How Long Can Your Dashcam Record?

Loop recording: When your SD card becomes full, the dashcam automatically overwrites the oldest, unimportant footage with new recordings. This ensures your card never fills completely and you always have the most recent drive events on file.

How it works: If a 128GB High Endurance card holds 14 hours of 1080p dashcam footage, the camera records continuously. After 14 hours of driving, the oldest hour of footage is automatically deleted, and new footage begins recording. This cycle continues indefinitely as long as the camera is powered.

Important: If a video clip is marked as "important" (manually protected) when you detect an accident, the dashcam won't overwrite it. This protected footage stays safe even as other old footage is deleted.

Practical benefit: You never have to manually manage your SD card. It just keeps recording, automatically keeping your most recent driving history intact.

The problem with regular SD cards: Regular cards are designed for intermittent use—taking photos on weekends, recording occasional video. Each memory cell in a regular card can endure roughly 3,000–10,000 write cycles before it wears out. A dashcam writing constantly will exhaust these write cycles in weeks.

High Endurance cards are different: They have hardened flash controllers and are rated for 10,000+ to 100,000+ write cycles (depending on brand). A SanDisk Endurance card is rated for 24/7 writing for up to 1 year. Premium brands like Samsung PRO Endurance are rated for even more. They're specifically engineered to survive the brutal, non-stop write cycle that dashcams demand.

Cost vs. protection: A regular 128GB SD card: ~$15–20. A High Endurance 128GB card: ~$25–35. For an extra $10–15, you get a card that will last years instead of weeks. That's insurance worth buying.

Warranty consequence: Many dashcam manufacturers void the warranty if you use a non-compliant (non-endurance) card. If the camera fails due to card errors, they won't replace it.

It depends on your dashcam's bitrate. Most dashcams record between 5Mbps (1080p, standard compression) and 40Mbps (4K, high bitrate).

1080p 30fps dashcam (~10Mbps): A 256GB card holds approximately 228 hours of footage (9.5 days of continuous 24/7 recording). In daily commuting (1 hour/day), that's ~9.5 months before the oldest footage begins overwriting.

4K 30fps dashcam (~30Mbps): A 256GB card holds approximately 76 hours of footage (3.2 days continuous). At 1 hour/day driving, that's ~3 months of storage.

High bitrate 4K 60fps (~50Mbps): A 256GB card holds approximately 45 hours of footage (less than 2 days continuous). At 1 hour/day driving, that's ~6 weeks of storage.

Calculation formula: Hours of recording = (Card Capacity in GB × 8) ÷ Bitrate (Mbps). For a 256GB card at 10Mbps: (256 × 8) ÷ 10 = 204.8 hours.

Speed Class (V30, V60): Guarantees minimum sustained write speed. V30 = 30 MB/s, V60 = 60 MB/s. This is about how fast the card can continuously write data, crucial for preventing buffer overflow on high-bitrate video.

Endurance rating: Specifies how many total write cycles the card can survive before failure. A SanDisk High Endurance card rated for "24/7 for 1 year" means it can handle 24 hours/day of continuous writing for 1 year before reaching end-of-life. This is about durability under constant stress.

Both matter for dashcams: You need both a fast card (V30 minimum) AND an endurance-rated card. A V60 regular SD card will write 4K smoothly (speed class met) but fail in weeks (endurance missing). A High Endurance card with U3/V30 rating satisfies both requirements.

Recommendation: Always buy cards that explicitly say "High Endurance" or "Endurance" on the label, and ensure they're at least V30-rated. SanDisk, Samsung, and Kingston all make quality endurance cards.

Yes, both dashcams and security cameras are continuous-recording devices, so they have identical card requirements: High Endurance + fast speed class.

Cross-compatibility: A SanDisk High Endurance or Samsung PRO Endurance card works in both dashcams and security cameras. The endurance rating is the key; the device type doesn't matter.

Bitrate considerations: A dashcam might record at 10–50Mbps depending on resolution. A security camera might record at 5–20Mbps. Both use the same endurance cards; you just need to choose a speed class that meets both devices' minimum requirements.

Pro tip: If you run multiple dashcams (front, rear, fleet vehicles) or multiple security cameras, buying endurance cards in bulk saves money. A single type of card (e.g., Samsung PRO Endurance V30) works everywhere.

Formatting: After using a card in one device, format it in the new device before use. This ensures the file system matches that device's requirements.

The risk: Sustained writing generates heat, especially in hot climates. If your dashcam and SD card get too hot (above 70°C / 158°F), the card can throttle performance, corrupt data, or fail prematurely.

Causes of overheating: Direct sun exposure on the windshield, inadequate airflow inside the car (closed in summer heat), or extended high-bitrate 4K 60fps recording. Professional-grade cards can tolerate higher temperatures, but all cards have limits.

Prevention: Position your dashcam away from direct sunlight when parked. Use window shades in summer. If your car gets very hot, consider a dashcam with heat dissipation or a cooling fan. In extreme climates, step down to 1080p or 2K recording instead of 4K to reduce write heat.

Card choice matters: High Endurance cards are engineered with better thermal management than regular cards. This is another reason they're essential for dashcams.

Signs of trouble: If your dashcam shows errors, records freeze, or files become corrupted, overheating is a likely culprit. This is a red flag to address cooling immediately.