Small accidents can be the most frustrating. Whether it’s scraping a wheel on a curb, tapping a bumper on a pole, or opening a door into a wall, low-speed parking impacts can cause minor yet massively annoying damage. Backup cameras are now mandatory on new vehicles, but more visibility is always better. To that end, some automakers install 360-degree camera systems to give a complete view of your surroundings.
What is a 360-Degree Camera in a Car?
A 360-degree camera system in a car provides you with a real-time view of the area surrounding your car. The 360-degree camera tech combines the perspectives of several video cameras placed around the vehicle into one image, typically a top-down view. As you maneuver into a parking space, the 360-degree camera system shows nearby obstacles, helping you avoid impacts.
What is a Bird’s Eye View Camera?
A bird’s eye view camera is simply another term used to describe a 360-degree camera. Sometimes you’ll also see 360-degree cameras referred to as a surround-view camera, top-down camera, or around-view camera. They’re different names for the same thing: A camera system that provides you with a look at what’s around your car.
How Does a 360 Degree Camera Work?
A 360-degree camera system doesn’t work with just one camera. Instead, several video cameras are strategically placed around the vehicle, typically on each bumper (within an emblem, in the grille, or near the trunk release), and on either side (underneath the side mirrors, near the corners of the bumpers). When you shift into reverse, or in some vehicles, press a button, the camera array activates. Software interprets the view coming from each camera and stitches them together in one single image on your infotainment screen. So as to avoid distraction, the cameras turn off once the vehicle is moving at traffic speeds.
Some vehicles can display the view from only one of those cameras. For example, the passenger-side camera can show a closer view of the wheels to avoid scraping on a curb. Or, the front camera can show what’s ahead of the hood, like a parking block or off-road obstacles.
Newer 360-degree camera systems take things further. Instead of only providing a top-down or single-side view of the car, they can be adjusted to show different angles of the exterior. It’s as if there’s a camera on a drone, hovering outside your car, switching to the angle you select. Unfortunately, how this tech works isn’t as cool as using flying robots. They simply have more advanced software that combines the views from different cameras into adjustable perspectives, with your vehicle illustrated in the middle.
Can I Install a 360-Degree Camera System in My Car?
Aftermarket kits exist that let you install a 360-degree camera system in your car. They typically include several cameras and a controller that links them all to your car’s infotainment screen. Although aftermarket cameras might provide a better view than a reversing camera (or no camera at all), they can’t match systems installed at the factory.
Auto engineers go to great lengths to perfectly position the cameras, conceal them within the car’s design, and protect them from the environment. More effort is made to combine their views into a clear, seamless image. A 360-degree camera kit you install yourself might not match the clarity or simplicity of a stock system, but it could nonetheless make parking easier.
What Are the Best 360-Degree Camera Systems?
The best 360-degree camera systems provide high-resolution, seamless views of what’s surrounding the vehicle. Among the cars the MotorTrend team has reviewed, we’ve found some favorites.
Those in Hyundai and Kia vehicles are clever; the K900’s provides a corner view of the front wheels to avoid curbing and is easy to adjust from one view to another. We found the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross SUV flawed overall, but gave it credit for the easy-access 360-degree camera button on its steering wheel; in contrast, Volvo’s system can take too long to find the on-screen button for, and then activate. Although the resolution isn’t the highest, some Chevrolet trucks make clever use of their cameras to simplify trailering.
Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz 360-degree camera systems have very good resolution. Some provide a multi-angle view of the car’s exterior. Switching between perspectives can make parking easier—or be a way to admire the styling from inside the cabin. Off-road enthusiasts will appreciate the camera system in some Land Rover vehicles. It effectively lets you see through the hood at the front wheels and anything in their path.
What 360-Degree Cameras Aren’t As Good?
Like any digital camera, you want the 360-degree camera in your car to provide a crisp, clear image. Unfortunately, not all do. Between the cars MotorTrend editors have assessed, we’ve found some of the worst 360-degree cameras in surprising vehicles.
Toyota 360-degree camera systems sometimes lack resolution. You’d think that would improve in its Lexus luxury division, but we’ve found that its version of the tech can slightly distort the image. The Nissan Rogue Sport’s infotainment screen is high resolution, but the camera image is grainy. In the Mazda CX-5, the image is clear, but the screen it’s linked to is too small. Regardless, 360-degree camera systems continue to improve, and are featured in an increasing number of vehicles.
Is a 360-Degree Camera System Worth It?
Although some drivers are better at parking than others, we all feel pain when wheels are curbed and bumpers are scuffed. If you want help avoiding such automotive agony, a 360-degree camera system is worth it. Even though 360-degree cameras are optional extras on most vehicles, the convenience and peace of mind they provide can seem priceless. Nonetheless, a standard backup camera, parking sensors, or simply your skill at sliding into parking spots can be as good as a 360-degree camera, especially if the system isn’t easy or quick to turn on, or if it displays on a screen that’s grainy or too small. Not sure if a 360-degree camera system is worth it? Try one out on a test drive and see for yourself.
Examples of Cars With 360-Degree Camera Systems
- Audi: Top view camera system with Virtual 360 View
- BMW: Surround View With 3D View
- Chevrolet: Surround Vision
- Ford: 360-Degree Camera
- Hyundai: Surround View Monitor
- Infiniti: Around View Monitor
- Kia: Surround View Monitor
- Land Rover: 360-Degree Parking Aid; ClearView
- Mazda: 360-Degree View Monitor
- Mercedes-Benz: Surround View System
- Nissan: Around View Monitor
- Toyota: Bird’s Eye View Camera
- Volkswagen: Overhead View Camera (Area View)
- Volvo: 360-Degree Surround View
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