How to test your Dash Cam battery

How long should your battery last?

The expected battery life will vary between models, although generally, our latest camera range (Series 2) should last up to 10 minutes from a full charge (with no rear camera plugged in and with parking mode deactivated). The exception to this would be our Legacy and Series 1 ranges, which have smaller batteries, up to 5 minutes and up to 20 minutes respectively. 

Why does your Dash Cam have a battery?

The Dash Cam's internal battery is designed to provide a small amount of power when the main source of power is removed for example when turning off your engine to provide power for a safe shutdown to prevent a corrupted file such as loss of power during an incident. Our Dash Cams are designed to be used with a constant power supply either by the 12V power cable or using a Nextbase Hard Wire Kit (the USB cable is not meant for use powering the Dash Cam in the car).

How to test the battery

1. Unplug the Rear Dash Cam (if applicable) and remove the Dash Cam from it's windscreen mount.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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. 
6. Unplug the power cable, the camera should shut down.
7. 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. 

Possible outcomes

As the expected battery life varies between Dash Cam models, the following list breaks down what is considered a 'pass' and what is considered a 'fail', by Dash Cam range. 

• Series 2
  • PASS - 8 minutes or more. 
  • FAIL - under 8 minutes.
• Series 1 
  • PASS - 16 minutes or more.
  • FAIL -  under 16 minutes.
• Legacy 
  • PASS - 4 minutes or more.
  • FAIL - under 4 minutes.

We consider a pass to be 80% (or above) of the maximum battery capacity (mentioned at the top of this article). A battery is classed as a consumable item so can fail after a certain amount of charge cycles, but it should not fail within the Dash Cam warranty period.

What now?

• If your Dash Cam passed the test, charge it back up and reinstall it in your car.
• If your Dash Cam failed the test, we recommend repeating the test to confirm your findings. If it fails again, you should make a warranty claim to get it repaired or replaced.
• If your Dash Cam is no longer covered by warranty. Submit a ticket request with our support team and we will try to offer advice on the next steps to take.