How long will my dash cam record?
Recording time varies with storage and settings; most dash cams use looping clips of a few minutes. On a common setup—a 64 GB microSD card recording at 1080p with standard compression—you can expect roughly 12–18 hours of footage before overwriting begins. Larger cards, lower quality settings, or lower resolutions increase that window, while higher resolution or bitrate shrinks it.
What determines how long a dash cam can record?
Beyond the obvious card size, several features influence how long your device can hold footage. Dash cams typically overwrite oldest clips when the card fills up, use fixed-length segments, and may save additional files for events or parking mode, which can affect total retained time.
Below are the main variables that determine how long your footage can be kept.
- Storage capacity of the microSD card (commonly 8 GB to 256 GB; larger cards hold more footage).
- Clip length or segment duration (how long each recorded file lasts before a new file is created; common values are 1, 2, 3, or 5 minutes).
- Video resolution and bitrate (1080p at higher bitrate uses more space than 720p).
- Video codec and compression (H.265/HEVC generally stores more data in the same quality than H.264).
- Frame rate (higher FPS increases data and reduces total time per card).
- Parking mode and G-sensor/event recording (these can create more clips or save separate files, using additional storage).
In practice, total retained time equals available card space divided by the per-minute storage requirement, adjusted for any non-overwritten event clips.
Estimating the duration for your setup
Use this method to estimate how long you can record on a given card with your chosen settings.
- Pick your target resolution, frame rate, and assumed bitrate (from the camera’s manual or settings).
- Find the data rate in Mbps (megabits per second) for those settings.
- Convert to megabytes per minute: MB_per_min = (Mbps × 60) ÷ 8.
- Convert your microSD card size to megabytes (MB).
- Estimated recording minutes = card_MB ÷ MB_per_min; adjust for overhead and formatting.
- If you’re using fixed 1–5 minute clips, you can also estimate total clips = card_MB ÷ (MB_per_min × clip_length_in_minutes).
- As a quick example: with a 64 GB card, 1080p at ~10 Mbps gives ~75 MB/min, so ~65536 ÷ 75 ≈ 874 minutes (about 14.5 hours).
Note that actual numbers vary by card quality, file system overhead, and how aggressively the camera overwrites old footage.
Maximizing your dash cam's recording time
If you want to maximize storage duration, consider the following strategies.
- Choose a lower resolution or bitrate where you don’t need the highest detail (e.g., 720p instead of 1080p, or a mid-range bitrate).
- Use a larger capacity microSD card that is rated for continuous recording and has good endurance (Class 10/UHS, ideally with video speed class V30 or higher).
- Set clip length to the minimum you’re comfortable with (e.g., 1–2 minutes) to spread the same card space across more files.
- Enable loop recording and disable nonessential features that write additional footage, if you don’t need parking mode footage all the time.
- Format the card occasionally and ensure the card is healthy (avoid frequent full-format vs quick-format depending on device guidance).
With careful configuration, you can tailor the retention window to your needs and the card’s capacity.
Special cases: parking mode and events
Parking mode basics
Many dash cams offer parking mode where recording is triggered by motion or impact. This can either save brief clips on events or continually monitor in a low-power mode, affecting how long footage can be kept on the card depending on how often events occur.
Event-based recording and G-sensors
When a G-sensor or impact occurs, the dash cam typically saves a separate clip to protect it from overwriting. This can temporarily reduce available space for normal looping footage but ensures important events are preserved.
Summary
Bottom line: how long your dash cam records is not fixed. It comes down to card size, how long each clip lasts, the chosen resolution and bitrate, and whether features like parking mode or event recording are enabled. By selecting an appropriate card, tuning clip length, and choosing a balance between quality and capacity, you can tailor the retention window to your needs. Regular testing with your own setup will give you the most accurate expectation.
How long can a dash cam record while parked?
A dash cam's parked recording duration depends on its power source and features: a dash cam's internal battery typically records for a few hours (4-5 hours on average), while a hardwired connection can enable continuous recording for days (24-72 hours or more), and external battery packs can provide hours of recording. Many modern dash cams have "parking mode" which detects motion or impacts, records during events, and then goes back into a low-power state to conserve battery.
Power source and duration
- Internal battery: Limited recording time, often 4-5 hours, though some can last up to 10-30 minutes.
- Hardwired connection: Can record for extended periods, from 24 to over 72 hours, by drawing power from the car's battery.
- External battery pack: Offers hours of recording time independently of the car's battery. The exact duration depends on the pack's capacity.
Other factors
- Parking Mode: Many dash cams have "parking mode" that uses motion or impact detection to start recording only when an event occurs, saving both battery and storage space.
- Storage capacity: The length of the footage that can be stored depends on the SD card size and the camera's recording settings.
- Loop recording: Dash cams use loop recording, where the oldest footage is overwritten when the memory card is full. This means the last few hours of footage are what you will have available, not the first few hours.
How long will a 128GB SD card record on a dash cam?
A 128GB SD card can last from approximately 6 to 24 hours in a dash cam for continuous 1080p recording, or 4 to 10 hours for 4K recording, but this depends heavily on the video resolution and frame rate. The card will then start overwriting the oldest footage in a continuous loop recording until it is manually cleared.
Factors influencing recording time
- Resolution: Higher resolutions like 4K will fill the card much faster than 1080p.
- 1080p: Up to 18 hours or even 24 hours depending on the model.
- 4K: About 8-10 hours.
- Frame Rate: Higher frame rates (e.g., 60fps) use more storage than lower frame rates (e.g., 30fps).
- Dual-Channel Recording: If your dash cam has a rear camera, the storage capacity is effectively halved, as it records two video streams simultaneously.
- Compression: The dash cam's compression settings (like H.265) can impact how long footage is stored.
- Special Features: Emergency recording or parking mode will use additional storage and can be locked to prevent overwriting.
How to maximize storage and safety
- Choose the right resolution: Use the highest resolution that is practical for your needs. If you don't need 4K, 1080p is a good balance of quality and storage space.
- Consider an endurance card: If you have a high-end dash cam that is constantly recording, an "endurance" or "high endurance" card is designed for heavy use and may last longer than a standard card.
- Back up important footage: Regularly download and save any important footage you want to keep, as the loop recording will automatically overwrite it.
How long do they keep dash cam footage?
Private business/retail cameras: highly variable, many systems record on a loop and overwrite after 7–30 days unless the business archives clips. Larger businesses or banks may keep footage longer (30–90+ days).
How long do dashcams save recordings?
This means they continually record, overwriting older footage unless an incident is flagged or you have manually saved the footage. The oldest footage is overwritten first so the new footage can be recorded. This means that as long as you have space, your Dash Cam will continuously record.
