Do You Need a Rear Dash Cam, or Is Front-Only Enough?
4 lessons in this series, 12 min in total
- Do You Need a Rear Dash Cam, or Is Front-Only Enough? 3 min read
- Is a 3-Channel Dash Cam Worth It? Who Needs a Cabin Camera 3 min read
- Can a Dash Cam Read License Plates? Resolution, Distance and Night 3 min read
- Supercapacitor vs Battery Dash Cam: Which Copes Better With a Hot Car? 3 min read
This lesson draws on Consumer Reports’ dash cam buying guide, VIOFO’s product pages and Nexar’s wiring guide. How we research explains the method.
What a front-only camera misses
A front camera records the road ahead and little else. Three kinds of incident happen outside its view: being struck from behind, a driver tailgating you in the moments before a crash, and a bump to the rear bumper while you reverse or sit parked.
In a rear-end crash your front camera still helps a little. It shows the traffic ahead, so it can show why you braked, but it cannot show the car behind you. If you are the one who hits the car ahead, the front camera already has it.
Parked bumps are a separate question. A camera records them only if it keeps power with the engine off, which has its own costs. Does parking mode drain your battery covers those, along with a note on EU rules for recording the street.
What Consumer Reports advises
Consumer Reports’ buying guide, updated September 14, 2026, says every dash cam works on its own, but some let you add more cameras, usually wired to the main unit. Its advice on the rear view is short: it recommends adding a rear camera for road trips.
CR also says you can add those cameras later if you find you need them. That favors a front camera that accepts a rear camera over one that never can, and it is the logic of this series: decide on the rear view first, then on a cabin camera, then on how much detail you need for reading license plates.
Running the rear camera
A rear camera sits on the back glass and connects to the front unit with a long cable. VIOFO’s A229 Pro 2CH ships with a rear cable of about 20 ft (6 m), and Nexar’s wiring guide runs a cable like that along the headliner to the back of the car.
That route passes pillars that can hold curtain airbags. Nexar says to run the cable along the outer edge of the pillar trim, not the inner edge, and never where it could get in the way of the airbag as it deploys. It points to the airbag diagram in your owner’s manual; if you are unsure, have it professionally installed.
A pickup with a bed topper or camper shell can leave an inside rear camera with little to see. VIOFO’s RWC200 for the A229 Plus and Pro is built for that case: it is rated IP67, designed for exterior mounting on the tailgate, bumper or license plate frame, and VIOFO calls it ideal for pickup trucks.
More files, and the microphone
Every extra camera adds video to the same card. CR notes that footage from added cameras is saved as separate files in the camera’s storage, and that a higher resolution or frame rate makes bigger files. So a front and rear setup loops over its oldest footage sooner than the front camera would alone.
Dash cams with a built-in microphone, VIOFO’s A229 series among them, can also record sound inside the car. CR explains that one-party consent states need only one person (you) to know a conversation is being recorded, while two-party consent states need everyone’s consent. Rules vary by state and country and can change, so check the current rule where you drive, or switch the mic off: VIOFO lists its BTR200 remote as a way to toggle it.
Front-only or front and rear
- You commute in traffic or park on the street: buy front and rear.
- You take long road trips: front and rear, as CR advises.
- Short local trips on a tight budget: front-only is enough, and a camera that accepts a rear camera later keeps the option open.
The VIOFO A119 Mini 2 is the front-only pick. VIOFO lists it as a 1-channel camera with no rear camera option. Garmin’s Dash Cam Mini 3 is the other small front camera to consider, compared in Garmin Mini 3 vs VIOFO A119 Mini 2.
VIOFO A119 Mini 2
A small front-only dash cam: 2K at up to 60fps (HDR at 30fps), built-in GPS and a 1.5 in screen. It cannot add a rear camera, and the microSD card is not included.
Read the full guideKey specs
- 2560 x 1440 at 60fps, HDR at 30fps
- 140° lens, 1.5 in (3.8 cm) screen
- Built-in GPS logs speed and location
- microSD up to 512 GB, sold separately
Paid link
View on Amazon (opens in a new tab)For front and rear, the A229 Plus 2CH records 2K at 60fps in front and the A229 Pro 2CH records 4K at 30fps, both with a 2K rear camera. VIOFO also sells add-on rear and cabin cameras for both models, listed in A229 Plus vs A229 Pro. Both store power in a supercapacitor rather than a battery, which matters in a hot car (supercapacitor vs battery).
VIOFO A229 Plus 2CH
Front and rear dash cam with a 2K front camera that records at 60fps (HDR at 30fps) and a 2K rear camera. DashCamTalk says it runs cooler than the 4K A229 Pro. Parking mode needs a hardwire kit such as the HK4.
Read the full guideKey specs
- Front: 2560 x 1440 at 60fps, HDR at 30fps
- Rear: 2560 x 1440 at 30fps
- 140° front lens, 2.4 in (6.1 cm) screen, GPS
- microSD cards up to 512 GB
Paid link
View on Amazon (opens in a new tab)VIOFO A229 Pro 2CH
Front and rear dash cam with a 4K 30fps front camera and a 2K rear camera. It stores power in a supercapacitor, not a battery, and parking mode needs a VIOFO hardwire kit.
Read the full guideKey specs
- 4K 30fps front, 2K rear camera
- 140° front lens
- Rear cable about 20 ft (6 m)
- microSD cards up to 512 GB
Paid link
View on Amazon (opens in a new tab)
