5 Best SD Cards for Dash Cams

Although the top dash cams come with an SD card, companies mostly offer a 64GB variant. A 64GB SD card variant to capture live video feed is insufficient for your long road trips, especially if you record your car’s surroundings in high resolution. You can use your dash cam’s low-storage SD card on a phone or tablet and get a new one from the list below. Let’s check the top SD cards for dash cams.

Most dash cams support loop recording, where the device overwrites the old footage with the new one. However, getting a high storage variant is always advisable to keep your old dash cam footage intact.

Before we start, check our coverage on car accessories.

• Level up your car audio system with the top 6×9 speakers.
• Connect your old devices to your car infotainment system with the top AUX cables.
• Upgrade your car’s old system with a modern infotainment system.

Things to Consider Before Buying a Memory Card for Dash Cams

1. Storage capacity: You shouldn’t simply go ahead and get the highest variant of an SD card. Some dash cams only support up to 256GB or 512GB storage. You should ensure compatibility with your car dash cam and go ahead with your purchase accordingly.

2. SD card brand: We recommend sticking with SD card brands that have a proven track record in reliability. After all, you won’t want to miss any footage in critical situations.

3. SD card speed:  You may notice a class rating option with each SD card. It refers to the memory access speed of the SD card. Since you are recording live footage in full-HD or QHD resolution, we advise getting at least a Class 10 V10 (10 MB/s) card. UHS speed class U3 with V30 rating refers to a minimum sequential write speed of 30MB/s, which should be sufficient to record a glitch-free 4K footage.  

4. Warranty: You should also check warranty claims from every manufacturer before hitting the buy button. You can always ask for a replacement if your card becomes corrupt after a year or two.

1. PNY Premier-X SD Card for Dash Cam

PNY offers a couple of 256GB microSD cards at an affordable price. It’s a class 10, U3, V30 speed class variant with read speeds of up to 100MB/s. Whether it’s summer or a chilly temperature during winters, PNY Premier-X won’t skip a beat in dash cam footage.

It’s magnet-proof, shockproof, temperature-proof, and waterproof to last you a long time. A secondary SD card can always come in handy as a backup for your camera, tablet, or phone. Some buyers have referred to it as a “compact powerhouse” due to its excellent performance.

2. SanDisk Max Endurance SD Card

SanDisk has one of the best warranty programs out there. The company offers a 15-year limited manufacturer warranty to give you peace of mind. It’s a V30 card with read speeds of up to 100MB/s and has been tested in various harsh conditions.

Whether you want to shoot full-HD videos or 4K ones, SanDisk should work completely fine without skipping a frame. We aren’t surprised to see repeated buyers for this one. Users have praised the Max Endurance series for its longevity and fast read and write speeds.

3. Gigastone Extreme SD Card

When it comes to recording videos using a dash cam, action cam or a drone, a V rating system is more relevant (V30, V60 or V90). However, if you want to use an SD card with gaming devices, smartphones or tablets, take a closer look at Application Performance Class, too.

An A2 SD card from Gigastone is better than other A1 cards with faster minimum random read (4000 vs. 1500 IOPS) and write (2000 vs. 500 IOPS). You can easily use your existing Gigastone SD card with other devices without compromising on performance.

It offers 100MB/s read and 60MB/s write speeds. While the Gigastone Extreme SD card works fine out of the box, some faced memory errors while playing footage from their dash cams.

4. Vantrue microSD Card for Dash Cam

Vantrue ticks all the right boxes with UHS speed class U3, speed class 10 and A2. It is compatible with popular dash cams, CCTV cameras, top drones, tablets, body cams and more.

While Vantrue claims it to be waterproof, you should always remain careful with water damage. As expected, you receive an SD adapter to easily transfer your data to a PC or Mac. There is also a 512GB variant if you wish to record a lot of 4K footage on a long trip. Users have left positive reviews regarding its excellent performance and customer service.

5. Samsung EVO Select microSD Card for Dash Cam

Whether you want an SD card for photos, videos, music, gaming, drones, or dash cams, you can’t go wrong with Samsung’s EVO Select cards. It’s a class 10 SD card with U3 class, 100MB/s read, and 90/s write speeds.

This one is a 512GB variant, so check the compatibility with your dash cam before hitting the buy button. As expected, it’s X-ray proof, magnetic proof, temperature proof and waterproof. If you ever run into a problem, Samsung has got you covered with an assuring 10-year warranty. There is no shortage of reviews praising it for its fast speeds, reliability and warranty offering.

Record Your Trip Memories in Style

Whether you have a standard or a top 360-degree dash cam, all the featured microSD cards should work completely fine it. We recommend going with SanDisk or Samsung for their stellar track record in reliability. Gigastone isn’t far behind, either. Also, you should always stay away from counterfeit SD cards that are available at dirt-cheap prices.