Vantrue E1 Pro S Review: TurboBoot, AOV Parking and
The Vantrue E1 Pro S is a 4K front dash cam small enough to hide behind your rear-view mirror. Its real reason to exist is parking mode. It adds AOV (Always On Video) parking, which keeps a slow, low-power recording running while the car is locked, and a fast start that gets it recording soon after you turn the key. For anyone planning to hardwire it, it is one of the more interesting small cameras of 2026.
The E1 Pro S is Front-Only, so it only records the road ahead. For the back of the car as well, our guide to choosing a Vantrue dash cam will help line you up to other two-channel options.
Vantrue only lifted the lid on this camera on 16 October 2026. Vantrue sent us an E1 Pro S for feedback and testing, and it has been on Michael's car for over a week. It arrived as just the camera and its mount, with no box, cables or manual, so we cannot tell whether it is a pre-production or a retail unit. This review puts what he has seen alongside Vantrue's own manual and the findings of the testers on the DashCamTalk forum. We have not run our fly-by plate tests yet, so nothing here is a controlled measurement of our own.
What does the Vantrue E1 Pro S record?
It records one channel, facing forward, on the latest generation of the Sony STARVIS 2 IMX678 sensor. Vantrue lists four resolutions to pick from within the unit (being 4K, 1440p, 1080p and 720p), and every one of them runs at 30 frames per second. There is no 60fps mode at any size. The lens is F1.8 across 155 degrees, and there is a 1.54 inch screen on the back which we actually really like. It's small and doesnt get in the way, but it's there to quickly change settings or check a video when you need it.
Vantrue staff told forum testers it records H.264 at a variable bitrate between 35 and 60 Mbps. Bitrate is how much detail the camera keeps each second, so a higher number means sharper plates and fuller cards. They put a one-minute file at 260 to 300-odd MB, which by our maths is roughly 16 to 18 GB for every hour of driving. When Michael opened our own files in MediaInfo, they showed 37 Mbps in H.264 inside a standard MP4. That means the footage plays on pretty much any laptop or phone without extra software.
The camera slides off its mount, and that is Michael's favourite everyday feature as the mount stays on the windscreen, and you can slide off the camera and plug it straight into your computer with a USB cable. There is no need to pull the card out and hunt for an adapter, which is the job he likes least with most dash cams, haha.
GPS lives in the mount and stamps your speed and location onto the footage. Voice control works in English, so you can say "Lock the video" instead of reaching for a button.
PlatePix is Vantrue's mode for clearer number plates in glare and at night. The manual is upfront that it can darken the whole picture, and it suggests running it at night and switching it off by day. The PlatePix timer does that for you, as long as HDR is switched on.
How does AOV parking mode work?
AOV (always-on video) records at one frame a second, or one every two seconds, for as long as the car is parked. At the default setting, every 30 seconds parked plays back as one second of footage. Vantrue confirmed on forums that AOV recordings carry no audio.
There are two flavours. AOV Collision Detection runs that slow recording and, when the G-sensor feels a bump, locks the clip around it so it cannot be overwritten. AOV Time Lapse records around the clock and never locks anything, even if something hits the car.
Testers on DashCamTalk measured the power draw of each parking mode at 12.6 volts on an early unit, we're yet to replicate these ourselves but see no reasons the measurements would need to be verified in house, they're very impressive as-is.
| Parking mode | Measured draw | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Low-power collision detection | 7 mA waiting | Sleeps, then records 30 seconds once it feels a bump |
| AOV, one frame every 2 seconds | 43 mA | Slow recording the whole time you are parked |
| AOV collision detection | 69 mA | Slow recording, plus locked clips on a bump |
| AOV, one frame a second | 73 mA | Slow recording at the default rate |
| Motion detection | 226 mA | Wakes for people moving near the car |
AOV uses about a third of what motion detection does, but roughly ten times the sleeping collision mode. Another forum regular put AOV at the slower rate on a par with a VIOFO A329S in its low power impact mode. The plain collision mode has a catch of its own. It sleeps until the bump, and then it starts recording about 1.4 seconds after the hit, with no footage from before for ultimate power savings.
Every parking mode needs power after the ignition goes off. Vantrue's manual asks for its recommended hardwire kit or another stable, continuous power source, such as a dedicated dash cam battery pack.
Additionally, Michael rates it as one of the fastest-starting cameras he has used. Pull out of a park at Woolworths, Coles or Bunnings and it is already recording. Some cameras he has driven with take up to eight seconds, and by then you are halfway down the car park driveway with nothing on the card.
Will it cope with an Australian summer?
Vantrue rates the E1 Pro S to run from minus 20 to 60 degrees Celsius, which is a common ceiling for dash cams. For hot summer sun, its manual recommends plain Collision Detection rather than AOV. It also says to turn the camera off if the cabin reaches 60 degrees.
The heat reports from testers point in two directions. Vantrue says the S handles heat better than the older model thanks to a new processor. Its staff added that the camera did not freeze or crash in their high-temperature testing, and that they chose not to cut the bitrate to make it run cooler.
Our advice is to simply fit a quality high endurance card as that's the component that cops the most heat.
How is it different from the E1 Pro?
The Vantrue E1 Pro is the camera it builds on, and the two look almost identical. They share the same sensor, resolutions, screen and card support. The S adds a new processor, a higher bitrate and an updated PlatePix. Most of the other changes are about starting up and parking.
| Feature | E1 Pro S | Older model |
|---|---|---|
| AOV parking and low-power collision mode | Yes | No |
| TurboBoot fast start | Yes | No |
| Field of view | 155 degrees | 158 degrees |
| Motion detection pre-record | 6 seconds | 15 seconds |
| LTE module | Expected by the end of 2026 | Supported now |
| Car charger | 5V 2.8A | 5V 2.4A |
Two of those rows go backwards. The older camera keeps more footage before a motion trigger, and it can run Vantrue's LTE module today. Vantrue says the older model will not be discontinued for the time being.
We would keep an older E1 Pro that never runs parking mode, but for a new camera that will be hardwired, we would pick the S.
What accessories should you add?
Start with a hardwire kit or a battery pack. Vantrue's VP01 and VP03 for Hardwire kits. Theres two so feel free to ask us which suits your car before you order. If you plan to fit it yourself, read our guide to hardwiring a dash cam. If you would rather not, you can find a local installer in our directory of independent businesses.
Then a max/high endurance memory card. The camera takes 32GB up to 1TB, rated U3, and AOV writes to the card the whole time you are parked. Vantrue keeps 30% of the card for locked event files, so a 256GB Vantrue high endurance card holds around 10 to 11 hours of normal driving before the oldest files are overwritten. Our Vantrue SD card guide covers the other sizes.
You do not need to buy a CPL filter. Vantrue's manual lists one in the box, and it cuts reflections from the dash on bright days.
Who should buy the Vantrue E1 Pro S?
BUY IF you park on the street or in a shared car park and want a low-power recording running the whole time you are away from the car.
BUY IF most of your trips are short, because TurboBoot has it recording within a few seconds of power rather than ten or more.
SKIP IF you never plan to hardwire it. Without parking mode, the older E1 Pro records 4K through a slightly wider lens.
SKIP IF you need the back of the car covered. The Vantrue E2 Pro records 4K front and 1440p rear.
SKIP IF remote viewing over 4G has to work from day one. The older model runs Vantrue's LTE module today.
Vantrue E1 Pro S questions we get asked
Does the E1 Pro S record at 60fps?
Every resolution in Vantrue's manual tops out at 30 frames per second, so there is no 60fps mode. If frame rate matters more to you than 4K detail, look at a camera that offers 1440p at 60fps.
Do the parking modes record sound?
AOV does not, according to Vantrue staff on DashCamTalk. For low bitrate parking mode the answers conflict, with Vantrue staff saying no and a tester saying his files do have audio.
How fast does TurboBoot start recording?
Vantrue quotes about 1.2 seconds on the car charger. Testers measured 1.77 seconds on a cigarette lighter plug, and between about 2.8 and 5.7 seconds on hardwire kits, depending on how the kit was powered. The first 15 seconds are saved as a separate file ending in "B".
Will my old Vantrue mount fit?
Forum testers quoted the GPS mount from the older E1 Pro is fully compatible. Vantrue's mount listings did not name the E1 Pro S that we could find, so ask us before you buy a spare.
The verdict
Michael has enjoyed having it on his car. It is small enough to blend into the windscreen, yet it gives him the features of some of the bigger cameras we have tested. The E1 Pro S takes a camera we already rate for its size and picture, and gives it a far more useful parking mode. AOV lets you see what happened around a parked car without the draw of motion detection, and TurboBoot shaves several seconds off every start.
The card-slot heat is what we would watch in an Australian summer, and Vantrue's own advice to use Collision Detection on hot days is worth following. We reckon it is worth buying if you will hardwire it for sure. Our fly-by tests, with a sign-written vehicle passing at 60, 80 and 100 km/h, are a tough test for any camera, and we have not run them on this one yet.
Not sure whether it suits your car, or which hardwire kit to pair with it? Give Michael or Harrison a call on 1800 CAM GUY or send us a message. We will tell you straight, including when the older model or a two-channel camera is the better buy.
Last reviewed: 22 October 2026. The specifications here come from Vantrue's own E1 Pro S manual (V1.0) and product page, and the performance findings come from our own unit and from forum testers using early units, so firmware updates may change both. If a specification, a feature or a claim on this page is wrong or has gone out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
Commercial disclosure: The Dash Cam Guys sells the Vantrue E1 Pro S and other Vantrue and VIOFO cameras named on this page, so read this as retailer buying advice rather than an independent laboratory test. Vantrue supplied the E1 Pro S we used, free of charge, for our feedback and testing. It arrived as just the camera and its mount, so we cannot say whether it is a pre-production or a retail unit. Vantrue did not pay for this review, did not see or approve it before publication, and did not control the verdict. Specifications, including the sensor, resolutions, field of view and temperature range, are Vantrue's own published figures and are manufacturer claims unless we say otherwise. Our own observations on start-up, the mount and file format come from Michael's everyday driving with that unit. Measured start times, heat, power draw and bitrate come from named testers on the DashCamTalk forum, most of whom said they were using pre-production units, and from Vantrue staff on that forum. We have not published our own controlled measurements of plate readability, heat or parking mode power draw for this camera.