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CES 2026 has been ripe with plenty of gadgets that make you feel like the future is here, but the last thing I thought would get my attention would be a dashcam. Unlike the best phones or best laptops, dashcams don’t tend to see yearly refreshes, and that may be why the Vantrue Pilot 2 has made such an impression on me.
Nighttime driving is already tough enough, with critters and deer potentially coming out of nowhere. But the Vantrue Pilot 2 should ease my worries due to how it can see through the darkness to detect heat signatures. From my perspective, t's easily the coolest thing out of CES 2026.
The Vantrue Pilot 2 is a dashcam system for cars that consists of four main components: a main dashcam that’s strapped to the front windshield, a rear dashcam placed in the back of the car, a 6.25-inch screen to see all the video feeds, and a thermal smart module that gets installed on the outside. The latter part is what makes this dashcam system unique, which impresses me even more about its compact size.
Last year, I installed a thermal camera on my car, but it was a chunky component that I had to strap on the roof. Vantrue’s thermal camera is way more compact and discreet, while also analyzing different heat signatures. In challenging driving conditions, like when it’s really dark, foggy, or other inclement conditions, the Pilot 2 proactively checks for hazards up ahead — so that you’re given plenty of time to react.
Meanwhile, the 6.25-inch display acts as the bridge for all the cameras by showing live feeds from all of them. The main dashcam on the front windshield records at 1080p with the interior camera, while the one facing the outside records at 1440p. For looking out the back of the car, the other dashcam mounted on the rear windshield records at 1440p as well.
Not only does the Vantrue Pilot 2 add night vision to any car, but it does the next best thing: it also brings Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support. While most modern vehicles support either interface, older vehicles that don’t have displays will benefit most from this — including my 15-plus year old Corolla.
What’s more, I’ve driven 52 cars in the last year to determine some of the best electric cars out there, but there’s only two that come with an integrated thermal camera: the Cadillac Vistiq and Cadillac Escalade IQ. Those EVs don’t come cheap either, as these are ultra-premium luxury vehicles costing in excess of $100,000.
That’s another reason why I’m stoked about the Vantrue Pilot 2. Even though its price has yet to be revealed, I’m hoping it ends up being a smidge more than some of its current 4-channel dashcams — which cost about $400.
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Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds.
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