What SD card is the best to use in a Nextbase Dash Cam?

Should you purchase a Nextbase SD card?

This is a question we get asked so regularly, we have decided to make a video, explaining why SD cards are so important. Check it out:

Can I use any SD card inside my Dash Cam?

We have designed our SD cards specifically to fulfil the needs of our Dash Cams. We have spent years testing, trialling and developing SD cards to optimise their performance with our Dash Cams. Due to the differences in technology, a regular SD card that works with a mobile phone or computer won’t necessarily perform very well inside one of our Dash Cams.

What type of SD card is best to use?

We recommend using an SD that is specifically designed for Dash Cam or CCTV usage. We understand that most manufactures' SD cards do not meet these requirements and also that some retailers will void the warranty on an SD card if it used in a Dash Cam. For peace of mind and a full one year warranty, we recommend using our own Nextbase SD cards in your Dash Cam. They are made for specific use with our Dash Cams and can be purchased from many retailers with a variety of storage capacities offered.

What is the difference between a good card and a bad one?

The main difference between all SD cards are the READ speed and storage size (32GB, 64GB, 128GB). U3 means the SD card has a minimum WRITE speed of 30MB/s as opposed to a U1 SD card which WRITES at a slower 10MB/s. READ speed isn’t too important when it comes to Dash Cams, as a Dash Cam WRITES data to the SD card when recording. Our Nextbase SD card controller and Firmware on the SD card achieves the requirements from our Dash Cam, where other SD cards cannot. Due to the continuous recording and overwriting of data, the SD card needs to be a high-endurance card, otherwise the card may develop faults after a period of time; if a lower-capability card is used, certain features on the camera will not fully function due to being unable to re-WRITE and record. Symptoms of a non-compatible or corrupted SD card can be freezing, audible alerts, missing footage, gaps in footage and non-functional screens/buttons, as well as more.

Is speed the most important factor?

The speed of the SD card is not the most important factor, it's the ability to maintain a write-speed that is important to the Dashcam loop recording function. Most SD cards on the market are built to retain data for a very long period of time using a term called 'wear levelling' which ensures that each part of the card is written to allow an even wear on the card. Nextbase cards are able to do this 'wear levelling' while the Dash Cam is recording, other cards fail to do this at the same time due to the content writing to the card. This can cause intermittent freezing, often resulting in small moments of footage failing to record.