Question of the week: Should dash cams be mandatory on new cars?
Fri, 13 Feb 2026
Dear Honest John,
"Do you think dash cams should be fitted as standard on new cars as they don't cost a lot and could save a lot of insurance claim disputes?
In the past two weeks I have had several driving incidents which have been of great concern. In the past two weeks I have had several driving incidents which have been of great concern, and in one instance a car in front of me came to a complete halt then started to drive the wrong way down a dual carriageway, then turned round and nearly drove into my car. Only my fast reaction avoided a crash.
Also which is your best recommendation for a dash cam and do you advise to get a garage to fit them?
- NN
Dear NN,
Dash cams offer good protection and we would recommend them as a worthwhile purchase both in terms of evidence in the event of an accident but also potentially lowering insurance premiums.
Some manufacturers offer them as an option, but fitting them as standard would only likely happen if legislation forced manufacturers into doing so. And as the majority of legislation regarding vehicles is directed toward active safety systems, it seems unlikely that dashcams will become mandatory in the near future at least.
Dash cams are also relatively cheap so there's very little profit to be made by car manufacturers in fitting them.
There are many dashcam reviews on the Honest John Kit pages here - https://kit.honestjohn.co.uk/top-tens/top-10-best-dash-cameras/ Fitting yourself or having it installed will depend on the device design (and if it has a rear camera) along with your own abilities, but if in any doubt having ir professionally installed and hard wired in can save potential issues later on.
