Garmin Mini 3 review: A compact dash cam with HD clarity

The Garmin Mini 3 has all the features you'd need, and hides away so discreetly

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The Garmin Mini 3 dash cam is compact, discreet, and packed with smart features - but is it worth the price? Our review has the verdict.

I've always been a fan of small, innocuous "stealth" dash cams. In fact, as far as I'm concerned, the smaller and more discreet, the better. So I was thrilled when Garmin invited me to test the latest version of their smallest model, the Mini 3.

Its predecessor had long been one of my favourite dash cams, not because of its array of features, but because of its diminutive size. It really is one of the smallest on the market. It's basically the size of a car key fob.

So I did wonder whether the Mini 3 would bring in a large array of extra features, but I was wrong. All you really get is a (very welcome) horizontal orientation and a polarising filter.

It's hard not to be blown away by how small the Mini 3 really is, especially when compared to other HD dash cams

But it's not as if it needs to do a lot else. Some dash cams are literally too clever for their own good, when all you want them to do is capture decent footage, reliably, when you need them to.

And the Garmin Mini 3 absolutely ticks that box. It has 1080p, HDR, a 140-degree field of view, and that trick "Clarity" polariser to cut out any glare.

Cards on the table, it's a really good dash cam. It should be for the £149.99 asking price, because that puts it alongside some premium devices with more features.

But there is a sale on at the moment, knocking £40 off if you buy directly from Garmin, and it's not as if this is a basic dash cam. Far from it.

The Garmin Drive app is really intuitive | Garmin

It has a parking guard system with live view, automatic incident recording, voice control, and even an external USB socket for powering other devices with.

There's no display, everything is controlled either through voice commands, or through the rather excellent Garmin Drive app. And you'll need to sign up to a Vault subscription to securely store and share footage, but a microSD card will help.

These aren't really downsides though, and it is hard to pick fault with the Mini 3, especially given its size, and how much you get for the price.

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Catch the special offer, get one for £109.99, and you'll arguably have one of the best true HD dash cams on the market.

If you genuinely do want something bigger, fair enough. I'm not sure why you would, though, this one does everything you'll probably need, in such a neat package.

Garmin Dash Cam Mini 3 review: Good things really do come in small packages