire and get it behind the Honda sensing cameras to be completely wire free. The camera itself is good for how tiny it is, but the app is hot garbage. Found out it won’t work when wireless CarPlay is connected so that needs to be shut off every time I want to use the app. Videos need to export which takes time and may not be great in an emergency situation but otherwise I am keeping it for its small size. I give it a 7/10

https://share.icloud.com/photos/05dEXUwKBMrIzYYoYGK4IsTcw Here’s video of my almost rear ending the jeep in front of me as I try to beat traffic coming from the left, not realizing they stopped on the right 😂

Yeah I am keeping it for its compact size and the fact that I don’t see it at all while I am in the drivers seat. But if you will be pulling clips frequently I’d get something else.

https://preview.redd.it/55mpyfx1k2re1.jpeg?width=1320&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=32af7ef6e0e25ce5a683a29b22d6966bb70af40a I can’t see mine when I’m in the drivers seat. Garmin Mini.

I have the same one… didn’t permanently set it up though 🫣. I prop it. But been able to get some interesting clips.

I have a Garmin Mini because it's so tiny it hides behind my mirror. I didn't want one with a screen, it's been good.

No its only one direction. I've been considering moving it to the rear and getting a higher resolution cam up front. The Garmin is great but like many cams, good luck picking up license plates in anything but the best conditions.

There is a video on the Garmin mini where you use an adapter that plugs in to you mirror power and has a USB port on it. Garmin is one of the few that can use USB. It's very clean and easy. But the resolution isn't 2 or 4k. I just got a two channel Viofo A229 Pro and will hard wire it for the parking mode. I'm in the middle of an argument with the dealership about a bent steering knuckle and I know they bent it. But I don't have the proof. I have been researching cameras for our Counties truck fleet and am going to recommend the Viofo line. But if you just want a nice easy setup, go with the Garmin

I went with the Garmin dash cam mini. No issues with it falling off during off-roading, I bought a mirror tap to power it using the rear-view mirror wiring instead of putting it on an aux switch. Works great. There’s no subscription required to save video or photos, it detects potential crash and lane/collision warnings and auto records video, has a red light camera warning and a Bluetooth based app so you don’t have to be on WiFi to pull videos off the camera and save to your phone. I have some great videos of me swearing at deer, geese and other motorists that the camera auto saved for me

I use the Garmin Mini which is cheap and easy to self-install. It sometimes doesn’t work (fails to turn on correctly) though if it is super cloudy or you park in a garage without wireless signal, which is weird, but not a dealbreaker for me since I have to park on the street anyway. Video quality is average but passable. I’ve posted a few clips to idiotsincars, if you want an example of the video and audio quality you can see my post history.

I use a Garmin Dash Cam mini coupled with a Dongar power adapter that plugs into my mirror so that I do not need to hardwire the camera. Camera has always worked great (I had it on previous truck without adapter), sometimes the adapter does not work as well and I have to unplug and plug the camera back in for the adapter to work at start up. 

Much cheaper than the factory dash cam too… I used to be a claims adjuster and dash cams are a necessity for liability disputes. 

I use a Garmin Dash Cam mini coupled with a Dongar power adapter that plugs into my mirror so that I do not need to hardwire the camera. Camera has always worked great (I had it on previous truck without adapter), sometimes the adapter does not work as well and I have to unplug and plug the camera back in for the adapter to work at start up

You have to have a power mirror. Unfortunately I do not, but was able to hide the cord easily on my Garmin mini.

I've been using a Garmin Mini dashcam for a few years and it's fine. No huge complaints. But I didn't want to pull the panels apart on the Bronco and route the cable properly, so I just shoved it up int the cracks along the windshield and panels and it's mostly out of sight and out of mind. What I don't like about it is that the app sucks and the cable is still visible, even if it's not really in the way. FitCamX makes dash cams that are integrated in to the housing behind the rear view mirror and pull power from the auto-dimming mirror's power supply. It's slightly bigger than the housing that's already there, but when it's installed you really can't see it behind the mirror. Installation was very simple (took like, 5 minutes), they included a pry tool to remove the original housing, and the instructions came with a QR code for a video on how to install it if you needed, which I always think it nice, especially with Chinese made products because written instructions aren't always easy to follow. The app is really easy to use and works great. You connect to its wifi signal and view the footage. It's great. That's how the Garmin worked too but it always gave me problems. I did have ONE issue with the app. I tried resetting the original password to connect to the wifi signal, and it it wouldn't let me access it. The new password wouldn't work, and neither would the old one. I contacted the customer service through Whatsapp and they gave me instructions pretty quickly on how to reset the password. Again, for a Chinese company I was very impressed with the customer service. Usually they just have an email and you're kinda SOL until they MAYBE respond to you after a few weeks. So I was happy that they responded quickly and answered with a fix without having to explain the issue a million times. It was like 3 messages exchanged and it was resolved. The quality is supposedly 4K, but when I view clips and download a clip from the app it's very clearly compressed. I can't read license plates. I want to pull the microSD and see what the footage looks like straight from the card. Maybe it compresses it through the app, and not when it stores it. If it's better that way, I'll update this post tonight. That's my main nitpick. 4K doesn't really mean anything if it's so compressed that you can't see the details. It's still reasonably clear, but if you got hit and run and you need a plate number, you might be in trouble. Hope the data from the card is better. Pros: * perfectly integrated in to the car. It looks OEM. * Camera quality is good enough to see brand logos and models * It has crash detection and parking mode, but I haven't been able to test to see how those work * Able to work with a rear facing camera (soft top owner so I didn't get that) * super easy to install * app works like it's supposed to * excellent customer support Cons: * It's pricey for a dashcam. Almost $200 and that's just for the front camera. * footage from the app is pretty compressed All in all I definitely recommend it. ANY dashcam is better than no dashcam. But considering that you won't be accessing the footage very often, it's best for it to be out of sight and out of mind. I like that this looks clean and OEM.

Garmin Mini DC, no screen, practically hidden behind rear view mirror.

I use Garmin mini

+1 on the Garmin mini, I have the original mini on my '20 with the wire routed the same as described. Works great and small enough to mount without interfering with EyeSight.

Both of my garmin minis were bought before covid. One car only gets driven once or twice a week, the other does most of my 12 mile commute. No problems with either.

Consider Garmin mini for the rear. Easy to mount on top of window and route cable to usb connection on the side

I've been using a Garmin mini. It works well enough for my budget, and I got the garmin OBDII port adapter for constant monitoring. Videos are decent enough to protect yourself in the even of a collision. https://preview.redd.it/771vvn49zn0e1.jpeg?width=2252&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cc8d98f1ec670a4f4a51bffbcdf8fd8115684286

many very good choices here. I used a GoPro in my TSX, and 1080 didn't provide enough detail to watch a video without added context. I think I overdid it for the TLX and got a Garmin Dashcam 67W. I say "overdid" because saving to the Vault on the app requires a monthly subscription that I don't need and don't use, as I prefer just taking the card out and moving the saved videos to my pc. as far as the viewing area, you could probably get along with the 56W. the images are very clear, the alerts are accurate, and the addon that allows it to stay on after the car is off is very helpful. it caught someone losing their balance as they closed their car door parked next to mine and braced my door with their hand to avoid falling. that explained the handprint on the pillar that greeted me the next morning. also, my wife has the mini and she's very happy with it.

Make sure you also don't put it too close to the light sensor on the back of the rear view mirror. Garmin Mini has two red leds that cause that sensor to think it brighter than it really is. I covered them with electric tape.

Garmin dash mini is great and non obtrusive

I use the garmin mini. Quality is meh but I just want it to identify fault so does the job. 

if you want a tiny hidden dash cam to record if an accident happens i’d get a garmin mini

Have the same in my Civic and no complaints either.

Personally I’m using a garmin mini cam. I’ve had a very cheap amazon cam in the past and it done what I wanted it to. The benefit of the more expensive ones usually is the connectivity for an app to access the recordings. I’d recommend setting a budget and comparing features within that budget.

Thanks all for the replies. Will have to look for that video someone mentioned. Last time I mounted a camera (Garmin Mini) on a hatch it would move every time the hatch got shut. Was considering alternate locations but not seeing any easy way.

+2 garmin mini for 3 years in central Florida.

I have a garmin mini for a rear dash cam and a garmin 57 for the front. I didn’t realize you could use the mirror to power it….I’ll be changing to that!

I have a Garmin Mini both in the front and back of my 2024. A big selling feature for me was no integrated screen and a low profile. It came with a long cord that I tucked under the headliner trim and plugged into the USB port in the back seat. The app is easy and syncs both cameras. There is an option to install parking mode but I never did since that’s a more advanced install. That’s my take but you can’t go wrong with a dash cam. It save my butt when someone hit me over the summer and tried to pull a fast one.

I like my garmin mini cam

I have this exact one, really nice because it tucks behind the rearview and is 100% invisible to the driver. I got a module that plugs into the camera for power so no wire running up my pillar but it doesn't have 24/7 power, only ignition Picture quality is meh 1080p, can barely make out a license plate on the car in front of me at a stoplight. But good enough for proving fault if they stop.. I had to disable the voice control because the command is "Ok Garmin" but it triggered every time I said "ok". App is extremely slow, you have to use it to view the videos, takes 15s to connect to the camera then maybe a full minute to download a 30s clip. Overall not too impressed especially considering it's quite expensive, I have a larger one that I paid the same for but it has its own screen, 4k, front and rear 1080p. I got this one because it's small and unobtrusive Edit: the module plugs into the car's built-in camera under the rearview mirror and provides a USB port to power anything

I did 2 garmin minis for front and rear going on a year now no complaints and the video is really clear

Garmin mini is a great cam. One of the best ultra discreet cams

https://preview.redd.it/ffu40m6eg39e1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=218c46f90014349b35dd77d00ae29f1bb2fdd32a If you wanna do it without splicing anything and don’t mind spending the extra cash go with the garmin mini + constant power cable. Just tuck the cable in the head liner and behind the weather stripping in the door all the way to the obd port. Edit: The constant power cable has two ports if you ever wanted to add a rear camera as well!

I’m on my third Garmin dash cam mini replacement in a year. Not overly happy with it. They now want to replace it with a new model. That means I have to buy a new anytime cable and the old cable and other accessories I bought are a loss.

Garmin mini dash cam Pequena, ninguém repara nela, e quando acontecer alguma coisa, vais agradecer que ela existiu Já tive a primeira geração, queimou o sensor de luz. O suporte da Garmin enviou a 2 geração sem custos Já uso a uns 7 anos

Dashcam are great evidence and 1000% worth it I wouldn’t get any auto oem as too much up-pricing. I have Garmin Mini Dashcam in all vehicles and one has definitively proven that I was not at fault, which saved me thousands in future insurance premiums

I have a Garmin Dash Cam Mini. Placed behind the rear view mirror, not visible from the driver's seat. Dealership installed it, cables are not visible either.

It's not visible. It's done as per the user manual, I guess. It goes all the way around the windscreen to the power source between the door and drivers seat.