What is the difference between a rearview and a backup camera?

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Backing up in a vehicle without proper visibility can present drawbacks ranging from annoying, like dinging your bumper on a pole, to devastating, like backing-over accidents involving children or pets. To prevent this, new vehicles sold in the United States and the European Union are required to come equipped with backup cameras, which activate when a driver shifts into reverse and often include both a wide-angle view and guidance lines for safer maneuvering.

In addition to backup cameras, which help with parking and reversing out of driveways, there is also a demand for rearview cameras, which offer a live video feed of the road behind a vehicle and can record accidents and help maintain awareness of the traffic surrounding your car on the road. So, what is the difference between the two cameras, do all cars have them, and what features and benefits does each come with? 

A backup camera is positioned on the back of your vehicle and offers a live video feed directly to your dashboard of what is behind you. It is only activated when your car shifts into reverse and is meant to help with maneuvering into tight parking spaces and preventing accidents, including backing into poles and other obstacles or tragic incidents involving pets or children. The display often includes guidance lines and sensors that beep when you get too close to a potential obstacle. Typically, these cameras use a wide-angle lens that offers a 150- or 180-degree view of the immediate surrounding area.

How do you know which cars come already equipped with backup cameras? Well, if it is a model from 2018 or later, it is required to have one. That's because, in the interest of promoting road safety, in May 2018, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued a federal mandate in response to years of advocacy surrounding back-over accidents involving children and the elderly. A similar law was passed in the European Union that took effect in 2022. But these requirements only apply to backup cameras.

Rearview cameras, on the other hand, are not automatically included in new vehicles. Rather than activating exclusively for backing up, these devices offer a continuous feed at all times of the traffic behind your car. Unlike backup cameras, rearview cameras typically use a narrower lens that replicates standard vision rather than a fisheye lens for wider visibility. These cameras are included in some models automatically but can also be purchased and installed manually.

Backup cameras are useful for anyone who ever has to reverse a car, parallel park, or back out of a tight spot — which is to say, all drivers. Plus, this sort of car safety tech has been proven to save lives. If your vehicle was produced before 2018 and doesn't have a backup camera built in, you can have one installed or buy an add-on wireless camera for prices ranging from $40 to more than $400. Monitors for these add-on cameras can be clipped to a rearview mirror to make the backup process more seamless (you can even re-use old tablet devices for this purpose).

As for dedicated rearview cameras, these devices are especially useful for large vehicles like RVs or drivers who often haul cargo or trailers that can block a standard rearview mirror. They can also be purchased and installed wirelessly in a car. This can be particularly useful if your car already lacks a backup camera, as a rear dash cam can be used as a backup camera. While it may not have the guidelines or sensors included in pre-installed backup cameras, the rear dash cam does offer a view of your vehicle backing up for safer driving overall.