World-first: a dash cam with a thermal imaging camera and 6.25" touchscreen monitor!

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See people, animals and obstacles invisible to the naked eye

Vantrue P2 dash cam
(Image credit: Vantrue)

We're only a week into 2026, but already there's a new world-first in the world of dash cams. Vantrue has revealed the first-ever dash cam to feature a thermal imaging camera. 

The new Vantrue P2 (Pilot 2) dashboard camera can see heat signatures in order to identify pedestrians, animals, objects and potential obstacles up to 200 feet away. Whether you're driving after dark, in fog, or in heavy rain, the thermal imaging camera will detect hazards like sudden animals crossing in front of you, or a pedestrian appearing unexpectedly.

(Image credit: Vantrue)

To monitor the thermal camera's video feed while driving, the Vantrue P2 kit includes a 6.25-inch high-brightness touchscreen display. This has the added benefit of built-in Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, thereby adding smart-cockpit features to vehicles of any age. A built-in HUD (head-up display) and fatigue alert adds even more value.

(Image credit: Vantrue)

In addition to the thermal camera and monitor, the P2 contains a combined front+cabin camera, and a rear camera. The front camera uses an up-to-date Sony STARVIS 2 IMX675 sensor running at 2K resolution (1440p), while the cabin camera is Full HD 1080p. The rear camera uses another IMX675 sensor, and it too runs at 1440p, so image quality from the front- and rear-facing cameras should be identical. The cabin camera uses a STARVIS 2 IMX662 sensor, and all three cameras feature HDR to help them cope in high-contrast situations. STARVIS 2 sensors are Sony's latest image sensors designed for surveillance use (including dash cams) and promise superior low light image quality.

(Image credit: Vantrue)

The Vantrue P2 4-camera dash cam also offers Wi-Fi 6 high-speed data transfer for faster video reviewing and file download, and it supports microSD cards of up to 1TB. 24/7 smart parking monitoring is also available, albeit with the use of a hardwire kit.

We await details of pricing and availability for the Vantrue P2, but this could shape up to be one of the most versatile and value-packed dash cams of 2026.

Check out our full guide to the best dash cams

Ben Andrews
Ben Andrews

Ben is the Imaging Labs manager, responsible for all the testing on Digital Camera World and across the entire photography portfolio at Future. Whether he's in the lab testing the sharpness of new lenses, the resolution of the latest image sensors, the zoom range of monster bridge cameras or even the latest camera phones, Ben is our go-to guy for technical insight. He's also the team's man-at-arms when it comes to camera bags, filters, memory cards, and all manner of camera accessories – his lab is a bit like the Batcave of photography! With years of experience trialling and testing kit, he's a human encyclopedia of benchmarks when it comes to recommending the best buys. 

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