Audio, unsettled
Do dash cams record sound?
Most dash cams record audio alongside video by default, and most let you switch it off. What is not settled is the legal position on recording the people around you, passengers included, while you do it.
This is not legal advice. This page reports what the sources below say. We are not solicitors, and we do not fit or test dash cams. If you need advice on your own situation, speak to a solicitor.
What the ICO says, and who it is written for
Generally, you should switch off any capability to record audio by default.
Written for organisations running fleets, not for a private car. Cite the scope limit alongside the quote.
Read that guidance carefully and it is written for organisations running vehicle fleets, not for a private driver's own car. The ICO's default advice to those organisations is to switch audio recording off unless there is a clear reason to keep it on. It does not say what a private individual should do, because it is not addressed to one.
The unsettled question: your own car, your own passengers
personal data processed in the course of a purely personal or household activity, with no connection to a professional or commercial activity
The examples the ICO gives are "writing to friends and family or taking pictures for your own enjoyment". Dash cams, cars and public roads are not mentioned.
UK GDPR carries an exemption for "purely personal or household activity". The ICO's own examples are writing to friends and family, or taking pictures for your own enjoyment. Recording audio of the people in your car is not mentioned in either direction.
Held that home CCTV capturing a public footpath cannot rely on the purely personal or household exemption. We cite this via secondary legal commentary and have not read the judgment text ourselves.
The Court of Justice of the European Union held, in a case about a home CCTV camera capturing a public footpath, that recording a public space can defeat that personal use exemption. A car cabin is not a public footpath, and we have not seen a source that applies this judgment to audio recorded inside a private vehicle directly.
It is very difficult to reconcile the ICO’s position here with the case law as exemplified in Ryneš.
A data protection lawyer has said in public commentary that the ICO's position is hard to reconcile with that case law. We are reporting that view, not resolving the question it raises.
Put plainly: whether recording audio of your own passengers needs their knowledge or consent is not answered clearly by any source we could find. Treat it as open, not settled.
The practical side
Most dash cams place an audio toggle inside the settings menu, often shown as a microphone icon, that lets you keep recording video while switching audio off. Some people turn it off because they would rather not record private conversations. Others leave it on for one reason: audio can capture what was said in the moments after a collision, before anyone has had time to think about what they are saying.
Questions
Do dash cams record audio?
Most dash cams record audio alongside video by default, and most models let you switch audio recording off in the settings menu while continuing to record video.
Is it legal to record audio in your car with a dash cam?
Nobody has settled this for a private car. The ICO's own vehicle audio guidance is written for organisations running fleets, not for a private individual's dash cam, and separate ICO guidance on the personal use exemption does not mention dash cams either.
Do I need to tell my passengers I am recording audio?
There is no settled rule we can point to for a private car. The ICO's personal use exemption is written narrowly, a European court has held that filming a public space can defeat a similar exemption, and a data protection lawyer has said the two positions are hard to reconcile. We are reporting that the position is unsettled, not telling you what to do.
How do I turn off audio recording on my dash cam?
Most dash cams place an audio toggle inside the settings menu, often shown as a microphone icon, that lets you keep recording video while switching audio off.
Last reviewed 10 July 2026