Can a Dash Cam Drain Your Car Battery?

In today’s age of common insurance fraud, car accidents, and road rage incidents, it’s easy to see why many people are beginning to install dash cams in their vehicle. When it comes to choosing which dash cam to install on your vehicle, there are several factors to consider before you can decide on which car dash cam is right for you. Most car dash cams out on the market right now do not come with their own supply of power. That means that regardless of which model you choose, you’ll likely be responsible for making sure that your car battery can handle its need.

You may be asking yourself “What does my car battery have to do with my dash cam?” the answer is a lot. When you purchase a dash cam, more than likely it will require power from your car’s integrated cigarette lighter which draws energy from your vehicle’s battery. Depending on the specific recording mode that you’ve locked your car dash cam into, it may still record video footage while the car is off which will drain even more of your battery power.

The amount of power that your dash camera drains will largely depend on the make of the camera and the overall capacity of your car’s battery. Some cars have built-in voltage regulators to prevent any electrical short wiring with dash cameras and some don’t, if you plan on installing a dash cam you should always read over your car’s safety manual to ensure that your selected dash cam is supported by your battery.

The more you run your car, the less your battery performance is affected by any dash cam accessory that you may have because your alternator is consistently recycling a fresh charge current to the battery. The problem with dash cameras draining car batteries comes into play when you turn your vehicle off but the dash cam is still plugged in.

If your car is not wired properly, your dahs cam ma drains a significant portion of its total energy supply while off. Whether or not your dash cam will pose a huge threat to the charge capacity of your vehicle battery is dependent upon multiple factors. Before buying any dash cam, you should always check to see what voltage the camera is rated at in addition to any special wiring requirement needed for its proper functionality.

If you do end up buying a dash cam and end up dealing with issues of it draining your car battery, you can use our car battery replacement services which will help you get back on the road in no time. If you’re worried about your dash cam draining your car battery, there are several measures you can take to help prevent it. Dash cams offer your safety and protection while out on the road so don’t let the fear of your car battery being drained stop you from purchasing one for your vehicle. As long as you read all of the instructions and follow proper details, you should have no issues.