Vantrue Pilot 2 4-CH Thermal + Front + Cabin + Rear Dash Cam - 1440p, 6.25-inch CarPlay Screen, GPS

Spot Warm Bodies Past Your Headlights, and Keep the Evidence. The Vantrue Pilot 2 Thermal Dash Cam Records 1440p Front, 1080p Cabin and 1440p Rear, Plus a Thermal Camera on a 6.25-inch CarPlay Screen

On an unlit country road, your high beams decide how much warning you get. A kangaroo on the verge, stock on a station track or a cyclist in dark clothes can be inside that pool of light before you see them. An ordinary dash cam has the same limit, because it needs light too. The Vantrue Pilot 2 adds a thermal camera that reads heat instead of light, alongside three optical cameras that record the evidence.

Want the full rundown before you buy? Read our Vantrue Pilot 2 review.

Trusted AU store: We're an authorised Australian reseller, shipping from Melbourne within 24 hours^*. You get an 18-month warranty with no product registration required, local technical support, and our 30-Day No-Worries returns.

Who This Isn't For: If your vehicle already has a dash cam you are happy with, the Vantrue Pilot 2 thermal-only system adds the heat camera and screen without doubling up. If you mostly drive lit suburban streets, the Vantrue N4 Pro S records 4K front and 2.5K rear with a far simpler install. The Pilot 2 suits country, farm and night drivers.

DCG Highlights

What We Love

• A thermal camera with a 12µm vanadium oxide (VOx) uncooled detector, per Vantrue, which picks out people, animals and running vehicles by their heat in total darkness
• Three optical cameras on top of the thermal: 2560 x 1440 front, 1920 x 1080 cabin and 2560 x 1440 rear, so the camera that warns you is not the only one recording
• AI markings on the thermal view, with vehicle recognition out to 100 metres and pedestrian and animal recognition out to 70 metres per the manual, which gives you more notice than dipped headlights
• Animal detection that Vantrue's manual says covers four-legged animals including kangaroos, cows, sheep and horses, with its own warning tone
• A 6.25-inch IPS touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus a right-hand drive mode, which brings maps and music to an older ute or work vehicle
• GPS in the main unit stamps speed and location on every clip, and the screen can show speed, altitude and a compass
• A supercapacitor rather than a lithium battery, rated from -20°C to 60°C, the better choice for a car parked in the Australian sun

Good to Know

• The thermal camera mounts outside the vehicle, on the bonnet or above the number plate, because glass blocks the heat it reads. That means a cable through the firewall.
• Pedestrian and animal detection are switched off by default. Turn them on in the Thermal Smart menu before your first night drive.
• Parking mode is collision detection only and needs constant power from a Vantrue step-down cable. The unit draws 14W at 5V 3A, so check the kit with us before you order.
• If you drive rideshare in Victoria or Queensland, transport rules restrict cameras that record inside the car. Read our guide to rideshare dash cam laws in Australia before you use the cabin camera for rideshare work.

Why Does a Dash Cam Need a Thermal Camera on a Country Road?

A thermal camera matters on a country road because it does not need light to see. A normal dash cam and your own eyes work from reflected light, so at night they only see as far as your headlights reach. An animal standing just past that point, or one stepping out of the scrub, is invisible to both until the gap has closed.

The Vantrue Pilot 2 thermal camera builds its picture from the heat that people, animals and engines give off. A warm body stands out against cooler ground in darkness, dust and smoke, and the Pilot 2 draws a coloured box around it on the 6.25-inch screen. The trade-off is that thermal reads heat, not detail. It cannot read a number plate, and on a hot evening, when the bitumen is close to body temperature, contrast drops. That is why the three optical cameras do the recording. It is a driver aid that shows and warns. It does not brake or steer.

Top Benefits

• Warning past your high beams: The thermal camera marks warm bodies on screen before your headlights reach them.
• Evidence from every side: 1440p front and rear and a 1080p infrared cabin camera record while the thermal camera watches.
• Clearer through dust and smoke: Heat travels through dust and smoke far better than visible light does.
• Night cabin on record: Four infrared lights keep the cabin camera recording with the interior lights off.
• Proof of where and how fast: GPS logs speed and location onto every clip.
• Maps on a bigger screen: Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto run on the 6.25-inch touchscreen.
• Built for heat: A supercapacitor copes with a hot parked car better than a lithium battery.

How Does the Vantrue Pilot 2 Install?

1. Stick the main unit bracket to the dash where the screen does not block your view or an airbag, and insert a formatted microSD card.
2. Fit the front and cabin camera to the windscreen behind the mirror using an electrostatic sticker. Run its cable to the main unit, and run the rear camera cable from the rear window to the front and cabin camera.
3. Mount the thermal camera outside, in the centre of the bonnet. Vantrue picks the fixing from the gap between the bonnet and the water deflector below it: 25mm or more takes the thumb screw, 10mm to 25mm a set screw, and under 10mm means the number plate bracket instead. Check the wipers clear it and the bonnet is not in the thermal view.
4. Route the thermal cable into the cabin through the firewall, away from the engine and exhaust, and secure it with the Velcro fasteners. Power the system from the car charger, or a Vantrue step-down cable for parking mode, then set the time zone and right-hand drive mode.

The thermal camera is the part that makes this a bigger job than a normal dash cam, because its cable has to pass from the engine bay through the firewall into the cabin. The hex wrench, screwdriver and pry tool are in the box. Ask us which power option suits your vehicle before you start.

What's in the Box?

• Vantrue Pilot 2 (P2) main unit with 6.25-inch touchscreen, and its mounting bracket
• Front and cabin camera with its cable
• Rear camera and rear camera cable
• Thermal imaging camera and thermal camera cable
• Number plate bracket, hex wrench, screwdriver and Velcro fasteners for the thermal camera
• Car charger
• 2 electrostatic stickers, double-sided tape and cable ties
• Pry tool and dust-free cloth
• Not included: microSD card, hardwire or step-down cable, AUX audio noise suppressor

Add Yours Today

Pair it with a Vantrue 512GB High Endurance microSD card, because four channels fill a card quickly, and read our Vantrue SD card guide if you are unsure about size. We ship from Melbourne within 24 hours^*, backed by our 30-Day No-Worries returns. We do not install cameras ourselves, but you can find someone local in our directory of independent installers. They are independent businesses, so you book and contract directly with them.

Last updated: October 2026

🔍 Still deciding? Read our Vantrue Pilot 2 review, or compare the range in our Vantrue dash cam comparison.

📖 Own this already? Read the Vantrue Pilot 2 manual and troubleshooting guide.