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SD Cards and Dash Cam Storage - How Much Do I Need?

Which SD card is right for me?

When buying a dash cam system for your vehicle, many people tend to forget one hugely important item: the microSD card. MicroSD card usage in a dash cam is so vital because some cards fail very quickly and you may lose crucial footage in case of an accident.

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 number 10 stands for 10 megabytes per second. Generally, what we see with the more affordable cards are slower read (download) and write (upload) speeds. This leads to recording issues or literal skips in the recording.

On average, 2-channel dash cams write 16GB/hour and 1-channel dash cams write 8GB/hour.

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 nor durability. Remember that dash cams don’t require the highest speed rating - rather, they require durability.

The best MicroSD cards to use for your dash cam should be at least a class 10 rank for speed and durability

Memory Size

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.

Best for Driving Recording

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.

Best for Parking Mode Recording

If you’re using a parking mode dash cam, a 64GB size and higher improves durability and gives you extended parking recording. Most parking modes also have multiple recording modes to conserve space on the SD card, such as time-lapse mode which generally condenses 30 minutes of recording into 5 minute clips, or impact/motion detection which only records when one of the two are detected. Still, a larger SD card will prove helpful as the camera stays active through the night.

Our most popular cards are the 128GB option, since most customers prefer the peace of mind that footage won’t be overwritten so quickly. In addition, memory partition feature separates video files based on the recording to offer you additional forms of protection.

Best for Rideshare recording

Rideshare drivers may want to use the larger 256GB 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. This is especially true if running a 3-channel setup, as recording on 3 devices at once will take up more space.

As some Rideshare drivers or Fleets may want multiple days worth of backlogged footage, the fact that dash cams generally overwrite footage naturally can be a detriment. If this is the case, then using this larger card, and swapping it out for another after a shift is recommended, while offloading footage to a local storage device or PC. Such a fleet may want to consider remote storage as well with a cloud plan. Check out BlackVue's Over the Cloud feature here.

Recording Capacity of SD Cards

How much video can an SD card hold?

This is a question we get all the time and the answer depends on two factors: the SD card size and the dash cam's bit rate.

Thinkware

This show the available recording quality settings, corresponding bitrates and recording time for the Thinkware U1000.

Note: These numbers are just an approximation.

U1000 4K UHD Dash Cam 

16GB

1 hour 15 mins

50 mins

32GB

2 hours 35 min

1 hour 30mins

64GB

5 hours 10 min

3 hours 5 mins

128GB

10 hours 25 mins

6 hours 5 mins


BlackVue Dash Cams

These tables show the available recording quality settings, corresponding bitrates and recording time for our bestselling BlackVue dashcams.

Note:

1. These numbers are just an approximation.

2. BlackVue has a comprehensive Video Quality Settings and Recording Time for the available recording quality settings and time for all BlackVue dash cams.

DR900X-1CH Plus

Normal

High

Highest

Extreme

16GB

3 hours 50 mins

3 hours

2 hours 35 mins

1 hour 15 mins

32GB

7 hours 40 mins

6 hours

5 hours 10 mins

2 hours 30 mins

64GB

15 hours 20 mins

12 hours

10 hours 20 mins

5 hours

128GB

30 hours 40 mins

24 hours

20 hours 40 mins

10 hours

256GB

61 hours 20 mins

48 hours

41 hours 20 mins

20 hours

DR900X-2CH Plus

Normal

High

Highest

Extreme

16GB

2 hours 10 mins

1 hour 40 mins

1 hour 20 mins

55 mins

32GB

4 hours 20 mins

3 hours 20 mins

2 hours 40 mins

1 hour 50 mins

64GB

8 hours 40 mins

6 hours 40 mins

5 hours 20 mins

3 hours 40 mins

128GB

17 hours 20 mins

13 hours 20 mins

10 hours 40 mins

7 hours 20 mins

256GB

24 hours 40 mins

26 hours 40 mins

21 hours 20 mins

14 hours 40 mins

DR750X-1CH & 2CH lus @60FPS

Sports:

Front

Sports:

Front + Rear

Extreme:

Front

Extreme:

Front + Rear

16GB

2 hours 45 mins

1 hour 25 mins

1 hour 20 mins

55 mins

32GB

5 hours 30 mins

2 hours 50 mins

2 hours 40 mins

1 hour 50 mins

64GB

11 hours

5 hours 40 mins

5 hours 20 mins

3 hours 40 mins

128GB

22 hours

11 hours 20 mins

10 hours 40 mins

7 hours 20 mins

256GB

44 hours

22 hour 40 mins

21 hours 20 mins

14 hours 40 mins

DR750X-1CH Plus @30FPS

Normal

High

Highest

16GB

4 hours

3 hours 15 mins

2 hours 45 mins

32GB

8 hours

6 hours 30 mins

5 hours 30 mins

64GB

16 hours

13 hours

11 hours

128GB

32 hours

26 hours

22 hours

256GB

64 hours

52 hours

44 hours

DR750X-2CH Plus @30FPS

Normal

High

Highest

16GB

2 hours 20 mins

1 hour 50 mins

1 hour 25 mins

32GB

4 hours 40 mins

3 hours 40 mins

2 hours 50 mins

64GB

9 hours 20 mins

7 hours 20 mins

5 hours 40 mins

128GB

18 hours 40 mins

15 hours 40 mins

11 hours 20 mins

256GB

37 hours 20 mins

31 hours 20 mins

22 hours 40 miins


VIOFO Dash Cams

These tables show the available recording quality settings, corresponding bitrates and recording time for our bestselling VIOFO dashcams.

Note: These numbers are just an approximation.

A129 Pro (H.264)

Low

Medium

High

Max

16GB

2 hours 25 mins

1 hour 10 mins

55 mins

35 mins

32GB

4 hours 45 mins

2 hours 25 mins

1 hour 40 mins

1 hour 10 mins

64GB

9 hours 30 mins

4 hours 45 min

3 hours 25 mins

2 hours 25 mins

128GB

19 hours

9 hours 35 mins

6 hours 55 mins

4 hours 45 mins

256GB

38 hours 5 mins

19 hours 10 mins

13 hours 40 mins

9 hours 40 mins

A129 Pro (H.265)

Low

Medium

High

Max

16GB

2 hours 40 mins

1 hour 35 mins

1 hour 5 mins

40 mins

32GB

5 hours 15 mins

3 hours 15 mins

2 hours 5 mins

1 hour 25 mins

64GB

10 hours 35 mins

6 hours 30 mins

4 hours 10 mins

2 hours 45 mins

128GB

21 hours 15 mins

13 hours

6 hours 25 mins

5 hours 35 mins

256GB

42 hours 30 mins

26 hours

12 hours 25 mins

11 hours 10 mins

A129 Pro Duo (H.264)

Low

Medium

High

Max

16GB

1 hour 25 mins

55 mins

35 mins

30 mins

32GB

2 hours 45 mins

2 hours 25 mins

1 hour 15 mins

1 hour

64GB

5 hours 40 mins

3 hours 25 mins

2 hour 35 mins

1 hour 55 mins

128GB

11 hours 25 mins

6 hours 55 mins

5 hours 5 mins

3 hours 45 mins

256GB

22 hours 45 mins

13 hours 40 mins

10 hours 15 mins

7 hours 35 mins

A129 Pro Duo (H.265)

Low

Medium

High

Max

16GB

1 hour 35 mins

1 hour 5 mins

45 mins

30 mins

32GB

3 hours 15 mins

2 hours 10 mins

1 hour 35 mins

1 hour 5 mins

64GB

6 hours 30 mins

4 hours 32 mins

3 hours 5 mins

2 hours 10 mins

128GB

13 hours

8 hours 55 mins

6 hours 10 mins

4 hours 25 mins

256GB

26 hours

17 hours 45 mins

12 hours 25 mins

8 hours 40 mins

A119 V3

Low

High

32GB

2 hours 45 mins

2 hours 25 mins

64GB

5 hours 30 mins

4 hours 40 mins

128GB

11 hours 5 mins

5 hours 30 mins

256GB

22 hours 5 mins

18 hours 55 mins

SD cards are consumable

Nearly all dash cams out there are constantly recording to the SD card over the course of your drive, protecting you from anything unexpected on the road. Dash cams perform drastically more recording when compared to a standard use camera.

This combined with the constant video looping and high image quality of many units will result in eventually consuming a standard issue SD card. Of course, cheap SD card brands will be consumed quicker, this is why we recommend reliable brands such as SanDisk or Samsung brand SD cards.

An SD card will last on average of 1-2 years in a dash cam. This is perfectly normal, and one reason a backup SD card is recommended, leading us to our next point.

Backup SD Card

In addition, we recommend all of our customers to purchase a smaller 16GB or 32GB card to be kept in your vehicle at all times. The reason is because they can be used in case your SD card in the unit fails or you’re away on a trip and won’t be able to save or review the footage in time before it gets overwritten.

You’ll be able to swap your cards out instantly and keep recording without worrying that important footage will be deleted.

Why buy your SD card from BlackboxMyCar?

BlackboxMyCar is proud to say that all the microSD cards we offer have been rigorously tested to ensure compatibility and to offer the longest lifespan as well. 

Our third-party microSD cards go through the same quality testing and are a more affordable option for SD card options. No matter what card you buy from us, all of these are covered under a 1-year in-house warranty so you can be rest assured that we’ll resolve any issues that you may come across.

Due to Dash Cam's naturally aggressive read/write cycles, use of an SD card inside will very frequently invalidate the manufacturer's warranty. But not ours! Rest assured you'll still be covered when shopping with BlackboxMyCar

If you have any further questions, comments or suggestions, then don't hesitate to reach out to our product experts today!

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Got More Questions?

Not to fret, our in-house product experts are here to help. We have spent years curating helpful content and video guides, helping customers with their dash cams, but we understand that we can always do better. Contact us using the form below and we'll get back to you as soon as we can. We love what we do, because we're here to help you make the most informed purchasing decision.