Which Vantrue Dash Cam Should You Buy in Australia?

Vantrue makes good cameras but names them badly. Element, Nexus, Sonnet, Falcon, Pilot, plus numbers and letters that do not run in the order you would expect. This page lines up every Vantrue we stock in Australia, says who each one suits, and links to our full review of each.

The short version. Front and rear without fuss? Sonnet S1 Pro. Sharpest three-channel? The Vantrue N4 Pro 3-channel dash cam. Carrying passengers? Anything with a cabin lens, and the Vantrue N5S 4-channel dash cam if you want both rows of seats on record. Front and cabin only, or replacing an N2 Pro? The Vantrue N2X front and cabin dash cam. Want everything covered at once plus a camera that comes off the glass? The E360. Driving at night on rural roads? The Pilot 2, which sees heat.

Read this before you compare anything

Three traps catch nearly everyone.

An S suffix does not mean a step up. Vantrue itself calls the N4S the successor to the plain N4, and it sits below the N4 Pro S rather than above it. The N4 Pro and N4 Pro S are different cameras with different sensor sets, not two trim levels.

A higher number is not always better. The plain N4 records 4K on its front channel. The newer N4S does not.

Accessories rarely carry over. Mounts, rear camera cables, CPL filters and waterproof rear cameras are model-specific across this range, and the naming does not tell you which fits what. Check before you buy a spare, or ask us.

Pro Tip: Before you order a spare mount, a CPL or a rear camera, read the model number off the back of your camera and send it to us. Mounts and rear cameras across this range look identical and often are not. Checking takes a minute and saves you a return.

The Element series: small cameras that stay out of the way

Fit these when you do not want to see the camera at all. One or two channels.

Vantrue E1 Lite is the entry point. One channel, 1080p, with Wi-Fi, GPS and voice control. A record of what happened in front of you, and nothing more.

Vantrue E1 Pro is the same idea at 4K on a STARVIS 2 sensor, and it is the sharpest single-camera option Vantrue makes. It has a TechRadar Recommended badge behind it. It does not take a rear camera, which is the thing to be sure about before you buy. Read our full E1 Pro review.

Vantrue Element 2 adds a rear camera at 2.7K. An unfussy front and rear setup.

Vantrue Element 2 Pro steps the front to 4K with a 2K rear, plus Wi-Fi and GPS.

The Nexus series: when you need more than two views

Three and four channel cameras. This is where you go if you carry passengers, drive rideshare, or want the sides on record.

Vantrue N2X is front and cabin at 2.7K, with no rear camera and no way to add one. Built for drivers whose main risk is inside the car, and the model that replaces the N2 Pro. Read our full N2X review.

Vantrue N4 Pro is the one most people mean when they say Vantrue. Three channels, 4K front, infrared cabin, and the only camera in its family that holds 4K with all three running. It has the strongest independent recognition in the range. Read our full N4 Pro review.

Vantrue N4 Pro S lifts the rear to 1440p, and Vantrue states current Sony sensors on all three channels. It gives up rear HDR to do it. Read our full N4 Pro S review.

Vantrue N4S runs three channels at 2.7K with HDR, and Vantrue states STARVIS 2 sensors across all three. It trades front resolution for consistency across the three views.

Vantrue N5 and Vantrue N5S are the four channel cameras. Four lenses in two housings means the sides go on record too. The N5S adds LTE option and, on Vantrue's own account, current sensors on every channel; the N5 draws considerably less power in parking mode. Read our full N5S review, which covers both.

The Sonnet series: front and rear, done properly

Vantrue S1 Pro is 2.7K front and 1080p rear on STARVIS 2 sensors, and it is the one in this range that shoots 1440p at 60 frames per second.

Vantrue S1 Pro Max runs dual 4K with HDR on both channels, for anyone who needs the rear footage to be evidence rather than context. It has no 60fps mode. Read our full S1 Pro Max review, which compares the two.

The E360: coverage and portability

The Vantrue E360 puts two 210 degree lenses back to back and stitches them into a single 360 degree view. Add the rear camera and Vantrue quotes 585 degrees of coverage.

Then it comes off the windscreen. The ACE pack includes a handheld mount with a battery in the handle, so it works away from the car for vlogging, a campsite or a job site.

The trade is real: spreading a sensor across a panorama costs you detail on distant number plates. Buy it for cabin recording, coverage and portability, not for plate capture. Read our full E360 review, which covers all three packs.

The Pilot 2: the one that sees heat

The Vantrue Pilot 2 is different from everything else on this page. Alongside three recording channels it carries a thermal camera, which builds a picture from heat rather than light. It picks up a warm animal in total darkness, through dust and through smoke, well past where your headlights reach.

We stock it two ways: a thermal-only system with the head unit, and the full four-channel system with thermal plus front, cabin and rear.

Two things to know before you get excited. Thermal cannot see through glass, so the camera mounts on the outside of the vehicle and the install is a real job. And thermal cannot read a number plate, because a plate is the same temperature as the car around it. It tells you something is there; the ordinary cameras record what it was.

We bought one with our own money and it is on a farm 4WD right now. Read our full Pilot 2 review, including what Vantrue will not publish about the thermal sensor.

Riding rather than driving?

Vantrue Falcon F1 is the motorcycle option. Two channels, 4K front and 1080p rear, Wi-Fi and GPS, built to live outside in the weather. A car dash cam will not survive on a bike. Read our full Falcon F1 review.

Quick comparison

Channel counts and resolutions come from our own product listings and Vantrue's published specifications, checked 13 August 2026. Each model review goes into sensors, parking modes and the things a spec table cannot tell you.

So which one should you buy?

You drive rideshare or taxi. You need the cabin on record. Start with the N4 Pro for the sharpest front view, the N5S if you want the sides too, the E360 if you also want a portable camera, or the N2X if you want front and cabin only. Our rideshare dash cam guide goes deeper. In Victoria and Queensland, transport rules restrict cameras that record inside a rideshare car, so read our guide to rideshare dash cam laws in Australia before you rely on a cabin camera for rideshare work.

You want one camera and you do not want to see it. E1 Pro for 4K, E1 Lite if 1080p is enough.

You want front and rear. S1 Pro is the sensible pick, S1 Pro Max if the rear matters as much as the front, Element 2 Pro for a compact body with Wi-Fi and GPS.

You drive rural roads at night, or you are on the land. The Pilot 2. Nothing else we sell picks a kangaroo out of a dark paddock before your headlights reach it.

You have a ute, a van or a caravan. Cable runs and rear camera mounting are the real decisions, not resolution. The N4 Pro takes the RC07 waterproof rear camera; several others do not. Talk to us first.

You ride. Falcon F1.

Browse the whole range in our Vantrue dash cam collection, or if fitting is the part putting you off, our installer finder will point you at someone local.

Three things that apply to every Vantrue

Buy the right memory card. High bitrate multi-channel video kills ordinary cards, and a failed card is a camera that recorded nothing on the day it mattered. Our Vantrue microSD card guide sizes it for your model.

Parking mode needs constant power. Your cigarette lighter socket stops supplying power when the car is off, so parking mode needs a hardwire kit or an OBD cable. Vantrue's manuals warn against other brands, because accessory detection pins differ. Our parking mode guide explains the options.

Vantrue questions we get asked

Which Vantrue dash cam is the best?

There is no single best one, because they are built for different jobs. For the sharpest forward view in a three channel camera, the N4 Pro. For four channel coverage, the N5S. For a single hidden camera, the E1 Pro. For 360 degree coverage and portability, the E360. For seeing in the dark on rural roads, the Pilot 2. Tell us what you drive and we will narrow it down.

Is Vantrue a good brand?

They are a well-established manufacturer with a broad range and good manual documentation, which matters more than it sounds when something goes wrong at 6am. Individual models vary, and we say so in each review rather than treating the badge as a promise.

What is the difference between the N4 Pro and the N4 Pro S?

They are different cameras rather than one being an upgrade. Both are three channel with 4K at the front, but the sensor sets differ and each wins somewhere. The N4 Pro keeps HDR on the rear channel and takes the waterproof rear camera; the N4 Pro S has the sharper rear channel and, on Vantrue's own account, current sensors on all three. Both reviews spell it out.

Can a dash cam really see through fog and smoke?

A thermal one helps, within limits. Long infrared wavelengths pass through smoke and dust far better than visible light, so the Pilot 2 has a genuine advantage there. Fog is different, because water droplets scatter infrared too. In light fog thermal gives you a useful margin; in dense fog it does not. No ordinary dash cam sees through any of it.

Do Vantrue dash cams work with any hardwire kit?

No, and this catches people out. Vantrue's manuals state that accessory detection pins are placed differently by different brands, so a kit from another manufacturer may not trigger parking mode correctly. Use a Vantrue kit, and check which one your model takes.

The verdict

If you want one answer, it is the N4 Pro. It holds 4K with all three channels running, it takes the waterproof rear camera, and it has the strongest independent recognition of anything here. That is the one we recommend most often.

Only need front and rear? The S1 Pro. Want one camera you never notice? The E1 Pro. Carrying passengers and want the sides covered too? The N5S. Driving unlit rural roads at night? The Pilot 2, and nothing else here comes close.

The mistake we see most is buying on the model number rather than the job. Work out where your risk actually sits, which is usually passengers, the rear, or a dark road, then buy the camera that covers it.

Still not sure?

That is fair, because the naming does not help. Give Michael or Harrison a yell with what you drive, whether you carry passengers, and where you park. We will tell you which one fits, and we will tell you if a camera from another brand suits you better. No worries either way.

Commercial disclosure: The Dash Cam Guys is an Australian retailer and we sell every Vantrue dash cam listed on this page. This is a buying guide to our own range, so treat it as retailer advice rather than an independent survey of the market. Channel counts and resolutions come from our own product listings and from Vantrue's published specifications, checked 13 August 2026. We own and are testing a Vantrue E360 and a Vantrue Pilot 2, both bought with our own money, and each review says exactly what we did and did not test. We have not independently tested every model listed here. Where a different brand suits a buyer better we say so, both on this page and when you contact us.