Viofo A329 dash cam review: Testing the most powerful dash cam yet

I realise you probably don't, but if you're anything like me and you follow the dash cam industry closely, you'll realise why the arrival of a device that captures 4K footage at 60 frames per second is pretty big news.

It's all thanks to Viofo, one of my favourite dash cam brands, and it's the headline technology in its new A329, an upgrade from the superb A229 series I tested a while ago.

Why is it big news? Well, a 4K dash cam isn't anything to shout about these days. Most premium dash cams offer true 4K footage, and some of the cheap dash cams often claim to.

What's remarkable is the frame rate. Most high-end dash cams will record at 30 frames per second (FPS) if they're worth their salt, but 60FPS is obviously, twice as fast.

And that matters for all sorts of reasons. Capturing views of the road ahead, and behind in the case of the two-channel one I've been testing, is a challenge for any camera. It's hard to pick out detail in moving images, especially in low light or poor weather. And detail is absolutely critical for dash cams.

This is actually one of the key reasons it's worth getting a good dash cam. It's all very well capturing an image of a car that's sideswiped you and charged off, for example, but if you can't read its number plate, there's little you'll be able to do about it.

What a faster frame rate can do is offer a clearer freeze frame, because there's less motion blur. If more images (frames) are being captured every second, there's more chance of a clear frame of an object moving quickly.

Anyway, that was the science bit. More on the dash cam itself. Fans of Viofo will feel right at home with the A329, because it's a familiar shape and size, looking very similar to the A229.

It's a great shape though, neatly tucking away in the windscreen, with the display in just the right place, and the buttons easy to reach.

One of the only other differences over the A229 is support for an external SSD drive. This won't make much of a difference to many people, but if you drive long distances and want to record lots of footage, it'll come in handy.

You've still got a Sony Starvis 2 sensor, it still has parking mode, the setup is the same, and the app works the same way. It now has WiFi 6 technology, so downloads are a lot quicker, which is a welcome touch.

If you do opt for the two-channel version, it comes bundled in with a smaller rear camera. These are tricky to install, but it comes with a trim tool, and the cables are refreshingly thin.

The second camera doesn't support 4K, let alone 60FPS, but it does produce very decent 2K footage, and it's a worthy addition because, obviously, things also go on behind a car as well as in front of it.

Choosing the two-channel version does increase the price a fair bit though. As standard, the A329 costs £329.95, while the two-channel version costs £399.95.

I know what you're thinking, £400 is a lot of money for a dash cam. And, of course, it is. It's actually about as expensive as they come. But this is pretty much as high-tech as they come.

Short of the incredibly clever Nextbase IQ, which can offer 4K but not the same frame rate, it's pretty much the most expensive dash cam I've tested.

But for those people who want the ultimate peace of mind, it'll be worth every penny.