One issue I frequently find myself wrestling with when testing out the best dashcams is the amount of space they take up on my windshield. That sounds like a small thing, I know, but it’s an important consideration because my favorite car has a small windshield. Sports cars are great, and I love mine, but by design, they usually feature small screen areas.

Enter the Viofo VS1 dash cam, which I’ve been testing for a while. It’s the perfect solution for me and, for that matter, anyone else who has a limited screen area at the front end of their car. The VS1 is compact and, in some ways, a basic dash cam. There’s no rear screen and no standout features. However, the VS1 more than makes up for that with convenience.

Like most dash cams, the VS1 can be attached to your car’s windshield using self-adhesive pads. The camera is powered by a cable that plugs into the 12V port found in most vehicles. It can also be hard-wired.

Price, availability and specs

The Viofo VS1 has been out for a while now, so it’s widely available at a host of online outlets. In US market, the dash cam can be bought through the Viofo site, where it costs $120, thanks to a $30 discount.

Design and build

Compact appeal

For me, the main appeal of the Viofo VS1 dash cam is its tiny footprint, which means it’s perfect for my sports car with its limited windshield area. The camera’s dimensions come in at just 13 x 8 x 10 cm, making it one of the smallest units I’ve tested in my car. The VS1 also weighs just over 400 grams, so it’s definitely unobtrusive. The other upside is there’s not much cabling to connect, making the single power line easy to get out of the way.

The construction largely consists of black plastic, with the main unit fixed on an angled joint with the self-adhesive mount. The VS1 came with a square self-adhesive pad that allowed me stick the dash cam directly to my screen. Viofo also gives buyers the option of attaching the camera to a static sheet too, which is a good idea if you don’t want the hassle of trying to remove remnants of sticky pads from your screen.

I did find that the absence of a rear screen meant I had to tinker with the angle of the dashcam in order to ensure the road ahead was being properly captured. That process was easy enough: I had to install the camera, capture some video, and then check the footage and adjust the angle of the camera body to get it just right. Even so, it took me a few minutes.

Setup and installation

Easy to configure

While I think the compact design of the VS1 is its most appealing trait, the process of installing the camera comes as a close second. From taking the device out of the box, inserting the included microSD card, plugging in the cable and mounting the unit, took all of about 15 minutes. Granted, I did then need to make a few minor adjustments in order to get the angle of the lens just right, but that didn’t add much time to the installation process.

If you’re like me, you like the convenience of a touchscreen. The VS1 doesn’t have one. This turns out not to be an issue as there’s very little setup to be done, and the camera is quite intuitive too, so a lot of the hard work is already done. Formatting the memory card, for example, is simple as I only had to power on the unit, press the microphone button momentarily and the camera did the rest for me.

Viofo includes a decent length power cable for this model, along with a small plastic tool for pushing it behind trim inside the car. That makes light work of the process and if I want to install it more permanently at a later date, there’s an optional hardwire kit that removes the need to plug in and power the VS1 using a 12V socket. With all that out of the way, it was then easy for me to move on to using the app for a more comprehensive array of control options.

Working with the app

Instant video monitoring

I’ve found that using the VS1 requires little in the way of daily management. The camera simply chimes away on startup, then gets on with the job at hand, recording video to the microSD card in a loop like all other models. In that respect, I love the fuss-free appeal, but if I need to explore or manage footage any further, there’s the Viofo app. The other big bonus of this model is voice control.

This more than makes up for a lack of screen, and it lets me start and stop recording manually, turn Wi-Fi on and off as needed, and snap a photo using the dash cam. This is really useful if you want to capture something you’re witnessing. There’s a 5GHz Wi-Fi connection with this model too, which allowed me to easily move video to more permanent storage and preview it on my laptop. An included USB Type-C cable lets me plug my phone into the camera too, which I did a few times. From there, the app lets you pick through footage and organize it as needed. Well done to Viofo for keeping the app interface straightforward and functional.

Using the device

Flexible but compact

It might be small, but the VS1 packs plenty of punch in the specs and features department. Although I had to do very little to get it up and running, I’ve been really impressed with the practical set of features found inside its diminutive design. The GPS recording of data including location, speed and time is invaluable, plus there’s also an intelligent parking mode that monitors your vehicle while you’re not there. Note though, that this requires the VS1 to be hardwired.

I’m perfectly happy with the quality of the video output from this model too. It shoots very clear footage thanks to the Sony Starvis 2 5.12-megapixel, 1/2.8-type sensor. This means I get 1440p video recording, which is more than adequate for most everyday scenarios. I’ve also been impressed at the nighttime video quality, with Night Vision and 2K HDR meaning the VS1 is consistent if you need after dark help to read license plates and the like.

Should you buy the Viofo VS1?

There are a lot of neat things about the Viofo VS1 that make it an excellent option. The main appeal for me is the slender design, but I think, for the money, this model also comes with great specs and features. The voice controls are great and work well, there’s a handy USB port in the 12V connector that lets me charge my phone and use the dashcam at the same time. Plus, it can record a lot of data thanks to the included GPS functionality.

I’d say if a rear screen is essential, then this model will be a non-starter, but the VS1 works perfectly well without it. In any case, there’s a solid supporting app, which helped me out a lot. What’s more, this is such an intuitive little unit that once it’s up and running there’s very little work to be done in order to keep things ticking over. And, there’s the backup convenience of those voice controls too. It’s an impressive package.