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Does hard-wiring a dashcam invalidate your car insurance?
Q In Issue 714’s feature ‘Hack your car’s USB port’ (page 60) you suggest hard-wiring a dashcam to your car using a £20 kit from Nextbase (www.snipca.com/55421). Shouldn’t you have suggested informing your car’s insurance company as they may deem it a ‘modification’ that could annul a policy?
Don Palmer
A Yes, that’s an important point we should have mentioned. Many car-insurance policies require you to confirm any modifications made to your vehicle from its factory standard. Hard-wiring a dashcam might seem minor, but it involves tapping directly into your car’s wiring, not just plugging into a ready-made socket. Failing firm about a hardwired dashcam, even if installed professionally, could invalidate your policy or complicate a claim if your insurer deems the modification relevant to an incident. They might, for example, argue it affected the electrical system.