Who is buying dash cams?
The latest GfK data shows that sales of dashcams – small, in car cameras that record the driver’s view – have exploded, with sales volumes up 1,150 per cent in just a year.
Nextbase’s range of dashcams – which includes the Which? Best Buy 402G (£149.99) and the compact 101 (£49.99) – account for more than 59 per cent of the market. And at 65 per cent, Nextbase’s market share by value is 48 percentage points higher than that of its nearest competitor.
Dashcams are becoming increasingly popular in the UK, as motorists are using dashcam footage to prove that they weren’t at fault during accidents. Insurers are also recognising the benefit, and are beginning to offer significant premium discounts to motorists who fit a dashcam, providing a strong incentive to purchase. Swiftcover offers a 12.5% discount for motorists with a Nextbasedashcam.
Bryn Brooker, marketing manager at Nextbase, the UK’s market-leading manufacturer or dashcams, said: “It’s not hard to see why dashcams are so popular – they act as an independent witness for drivers, who can use footage to demonstrate that they’re in the right should they be involved in a non-fault accident or even attempted fraud.”
Retailers have responded: Halfords, which was one of the first retailers to widely stock dashcams, has increased its offering to all stores, with Maplin and Currys now stocking the Nextbase range nationally. Nextbase is also in discussions with other retailers to bring the products to a wider market.
“I think it’s fair to say that we were the first big retailer to support dashcams’ potential”, comments Dave Poulter, automotive category director at Halfords. “Having said that, category growth has been even higher than expected. From a strong base, we’ve seen a 800 per cent year-on-year increase in sales, and dashcams are among the most frequently searched for products on our website.”
The NextbaseInCarCam 101 (£49.99, available exclusively at Halfords) features 720p HD recording and a 120 degree ultra wide viewing angle to record every unexpected moment. Meanwhile, the 402G (RRP £149.99) offers a 140 degree view of the road and features a wide aperture lens, allowing lots of light in and giving crisp, 1080p HD footage – important when picking out registration plates from the footage. It is the Which? Dashcam Best Buy 2014, who described it as “head and shoulders above all the other dashcams we’ve tested – even those that cost twice as much”.
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