Dash Cam Battery Packs: A Simple Guide for Aussie Drivers
You love the idea of your dash cam keeping watch while the car is parked, but you are worried about waking up to a flat battery. Fair enough. That is the number one question we get, and it is exactly what a dash cam battery pack is built to solve. Let us settle the nerves and walk you through it, no jargon, no worries.
What is a dash cam battery pack?
A dash cam battery pack is a compact, rechargeable power source that sits hidden in your car and runs your camera when the engine is off. Think of it as a separate fuel tank just for your dash cam. While you drive, the pack charges up from the car. When you park and switch off, the camera draws from the pack instead of your vehicle battery.
That one change is the whole point. Your dash cam can keep recording in parking mode (the setting where the camera stays on watch while the car is parked and captures anything that happens) for a day or more, and your car battery is left completely alone.
Why not just hardwire the dash cam to the car?
Hardwiring is a great option, and we supply plenty of the kits for it. It wires the camera into your fuse box so it can pull a small amount of power from the car battery while you are parked. The catch is that it is still your car battery doing the work. On most cars that is fine for a night. On some cars, it is a problem.
A dash cam battery pack takes your car battery out of the equation entirely. The pack does all the heavy lifting, so there is no drain on the car no matter how long you leave it. That is peace of mind you can measure.
Pro Tip: If your car sits at an airport car park for a week or lives on the street overnight, a battery pack is the safest way to keep parking mode running without ever risking a no-start morning.
Who really needs a dash cam battery pack?
Some drivers get by fine on a hardwire kit. Others should go straight to a battery pack. You are in the second group if any of these sound like you.
You drive an EV or hybrid. Electric and hybrid cars manage their 12V battery very carefully, and many will cut power to accessories quickly to protect themselves. A battery pack sidesteps that completely, which is why we recommend one for nearly every BYD, Tesla and hybrid owner who wants proper parking protection.
You drive a European car with sensitive electronics. Plenty of BMWs, Mercedes and Audis have battery management systems that get twitchy about any extra draw. A pack keeps the car happy and keeps you recording.
You have a small or older battery. Smaller batteries hold less in reserve, so parking mode eats into them faster. A pack gives you long parking protection without asking anything of a battery that is already working hard.
You do not want to touch the fuse box. A battery pack can run straight off a cigarette socket, so you can have parking mode without any hardwiring at all.
How long will a battery pack record for?
It depends on the pack and the camera, but a dedicated pack will usually give you far more than a car battery ever would. Our go-to pack, the VIOFO BP100, holds 7650mAh and will typically run a single camera in parking mode for well over a day on a full charge. Pair it with a power-hungry 3-channel setup and you get less, run a lean single-channel camera and you get more. The maths is simple: bigger pack plus lower camera power draw equals more hours on watch.
Why LiFePO4 matters (and why a normal power bank will not do)
You might wonder why you cannot just use a cheap USB power bank from the servo. The answer is heat and chemistry. A good dash cam battery pack uses LiFePO4 (lithium iron phosphate), a battery type that handles the heat inside a parked car far better than the lithium-ion in a phone power bank. On a scorching Australian summer day, a car cabin can pass 60 degrees. A normal power bank can swell or fail in those conditions. LiFePO4 is built to cope, charge fast, and handle being topped up and drained day after day for years.
How is a battery pack installed?
There are two ways to power a battery pack. The simple way is the cigarette socket: you plug the pack in, tuck it out of sight under a seat, and you are sorted. The tidier way is a hardwire, where the pack connects to a single switched fuse so there are no cables on show. Either way the pack itself is usually hidden under a front seat or in the boot.
Plenty of our customers fit a pack themselves in an afternoon. If you would rather have it done properly and hidden neatly, you can find an independent installer near you through our installer directory and book directly with them.
Which battery pack should you buy?
For most Aussie drivers we point straight to the VIOFO BP100. It is genuine Australian stock, it plays nicely with modern VIOFO cameras, and the LiFePO4 cells are made for our climate. You can see it alongside our other dedicated dash cam battery packs and the bundles that pair a camera and a pack together at a better price. If you are shopping for an EV or hybrid in particular, a camera-plus-battery bundle is the easiest way to get complete parking protection in one go.
Still not sure? Give us a yell
Choosing the right setup for your exact car is what we do all day, so do not guess. If you tell us what you drive and how you park, Michael or Harrison will point you to the right pack in plain English. Just contact us and we will get you sorted.
Last reviewed: 19 August 2026. If a specification, a feature or a price on this page is wrong or has gone out of date, tell us and we will correct it.