Best Dash Cams With Parking Mode in 2025

Parking mode is an important feature to look for when deciding what kind of dash cam to purchase. While dash cams watch out for you and your car while driving, a parking-mode feature offers additional security when owners are away from their vehicles. Whether leaving your vehicle in a parking garage, on a busy city street, or in your neighborhood, parking mode provides peace of mind and another layer of protection.

Key Features in Parking Mode Dash Cams

Powering Parking Mode

Parking mode requires that the dash cam has constant access to power, even when the vehicle’s ignition is off. The most common method to achieve this is by hardwiring the dash cam to the car’s battery. Hardwiring isn’t especially difficult for experienced DIYers, but many people prefer professional installation at a car stereo or electronics shop. Professional installation typically takes a few hours, and a compatible hardwire kit is required, which most dash cam companies sell separately. Look for kits that include voltage cutoffs and fuses to protect both the dash cam and your car battery.

As an alternative, many dash cams offer backup batteries. These allow a dash cam that plugs into a 12-volt outlet to continue functioning even when the ignition is off. Backup batteries are generally easier to install than hardwiring but still require some planning: you need to find a place to store the battery, such as the glove box or under a seat, and run wires between the dash cam and the battery.

Keep in mind that backup batteries recharge through the vehicle’s 12-volt outlet, so they work best if the car is driven frequently. Short drives of 20–30 minutes can keep the battery charged for daily parking monitoring.

Many dash cams with parking mode include a voltage monitoring feature to prevent draining the car’s battery. Depending on the model, this can be built into the dash cam itself or included in the hardwire kit.

The system monitors the car battery’s voltage and automatically shuts off the dash cam if the voltage falls below a set threshold, typically between 12.0V and 12.2V. Some models allow adjustment of this threshold, which can be useful depending on your car battery’s age, type, or the fact that hybrid or electric vehicles behave differently. For longer-term parking or vehicles with older batteries, a backup battery can extend recording time while still protecting the vehicle’s main battery.

How Parking Mode Works

When driving, most dash cams use loop recording, continuously overwriting older footage on the memory card. A built-in G sensor detects impacts and saves recordings of collisions or sudden movement. In contrast, parking mode operates differently to conserve battery and storage. Dash cams detect when the ignition is off and only begin recording when an event occurs—either an impact detected by the G sensor, motion detection, or other triggers.

If the parking mode relies on a G sensor, the dash cam saves video of incidents for later review. Look for models where you can adjust G sensor sensitivity: too low, and the camera may miss minor but relevant events; too high, and it will create false alerts from vibrations or heavy winds.

Some dash cams also include time-lapse mode for parking, capturing still images at intervals—typically one frame per second—and compiling them into a condensed video. This allows you to review hours of activity in minutes while conserving storage and battery life. Time-lapse mode is ideal for long-term parking, such as monitoring airport parking, commercial fleet vehicles, or cars left overnight, though the resulting video may be less detailed than standard recordings.

Advanced Parking Mode Features

Some dash cams offer motion detection that records only when movement occurs around the vehicle. Higher-end models use artificial intelligence (AI) to distinguish between real threats, like someone looking into the car, and harmless activity, like a passerby or birds. This reduces unnecessary video clips while still capturing relevant events.

Connected dash cams can include cellular modems that send alerts to your smartphone whenever an impact or motion is detected. Some allow live viewing of the dash cam feed via an app. Cloud-enabled dash cams can automatically upload recordings for backup, reducing storage concerns and allowing footage to be shared with insurance companies or law enforcement. Look for models with buffered parking mode, which uses internal memory alongside a memory card to capture video just before and after an incident, ensuring complete coverage.

When choosing a parking mode dash cam, consider the number of channels. Dual-channel systems cover the front and interior or rear, while three-channel systems protect front, interior, and rear simultaneously. Multi-channel setups increase installation complexity, require larger memory cards, and cost more. Recommended memory capacity for dual-channel parking mode is at least 128GB, and 256GB or more for three-channel systems.

Practical Considerations for Buyers

Pros of Parking Mode Dash Cams

• 24/7 surveillance when the vehicle is unattended
• Contextual recording for incidents like accidents, vandalism, or break-ins
• Saved footage for insurance claims or police reports
• Real-time alerts, cloud storage, and GPS location when using connected models

Cons of Parking Mode Dash Cams

• Hardwiring or backup battery installation may require professional assistance
• Higher power usage can strain the vehicle battery if voltage monitoring is inadequate
• Requires larger or multiple memory cards for extended coverage
• Cloud connectivity and real-time alerts typically add extra cost

Key Things to Look for

• Hardwire kits: Include voltage cutoff (12.0–12.2V standard) and low-voltage protection
• Backup batteries: 4000–6000 mAh for 10–20 hours of parking mode
• G sensor sensitivity: Adjustable across 3–5 levels
• Memory cards: U3 or V30 rated; 64–128GB minimum for single-channel, 128–256GB for dual-channel, 256–512GB for three-channel
• Motion detection: AI-enabled for threat filtering if frequent false alarms are a concern
• Time-lapse interval: 1–5 seconds per frame for long-term parking

Popular Brands and Types of Dash Cams with Parking Mode

Here are several dash cams with parking mode that are currently available and some of their most prominent features.

70mai 4K Omni

This dash cam features a 360-degree rotating camera coupled with 4k resolution powered by the Sony STARVIS IMX678 image sensor. Its 70mai Night Owl and Lumi Vision technologies deliver clear video footage regardless of lighting or time of day. This model offers both time-lapse recording in parking mode as well as buffered emergency recording to capture the before and after of any incident. Battery voltage monitoring ensures the protection of your car battery while supporting up to 512GB of external storage. The 4G compatibility offers incident notifications and instant video transfers.

Thinkware U3000

The Thinkware U3000 is a dual-camera dash cam with Sony STARVIS 2 image sensors, a built-in radar sensor for motion detection, and the company’s Super Night Vision 4.0 technology. A smart parking feature will monitor the temperature inside the vehicle and automatically switch to a low power mode to protect the dash cam from overheating. When connected to the cloud, a smartphone app allows users to remotely monitor their vehicles and receive impact notifications while remote live and driving history view provide added safety and info for families or fleet owners.

Nexar One 4K Dash Cam

Nexar One records in 4k resolution using a Sony STARVIS 2 sensor and Nexar’s LTE Protection Plan provides live streaming of the dash cam’s video feed, emergency alerts, GPS tracking, and unlimited cloud storage. When its G sensor detects impact, the dash cam sends the owner a notification via a smartphone app and it’s also designed to “hibernate” to conserve battery power while still monitoring a vehicle.

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