Garmin Dash Cam™ Mini 3, Ultracompact 1080p HD Dash Cam

I am NOT one of the 'professional' reviewers that get stuff for free, in exchange or publishing a good review and video. I bought this myself, and as an engineer, I'm not to be critical of something, but realistic in my expectations. I read many reviews on this camera before purchasing, but decided to try it myself. I loved the small size of the camera, and no monitor on the back of it. Many of the 1 star videos mentioned how slow it was to get the video to view on their phone, but I didn't see where any of them had said they updated the firmware. I didn't check performance before the update, but I updated the firmware from version 2.70 to 3.10. I connected the phone to my computer with the USB-C cord that I charge my phone with, and used the Garmin Express app on a Windows computer to update the firmware. That was pretty painless. Afterwards running in a normal configuration where the camera was hooked to a power supply (phone charger or car plug), I was able to view my videos on my Galaxy S10e running Android in about 10 sec. It's only connecting at 2.4 GHz wifi, not the 5 Ghz. I've attached a sample of a real-world video in Cocoa Beach Florida in May, so pretty bright sunshine. I have not tried a night video yet. You can read a license plate on a car stopped in front of you, but as you approach it or it pulls away, you can judge for yourself the distance that you can read license plates. As the camera only records at 30 hz, when you are passing a car at 70 mph, you really can't read license plates. Overall, I like the size and the ease of operation. Just plug it in and forget about it. It doesn't intrude into your view out of the windshield, as I mounted mine behind the rear view mirror. It would record nicely if some car sideswipes you or some insurance scammer decided to back into you at a traffic light. It won't be able to read the license plate of a moving car that throws something out of window several car lengths in front of you, but it could identify the color, make, and model of the car. Keep in mind that this camera was released in 2023, so it's not recording in Super HD at 1,000 frames a second. You pay more for those cameras. You also have to put up with a monitor on the back of the camera. For basic protection at an affordable price, I give this camera two thumbs up. I'll be buying another one for the rear of my car as well.

Only 1080 resolution, and very minimal adjustments available. Its def not the best dash cam. Its not even an average dashcam. But, there is nothing else this small. If you just need a teeny, discreet dashcam, this cant be beat. I use it for my rear cam in a couple of cars because it is a small blockage of the rear view mirror. In my Corvette I have it in the corner of the the passenger dash pointed at the driver. It shows the passenger, the driver, and the cop that stopped you and is giving you the business. In that scenario, smaller is primo and 1080 resolution is fine. Its not the best, but consider it a spycam. Its so small. Its not junk. I've used 3 of the Garmin Minis so far. Its made by Garmin, so I can depend on it.

One star, mostly for the compact design and the fact that it turns on with vehicle startup and off with the shut down. Very reliably. I've been using cheaper manufactures for years and I decided to try a more reputable company like Garmin. I thought if I spend the extra cash I would get a higher quality device. I was wrong. My disappointment rises with the date and time stamp of the recorded video . Very unreliable. As it is in record mode, it will stamp (encode) the date and time on the video and save the video file in a one-minute "pack". The time stamp changes from one pack to the next. One saved video time stamp will read as an example 10/20/25 at 1100am. The very next file plays and the time stamp reads 10/24/25 at 0430pm. This seems crazy. And the app or online software does not allow the user to manually set the time on the device. Also not real crazy about the saved/recorded files are only 1-minute long. This requires a lot of work when compiling 30 minutes of video into one finished project. All of my other cameras allow the choice of 1 min, 3 min, 5 min...etc. I rely on these options, and an accurate time stamp for my work. I do not recommend this camera if you need consistent reliability. **Update** December 08, 2025 I wanted to let the folks that purchased one of these cameras that I discovered a work-around for the time stamp issue. Using the app, find the camera settings and turn off the "Data Overlay". This will keep the time/date stamp from being displayed on the recorded video as well as the "Garmin" watermark. If you want to have a time/date stamp you can then use a third party software to display the time using the meta data acquired when the video was recorded. Good Luck. I still won't buy another one, though.

I’ve been using these cameras since the second version, and I’ve had this Mini 3 for about 5 months now. I always hook them up using the proprietary constant power cable plugged into the OBD-II port, set to record for 10 minutes after I turn the car off. ​I mount the camera strictly in the top right corner of the windshield so it doesn’t clutter my view from the driver's seat. Running the wire is super easy - I just tuck it under the edge of the headliner without using any extra clips, and then route it down the left pillar straight to the port. The whole install takes maybe 20 minutes, and the result is super clean with zero hanging wires. ​The camera continues to work flawlessly even baking in the hot Florida summer sun, and the factory 3M tape hasn't peeled off once. Great device.

Very disappointed in this camera. I purchased this camera at the beginning of December and it worked fine after the install for three months. The past week, it would stop working for a couple of days then be good for a day, then stopped working again. It did this three time and finally it will not power back on. I tried several different power cords that I verified were good but it would not work. I changed out the SD card and I hooked it up to my PC as a forum suggested. It is dead. This camera is not cheap so definitely not happy about losing it after three months. I've contacted Garmin to see if they support their products which I have been a huge fan of until this one. We will see. Edit. I worked with the Garmin service dept and redid a lot of the troubleshooting steps I did previously. They sent me a link for a return which I did and got a new camera to install. They also requested the Garmin constant power cable which I sent in as well. They have been installed for a week now so we will see how it goes long term. Second edit. It has been a couple of months now, and it is still working. Looks like I either had a defective unit or maybe it failed an update. The new one has had two updates that I know of and they completed successfully.

This camera is more than enough for most drivers. It’s a simple, reliable dash cam that records whenever you’re on the road, what more can you ask? The compact design and lack of a screen make it easy to mount behind your rearview mirror, so it stays out of sight. The app was quick and straightforward to set up, and it doesn’t require an account, which is a nice change these days. The video quality looks crisp and clear with a wide-angle view that captures everything you need. I also bought the OBD power adapter, which made the wiring much cleaner. It lets you choose how long the camera stays powered after you turn off your car, with options for 10 minutes, 24 hours, or continuously. That flexibility is a great bonus.

I am pleased with this dash cam. I'm giving 3 stars because of two issues. There is no in-device clock. I understand it has no battery, but I want to make sure potential buyers understand that videos will not have correct time & date unless you always have your phone's Bluetooth turned on, and you have the Garmin Drive app turned on & at least active on your phone in the background. The second issue is the Garmin Drive app. Wow is it clunky. For example, if you are trying to view a video from a previous time you drove somewhere, it takes a very long time - about 10-15 minutes - to load a 10 minute video to review. It's completely unusable to review videos. On the rare occasion when I need to view videos I just bring my laptop out to the garage & plug in a USB-C cable directly to the dash cam & view them on my laptop.

I used X310 Front and Mini3 Rear. Cable route is easier with ODB2 connector. Build in battery life is good. I kept in the box and still juice when I open after a month. Not only Mini3 is small, Also X310 and X110 were small too with screen. Build quality is great and not feel like cheap. I just choose the Garmin Dash Cam because of longivity use. I wanna put that dash cams forever in that car and don't want to see issue later. If they have some camera issue, I will update in this review. I take X310 for my journey and that dash cam never fail. 1080 is still good enought to view clearly. I know Garmin Dash Cam were a bit pricy and I am not sure what I will get it back later. Connecting with phone is goood but sometime it take longer to connect live view. I will use parking mode later but I still use 10 min setup in Garmin OBD2 connector in this moment. I am glad I choosed Garmin Dash Cams instead of other brand until now.

I have had this a year and it is now not functioning correctly. There is no screen and the phone app is clunky and slow. Do not buy one!

Esta es como la quinta cámara que compro de la marca Garmin, la tercera de este modelo en específico. Es muy sencilla de colocar y conectar. Se controla con la aplicación Garmin Drive. En general una vez que la echas a andar te olvidas de ella, se enciende y se apaga sola. Graba siempre que está encendida y sólo te acordarás de ella cuando necesites revisar algún incidente.

Installed the Garmin Mini 3 in my Mercedes and I’m honestly really impressed. It’s super compact—barely noticeable behind the rearview mirror, which is exactly what I wanted. The video quality is excellent, both day and night, and the wide field of view captures everything I need without distortion. Setup was easy with the app, and it connects quickly via Wi-Fi whenever I need to check footage or adjust settings. I love that it starts recording automatically and doesn’t require any input once it’s powered. The voice control is a nice bonus too. Overall, it’s a great little dash cam that does exactly what it promises—quietly, efficiently, and with great clarity. Highly recommend it if you want something clean and reliable without cluttering your windshield.

Important. This USA import does not have voice recognition of English -UK. Only English -United States is available. This means asking the unit to Take A Picture does not work. My other UK unit does. Otherwise the unit is of great quality and works well.

I like the form factor of this camera. It’s good value for what you get. Warranty is backed by Garmin. Software and installation is a breeze (you will need a Separate cable for parking guard and permanent installation). The video quality is very good and Garmin seems to have figured out the polarization issues affect you get with some angles and windshields. This one worked great in our 2025 Honda civic sport. I especially like that Garmin displays (if you want) the speed and location of the recordings. Again, the only con here would be the lack of more permanent cabling.