Is a rear dash cam worth it?

What a front camera misses

In a rear-end shunt the other vehicle comes from behind. A front-only camera records the jolt and the road ahead, which shows you were stationary or braking for a reason, but it does not show the vehicle approaching, how close it was following, or its number plate. A rear camera fills that gap.

That matters because following distance is part of the picture. Highway Code Rule 126 tells drivers to allow at least a two-second gap to the vehicle in front on high-speed roads, at least doubled on wet roads. Rear footage is the only record you will have of how close the driver behind actually was.

Insurance evidence

Admiral's dash cam guide says some car insurance providers, including Admiral, use dash cam footage if it is available when you make a claim, and that front-and-rear cameras can protect you against rear-end collisions too. That is one insurer's published position, not a promise about the outcome of any claim. Direct Line's dash cam guide adds that footage should only be shared with your insurer or the police.

Install effort

1. Mount the rear camera high on the rear glass, inside the area the rear wiper clears if there is one, and away from heater element lines where possible.
2. Route the cable from the front camera along the headlining to the back of the car. The Nextbase rear module uses a 6 m cable that its listing says can be hidden under the roof lining.
3. Keep clear of the curtain airbags. BlackVue's installation guide says never to run cables across side-curtain airbags and always to route behind the airbag housing.
4. On a hatchback, cross into the tailgatethrough the rubber cable gaiter at the hinge, which is the fiddliest part of the job.
5. Check the card and power. Two channels fill the card faster, and if you want the rear camera to record while parked, you will need permanent power. The 70mai A510 listing says parking mode needs a 70mai hardwire kit, sold separately.

When it is worth it, and when it is not

• Worth it: commuting in stop-start traffic, frequent roundabouts and junction queues, street parking, or a car used for work.
• Less important: mostly open-road driving, off-street parking, or a car that rarely leaves the drive.
• Consider privacy glass: a camera behind dark-tinted rear glass sees less at night, so check sample footage for your type of car before buying.

Common mistakes

• Running the rear cable across the A-pillar or C-pillar trim where a curtain airbag deploys.
• Keeping the same small card you used for a front-only camera.
• Mounting the rear camera outside the wiper's sweep, so rain and grime blur the picture.
• Expecting rear footage to be as sharp as the front: many kits use a lower resolution at the back.

Related pages

• What size memory card does a dash cam need?
• How to hardwire a dash cam
• Nextbase 322GW vs 522GW
• Dash cam features explained
• Best dash cams

Frequently asked questions

Do insurers accept rear dash cam footage?

Insurers decide claim by claim, but Admiral says on its own dash cam page that some car insurance providers, including Admiral, use footage if it is available when you make a claim, and that front-and-rear cameras can protect you against rear-end collisions too. Ask your own insurer how it wants footage submitted.

Is a rear dash cam hard to fit?

It is more work than a front camera because the cable has to run the length of the car. On a hatchback it also has to pass from the roof into the tailgate. The Nextbase rear module, for example, connects to a Series 2 front camera through a 6 m cable that the listing says can be hidden under the roof lining.

Does a rear camera reduce how much footage I can store?

Yes. Both cameras write to the same card. Nextbase's FAQ gives up to 16 hours on a 128GB card for a front camera, or up to eight hours with a Rear Cam Module.

Is the rear camera as sharp as the front one?

Usually not. The Nextbase 322GW listing gives 1080p front and 720p rear, and the 70mai A510 listing gives 1944P front and 1080P rear. A lower-resolution rear camera still records what happened, but reading a number plate is harder at a distance.