Dash Cam Parking Mode: How It Works
Short answer
Parking mode keeps a dash cam watching after you've parked and walked away. Instead of recording at full speed, it records time-lapse or saves a clip when it senses a knock. Either way it needs power with the engine off. Every TWM front-and-rear dash cam has a parking mode.
The two common types
- Time-lapse. The camera records at a much lower frame rate, so hours of parking fit into a few minutes of video. The A3 4K dash cam and the S2 work this way.
- Event recording. The camera waits and saves a clip when its G-sensor feels a knock to the car.
The R3 has parking monitoring as well as time-lapse, and the A6 has 24-hour parking surveillance.
What it's for
The scrape in a mall basement. The bike that falls against your door. The car that reverses into your bumper and leaves. None of these happen while you're driving, and a camera without parking mode misses all of them.
What it needs
- Power with the engine off. The A6 comes with a hardwire cable, and the A3 and S2 need a step-down cable, sold separately. On the R3, parking monitoring is a setting you switch on.
- A microSD card. None is included, so buy one with the camera.
Compare every model on the dash cams for cars page.
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Prices and details checked on 16 October 2026.