How long should your Dash Cam battery last?
For most Series 2 models, the battery should last 8-12 minutes minutes from a full charge, with no rear camera connected and Parking Mode turned off.
Legacy models have smaller batteries and usually last up to 5 minutes.
Series 1 models can last up to 20 minutes from a full charge.
These times are approximate and will reduce over the life of the battery.
Why does your Dash Cam have a battery?
The internal battery provides a small amount of power when the main power is removed, for example when you turn off your engine.
This allows the Dash Cam to shut down safely and finish saving the current recording, helping to prevent corrupted files if power is lost during an incident.
Dash Cams are designed to be used with a constant power supply (12 V power cable or a Nextbase Hard Wire Kit). The USB cable is not intended to power the Dash Cam in the car.
How to test the battery?
Unplug the Rear Dash Cam (if applicable) and remove the Dash Cam from it's windscreen mount.
Take the Dash Cam indoors and remove the SD card. If your Dash Cam is warm to the touch, wait for it to cool down.
Using the USB cable provided in the box, plug it into a mains power supply which provides 5V at a minimum of 2 amps, make sure to plug the cable into the body of the camera, not through the car mount.
Go into the Dash Cam menu and make sure that Parking Mode is turned off (if applicable), if Parking Mode is enabled, this will affect the test.
Leave the camera on charge for 4 hours (or more) with the camera turned on. When fully charged, the blue charging LED should turn off.
Unplug the power cable, the camera should shut down.
Turn the Dash Cam on without the power cable plugged in and time how long it takes for the camera to shut down.
Please note:
If the Dash Cam temperature is too hot, the camera will not charge, until it's cooled down.
After performing the test, your Dash Cam will need to charged up again, before you put it back in your vehicle.
Battery test results (pass or fail)
Because battery life varies by range, use these times as a guide.
Dash Cam range | Pass result | Fail result |
Series 2 | 8 minutes or more | Under 8 minutes |
Series 1 | 16 minutes or more | Under 16 minutes |
Legacy | 4 minutes or more | Under 4 minutes |
A pass means the battery is performing at around 80% or more of its original maximum capacity. Batteries are consumable parts and will gradually wear out over charge cycles, but they should not fail within the Dash Cam warranty period
What should I do next?
If your Dash Cam passed the test, charge it back up and reinstall it in your car. If you previously turned Parking Mode off for the test, you can turn it back on before reinstalling.
If your Dash Cam failed the test, repeat the test once more to confirm the result. If it fails again and is still within warranty, you should make a warranty claim for repair or replacement.
If your Dash Cam is out of warranty, submit a ticket request to our Support Team. They can review your results and advise on the next steps.