Nobody ever intentionally gets into an automobile accident, but that doesn’t mean they don’t happen. No matter how careful you are, you can’t control what other drivers do. You can’t control what they say either, which is why leaving it up to your word vs theirs after an accident isn’t a good idea.
That’s where dashcams come in handy. Even a very simple dashcam can make sure you don’t end up with skyrocketing insurance costs after an accident. That said, if you’re going to be installing a dashcam anyway, why not go for one with some extra features like the AUTO-VOX V5?
Many dash cams on the market are beginning to boast 4K resolution, but as is always the case with cameras, the resolution doesn’t tell the whole story. While the AUTO-VOX V5 is limited to 1080p resolution, it uses a Sony sensor with F/1.8 aperture for both the front and rear cameras, meaning the quality of the video is decent at the source.
This goes further with the six-glass blue lens, which is meant to filter out glare from headlights and other light sources that could potentially obscure the image. The camera has a 145-degree angle in the front, while the rear uses a 150-degree angle. This is capable of covering five lanes of traffic, meaning you won’t see cars or other obstacles coming out of nowhere.
The AUTO-VOX V5 features a main unit that combines the display and the front camera into a single piece that mounts on your rear-view mirror. This may seem inconvenient or even dangerous, as it could render the rear-view unusable when the power is off.
Fortunately, this isn’t the case. The finish of the display is mirrored, so it functions as a rear-view mirror when the car is off. This has the slightly unfortunate side effect of making it difficult to photograph, but fortunately, when you’re actually using it, the display is easy to see.
If you plan to frequently drive your car in absolute zero conditions or on the surface of the sun, you’re out of luck. For everyone else, you should be fine, as the AUTO-VOX V5 is designed to withstand temperatures from -20 degrees Fahrenheit (-28 Celsius) to 176 degrees Fahrenheit (80 Celsius).
In addition to recording the cars and obstacles behind you, the rear camera pulls double duty as a backup assistant. This includes on-screen guides to make parking easier, which can be a lifesaver if you’re driving a vehicle with a smaller rear window.
The AUTO-VOX V5 features GPS support, meaning pictures and videos are tagged with location data, making any insurance disputes even easier to solve. This is also handy if you wander out for an afternoon drive, find a neat location, and want to return there at some point in the future. Unfortunately, to make any real use of it, you need to use special software AUTO-VOX provides.
My first thought when opening up the box is that there were far too many bits and pieces for a single dashcam, even considering the front and rear cameras. There were two cameras, of course, but also a number of other dongles and accessories.
You get a GPS module, two straps to mount the main camera and display module to your rear-view mirror, a license plate mount for the rear camera, extension cord for the rear camera, an auxiliary power supply with USB port, user manual, and warranty card.
As mentioned above, the main unit of the AUTO-VOX V5 mounts to your rear-view mirror. Some dashcams have their own mounts to replace the rear-view entirely, but considering everything that could go wrong if they malfunction, I think most people would prefer the approach AUTO-VOX has used.
Some rear-view mirrors are bulkier than others, but fortunately, AUTO-VOX seems to have accounted for this. The mirror I mounted the dashcam to had OnStar built-in, meaning it is definitely thicker than a standard rear-view mirror. Even so, I had no trouble mounting the dashcam to the mirror.
Simply use the included rubber straps to wrap around the mirror and back to the AUTO-VOX V5 and you’re finished. Then plug everything in. Aside from nearly accidentally triggering OnStar a few times, the process was quick and easy.
Of course, I’m only talking about installing the unit. When it comes to hiding the cables, this could be tricky. Unlike some other dashcams we’ve seen like the VIOFO A129 Pro Duo, AUTO-VOX didn’t include any tools with the V5 to help with that job. If you’re not comfortable doing this yourself, either a handy friend or a nearby mechanic should have no problem dealing with the wires for you.
Installing the rear camera can be a much more involved process than the front camera. But if you’re not sure you want to get tied up in this process, it’s also completely optional. You can always start with the front camera to get used to it and then add the rear camera later on.
The simplest way to attach the rear camera is by mounting it on your license plate, then feeding the wire through to the interior of your vehicle. Then route it along to the front of the vehicle where it plugs into the main unit. As with the front camera, hiding the wiring is the more difficult part of this.
If you want to use the automatic backup camera features of the AUTO-VOX V5 you’ll need to go one additional step. This isn’t as hard as you might think, but it’s not something everyone will be up for.
You’ll need to access the backup lights on the rear of your vehicle. In my case, this meant removing the entire rear light assembly on one side. This part is fairly easy, or at least it was in my case.
Actually wiring the camera is slightly more difficult, but not especially so. All you need to do is attach the lone red wire to the positive wire leading to your backup light (also usually red, but not always).
If you’re not comfortable doing this, it should be a very short job for a mechanic or more mechanically inclined friend.
A screen isn’t much use in your vehicle if you can’t actually see it. The AUTO-VOX V5 has no problems in that department. Despite the mirrored finish, it has no problems with glare. On the off chance that the sun is making it difficult to see, you can always crank up the brightness with the on-screen controls.
You can choose a few options to use while driving, though I found myself very uncomfortable using anything but the rearward-facing view. Years of using rear-view mirrors made seeing anything else a nerve-racking experience.
The unit automatically records by default, though you can also stop and start recording at any time. This is especially useful if you’re parked but still want to record.
There are numerous options ranging from what to display to when to record. These are all easily accessible by pressing the options icon at the bottom of the on-screen display.
One issue I noticed during testing is that the V5 seemed to stay on all the time, even with the key removed from the vehicle. This could have been my vehicle, and it might have turned off after a while, but after waiting a few minutes it was still on.
Just to be safe, I disconnected the power whenever I wasn’t using it. The good news is the V5 boots up fairly quickly, so this wasn’t especially problematic.
We touched on this at the top, but being limited to 1080p isn’t a problem for day-to-day use with the V5. When it comes to what you see on the rear-view mounted display, you wouldn’t see a higher resolution anyway. When it comes to recorded files, they looked fine and I can’t think of many ways in which higher-resolution would have helped.
The display is more than good enough for most applications. If you’re filming car chases, you probably won’t be relying on a dashcam for all your video needs anyway.
The one thing you might want but won’t get with the AUTO-VOX V5 is 4K video. For most people, this won’t be a deal-breaker, but if you’re recording your travels for uses other than insurance purposes, you might want something that records higher quality video.
We looked at the VAVA 4K UHD Dash Cam earlier this year, which doesn’t cost much more than the AUTO-VOX and records in 4K. That comes with a tradeoff, however, as it isn’t nearly as feature-packed.
That’s where the AUTO-VOX V5 excels. It’s not just a dashcam, but a backup camera (albeit a less-than-stellar one) and all-around in-car display that is useful day-in, day-out, unlike many similarly priced dash cams. But it still lacks more advanced features like cloud storage.
Add in the fact that the AUTO-VOX V5 can be installed quite easily or in a more complex, more useful fashion, and you end up with something much more flexible than many other dashcam setups we’ve seen.