How to Install a Rear Dash Cam

On this page (10 sections)

1. What do you need before you install a rear dash cam?
2. How should you plan the cable route before mounting?
3. How do you mount the rear camera lens?
4. How do you run the cable through the car?
5. Where do adhesive cable clips help?
6. How do you connect the rear camera and power it?
7. How do you set up the card and recording settings?
8. How do you test and tidy up the install?
9. How do you keep a rear dash cam working long term?
10. Which gear makes the rear dash cam install easier?

To install a rear dash cam, mount the rear lens on clean glass first, then run the cable so you know the length reaches with slack. Tuck the wire behind the headliner and pillar trim, plug it in, and set loop recording before your first drive.

The order matters. Mounting the lens first means you run the cable toward a fixed point instead of guessing, and the job stays short.

Plan on 45 to 90 minutes for a first install.

What do you need before you install a rear dash cam?

Gather the camera kit, its rear cable, clean glass, a plastic trim tool, and a high endurance memory card before you start. A second person helps on longer vehicles, because one person holds the cable while the other guides it.

Read the kit's manual for the cable length and any settings the rear channel needs. Measure your route roughly first, since a run from the windshield, over the headliner, down the rear pillar and to the back glass is longer than the straight-line distance between the two cameras.

Set aside a warm, dry day so trim clips and adhesive are easier to handle. Clear the cargo area if the cable runs to a hatch or tailgate.

How should you plan the cable route before mounting?

Plan the route from the front camera to the rear glass before you mount anything, because the cable's length decides where the lens can sit. Sketch the path in your head: windshield, headliner edge, side pillar, then rear glass.

The usual route follows the passenger side. The cable goes up from the front camera, tucks under the headliner edge, runs along the top of the doors, and drops down the rear pillar to the back window.

This keeps it away from the driver's sight line and away from airbag zones in the pillars. Check where the trim gaps are wide enough to hold the cable without force, and remember that a gap of a few millimetres is enough when the wire is thin.

Where there's no gap, adhesive clips do the job.

How do you mount the rear camera lens?

Mount the rear lens on clean, flat glass where the wiper clears it, away from tint edges and the heating element. Wipe the spot with an alcohol wipe and let it dry fully before the adhesive touches glass.

For a sedan, the top centre of the rear window is the usual spot. For a hatch or SUV, many owners fit the lens on the inside of the tailgate glass, but check that the cable still reaches with the gate closed.

The lens should sit level, because a tilted mount gives you a slanted horizon in the footage. Press the adhesive pad firmly for about 30 seconds and let it bond before you hang the camera body on it.

If the kit uses a bracket that clips into the mount, slide the lens in only after the pad is set. Our guide to where to mount a dash cam covers front and rear positions in more detail.

How do you run the cable through the car?

Run the cable behind the headliner and trim, never across an airbag or through a door seal, and keep it clear of moving parts. Push it into the gap with a plastic tool rather than your fingers.

Start at the rear lens and work forward, feeding slack as you go. Follow the top edge of the headliner, then the pillar trim, and down to the dashboard.

Leave a small loop of slack at each end so the cable doesn't pull tight when the car flexes. Don't cross the side curtain airbag zone in the pillars.

If the trim gap is too narrow or the pillar cover hides the cable, a trim tool helps you lift the cover safely.

When should you use a trim removal tool?

Use a trim tool when a pillar cover or sill plate has to come off to route the cable cleanly. It separates plastic clips without scratching the panel or snapping the fasteners.

The Tresalto kit has five nylon tools in different shapes for trim, panels and clips. Nylon is softer than the plastic it pries against, so it protects painted and textured surfaces better than a screwdriver would.

Keep the tool nearly flat and work around the clips rather than levering hard in one spot. If a clip resists, stop and check for a hidden screw before you pull.

Where do adhesive cable clips help?

Adhesive clips help where the trim gap won't hold the wire, such as along a glass edge or a plastic panel. They keep the cable tidy and stop it swinging into the lens view.

Clean and dry the surface first, press the clip for a few seconds, and wait 24 hours before you load a heavier cable. Smooth surfaces like glass, painted metal and hard plastic hold best.

Skip leather, rubber and dusty or oily spots. The KnotKing pack has 60 small black clips for cords up to 0.22 in (5.6mm) in diameter, which covers most dash cam cables and charging cords.

How do you connect the rear camera and power it?

Connect the rear cable to the front camera's rear port, then power the kit from the socket or fuse tap the manual specifies. The rear cable carries signal and often power, so a loose plug shows up as a blank rear channel.

Push the connector in until it clicks, and check the small locking tab if the kit has one. Leave a little slack at the join so vibration doesn't work the plug loose over time.

If the kit draws power from the head unit, the long cable needs to reach it and you'll follow the manual's wiring steps. Most kits instead use a 12V socket or a fused tap at the front, which keeps the rear cable as a simple signal run.

Hide the power lead down the A-pillar and under the dash.

How do you set up the card and recording settings?

Set up the card and settings before your first drive, because a two-channel kit writes twice as much data. Format the card in the camera, not on a computer, so the file system matches what the camera expects.

Our guide to how to format a dash cam SD card walks through the in-camera format step. After formatting, set the date and time so clips are easy to find later.

Turn on loop recording so the card overwrites the oldest files when it fills. Our explainer on what loop recording is on a dash cam covers the settings and what they mean for clip length.

Set the rear channel's resolution and check the flip setting so the image reads the right way up.

Which memory card suits a two-channel dash cam?

A high endurance card suits a two-channel dash cam, because it's built for constant write and rewrite cycles. Standard cards wear faster when they're recording all day.

The SanDisk 128GB High Endurance card is a V30, Class 10 microSDXC card that SanDisk rates for up to 10,000 hours of recording. It ships with an adapter and is rated for temperature, water, shock and humidity.

A 64GB card is a reasonable smaller option if you don't drive long hours. Match the card to the resolution you record at, since 4K files take far more space than Full HD.

How do you test and tidy up the install?

Test the install before you put the trim back, so a loose plug or blocked lens is easy to fix. Start the car, open the rear channel on the screen, and check the picture.

Look for a level horizon, a clear view through the glass, and no wiper arm or headrest blocking the lens. Replay a short clip to confirm the rear channel records and saves.

Our guide to how to watch dash cam footage on a computer shows how to pull clips for review. Tug gently on each cable clip and connector, then tuck away any loose slack so nothing dangles in the cabin.

If the rear image is upside down, change the flip setting in the menu or turn the mount over. A slanted horizon means the mount needs levelling.

How do you keep a rear dash cam working long term?

Keep a rear dash cam working by checking the rear lens and cable every few weeks, since dust, heat and a loose plug cause most faults. A quick look saves a failed clip when you need it.

Wipe the rear glass inside and the lens with a soft cloth. Check that the adhesive pad still holds the camera level and that no cable clip has come loose in the heat.

Watch for the rear channel dropping out after a car wash or a cold snap. Reformat the card now and then, and keep a spare card handy.

When the card starts to fail, replace it rather than keep overwriting a worn one. If the kit loses the rear channel after a while, check the plug at the camera end first, since a pushed-out connector is the most common cause of a blank rear view.

Which gear makes the rear dash cam install easier?

For most readers, the tools that help most are a trim tool, a pack of cable clips and a high endurance card. Each one removes a step where the install usually goes wrong.

Pick the Tresalto kit if you need to lift pillar or sill trim. Pick the KnotKing clips for spots where the headliner gap is too tight.

Pick the SanDisk 128GB card for a two-channel kit that records front and rear all day. Keep the route clear of airbags and moving parts, leave slack at both ends, and test the picture before the trim goes back on.

That way, how to install a rear dash cam becomes a job you finish once rather than redo.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to install a rear dash cam?

Plan on 45 to 90 minutes for a first install. Most of that time goes to routing the cable and putting trim back, not to mounting the lens or plugging in the kit.

Can I install a rear dash cam without removing trim?

Yes. Many cables tuck into the gap between the headliner and the roof edge, and clips hold the rest.

Removing a pillar cover is optional and only worth it when the gap is too tight.

Does the rear cable have to reach the head unit?

Only for a kit that draws power from the head unit. A rear cam with its own 12V socket or a fused tap gets power at the front, so the long cable just carries signal and needs no connection at the back.

Why is my rear camera video upside down?

The lens is mounted the wrong way up for its setting. Many rear cams have a flip or rotate option in the menu, or you can turn the mount over so the image reads correctly.