Intro
When buying a dash cam system for your vehicle, many people tend to forget one hugely important item: the micro SD card. MicroSD card usage in a dash cam is so vital because some cards fail very quickly if you don’t purchase the right one and you may lose crucial footage in case of an accident. In our experience the best micro SD card for dash cams are high capacity cards that are Class 10 with MLC technology, so that they take advantage of the added durability. This is important because for those running parking mode, your camera may be running almost 24/7.
Speed Rating
When we talk about Class 10 and MLC rating, we’re referring to the speed rating of the SD card. Class 10 is a class of rank on the write speed of the SD card; the 10 means 10 megabytes per second. Generally, what we see with the more “affordable” cards are slower read and write speeds. This leads to recording issues or skips in the recording. Having a reliable, fast, and durable SD card can help ensure that you’re always protected. That being said, “faster SD cards” won’t necessarily improve video quality. Remember dash cams don’t require the highest quality - rather, a more durable card is something to look for.
What Size To Buy?
The amount of space is important for your everyday dash cam use. However, the size of SD cards may vary depending on your use of the dash cam. A 32GB card is great for value for those who use their dash cams for driving recording. Typically this translates to about 3-4 hours of 1080P recording, which is more than enough for most drivers. Any less and you pay more money per gigabyte and save only a few dollars. If you’re using a parking mode dash cam, a 64GB size and higher improves durability and gives you extended parking recording. Rideshare drivers may want to use the larger 128 GB card so as to keep the most amount of video storage in case of any issues with previous customers. These cards are significantly more expensive per gigabyte but most find them to be of value. Our most popular cards are the 64GB and 128GB options, since most customers prefer the peace of mind that footage won’t be overwritten so easily.
Get a Backup Card
We recommend all of our customers to purchase a smaller 16 or 32GB card, to be kept in your vehicle at all times, in case you get into an accident. You’ll be able to swap your cards out instantly and keep recording without worrying that you’ll overwrite important footage. You’ll also be protected in case your current card has any problems. A spare micro SD card is very useful for when you’re out on a road trip with no easy access to a computer.
Which Card To Buy?
BlackboxMyCar is proud to say that all of our micro SD cards have been rigorously tested to ensure compatibility and to offer the longest lifespan as well. We also carry manufacturer’s own micro SD cards, such as BlackVue and Thinkware. We even carry our own branded micro SD cards, which perform flawlessly as well.
