A radar detector can help you evade police who are actively looking for speeders. And thanks to a slew of modern features, the best radar detectors, like our top pick, the Uniden R8, can also improve your situational awareness so you can be smarter, sharper and more alert on the road.
Avoid speeding tickets by picking up one of the best radar detectors.
Illustration: Forbes / Photo: Retailer
Some detectors even know about red light cameras and permanently mounted speed cameras, and can warn you accordingly with tonal, displayed or even spoken alerts. But if you just need a no-frills detector, you can’t go wrong with the budget-friendly Cobra RAD 480i. Here are the best radar detectors you can add to your car for your road trips, commutes and more.
Power: 12-volt vehicle power cord | Display: OLED | Size: 5 x 4 x 1.4 inches | Mount: Single and dual suction bracket
Best for: Protecting against speed traps using a detector with a stealthy design.
Pros:
Supports all radar bands and laser
Built-in GPS
Easy-to-understand and bright OLED display
Cons:
Slightly taller than the R7
Uniden’s new R8 ranks among the very best radar detectors money can buy. It delivers an excellent balance of features at an affordable price (that’s less than one average speeding ticket). It supports all the radar bands currently in use in the U.S., including the MSCD/MRCT MultaRadar frequency modulated radars and lasers. The R8 goes beyond indicating the signal strength of the detected radar signal. It also displays an arrow to show the signal’s origin—be it in front, behind or off to either side and can be accompanied by voice alerts.
The R8 also includes GPS. Because the detector knows where it is, it can alert you to otherwise impossible-to-detect red light and speed cameras. The device includes free database updates and you can mark up to 2,000 locations of common false alarms. This makes your drive quieter with less stressful pings along your route. Use the bright OLED screen to read alerts, but you can also opt for tone- or voice-based alerts. Unless you’re willing to spend around $800 for the Escort Redline 360c, the R8 offers an excellent collection of features and good value for the investment. This model also offers Bluetooth with mobile app compatibility.
Best Budget Radar Detector
A No-Frills Model For Everyday Use
MOST POPULAR
Amazon
Cobra RAD 480i
Power: 12-volt vehicle power cord | Display: OLED | Size: 4.3 x 2.8 x 1.3 inches | Mount: Suction windshield or dashboard mount
Best for: Avoiding speed traps without spending a fortune.
Pros:
Front and rear detection
Works with a mobile app
IVT filtering for eliminating false alarms
Cons:
Lacks built-in GPS
If you look, you can find no-name brand units on Amazon for under $100—but we don’t recommend them. The Cobra RAD 408i doesn’t offer the most powerful or feature-rich radar features you can buy, but for the price, it does its job by detecting the traditional X, K, Ka and laser bands. You don’t get MultaRadar, and there’s no GPS on board, so you don’t get some special features like sensitivity-based on-vehicle speed. However, you’ll get IVT filtering for eliminating false alarms.
This model also provides red light and speed camera warnings thanks to new updates via an integrated Bluetooth connection. It also has both front and rear radar detection, but it doesn’t show arrows to indicate the direction of the threat. Is it the most powerful model out there? Not by a long shot. But we found it offers the best collection of features you can buy for the price.
Best Premium Radar Detector
Greatly Reduces Your Risk Of Speeding Tickets
Best Features
Best Buy
Escort Redline 360c
Power: 12-volt vehicle power cord | Display: Multi-color OLED | Size: 1.3 x 3.4 x 5.1 inches | Mount: Suction cup mount
Best for: A driver who wants the absolute latest and most powerful technologies built into their radar detector.
Pros:
Advanced detection features
Extremely long range
Customizable
Cons:
Expensive
For anyone who spends a considerable amount of time driving, the Escort Redline 360c could become the most valuable driving tool at your disposal. It uses a dual antenna system with three low-noise amplifiers to detect across an array of bands including X-band, K-band, Ka-band, KaN1-KaN10/KA-Pop, TSR and Laser. This provides 360-degree directional awareness around your car. What you see on the OLED display can be customized, allowing for a scanning bar, full word and arrows to be seen while you’re driving. You can also get alerts with audible tones or voice—not just when a speed trap is detected, but when you’re driving over the posted speed limit.
If you want to keep the Redline 360c’s database up to date, you’ll need to pay an ongoing subscription fee ($25 per year or $50 for three years). Some of the other perks of the Redline 360c are its superior detection range and sensitivity, as well as its fast alert filtering system. You also get dual-band Wi-Fi connectivity, so when the radar detector is connected to the internet or paired with your phone, it can connect to the Driver Smarter community for live, shared alerts from other detectors and drivers across the country. The AutoLearn feature uses GPS-based technology to learn common routes you travel and will automatically silence false alert locations.
Best Radar Detector For Motorcycles
Perfect For When You’re Tight On Space
Radenso
Radenso DS1
Power: USB-C 12 volt cord | Display: Multi-color OLED | Size: 4.3 x 3 x 1.2 inches | Mount: Windshield suction mount
Best for: Motorcycles and vehicles without a ton of space.
Pros:
Reliable long-range performance
High-quality construction
Strong suction
Cons:
Users report some trouble with muting/alerts
The Radenso DS1 is made for those smaller windshields, offering a strong magnetic mount with a quick-release trigger for perfect positioning. The 1/4-20 threaded hole allows for third-party mounting so you can get placement just right for your motorcycle. It’s Bluetooth 5.0-compatible with convenient USB connectivity and a 3.5mm headphone jack for easy listening. The corresponding app makes controlling the unit a breeze.
This radar detector boasts a colorful OLED display, an advantage that allows for a user-friendly, color-coded system. You can assign each radar and laser band a different color for easy identification at a glance. It’s also popular for its long-range abilities with automatic GPS lockouts, and auto dimming ensures the brightness is just right, whether it is day or night.
To compile our list of the best radar detectors we combined research with hands-on testing and experience.
We narrowed down the choices to top manufacturers, including Cobra, Uniden and more.
In addition to our own research, we consulted product experts and industry leaders were consulted to help us determine the products that made the cut. We talked with both consumer technology experts as well as automotive experts to get the full picture.
Each radar detector’s design and features were analyzed, with factors like price also being considered. From there, we highlighted differences between various popular models, noting what sets the best examples apart.
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This story in particular was written by Jason R. Rich, who specializes in all things tech-related as a former Forbes contributor. Jason has accumulated hours of in-depth product research and has conducted firsthand testing, including for the writing of this story.
Dave McQuilling, the co-author of this story, has been writing about consumer technology, cars and automotive accessories for over 15 years. You can usually find him driving and testing a new car every week. His bylines include SlashGear, The Manual and more.
The tech vertical is overseen by Rebecca Isaacs, the consumer tech and electronics editor at Forbes Vetted. She has been writing about and testing consumer tech products for over five years.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
If money is no object, then the Escort Redline 360c is the best radar detector you can currently buy thanks to its undetectability, the wide range of bands it covers, its extremely long range and its customization potential.
However, the Uniden R8 is arguably a better pick. It’s also feature packed, supports all radio bands and has a very good display. Plus, it’s slightly more affordable, making it a better balance of price and features.
Police can detect radar detectors and have a few ways of doing so. Firstly, a device known as a, “radar detector detector,” can pick up on the frequencies the detector emits. In states where detectors are illegal this may satisfy probably cause requirements and get you pulled over—even if you weren’t speeding at the time.
Police officers may also deduce you have a radar detector by the way you are driving. If they happen to notice you braking heavily for no apparent reason, then they may assume it has something to do with their radar gun.
Finally, if you’re pulled over for another reason and your radar detector is visible, an officer may spot it. Be sure to research your state and local laws, as some states have outlawed these devices, too.
This entirely depends on where you intend to use it and what radar detector you intend to buy. If you live in a state where radar detectors are illegal, then getting anything short of a high-end undetectable detector is a good way to get pulled over, have said detector confiscated and potentially have a hefty fine to deal with. Even if your radar detector is, “undetectable,” you may still run into trouble if law enforcement spots it mounted to your dashboard.
Then there’s a question of effectiveness. Radar guns aren’t the only way officers measure speed, and a radar detector will do nothing against laser speed detection or VASCAR. Unless you know what tech local law enforcement is using, you can’t be certain your detector will make a difference. The detector may actually lure you into a false sense of security and land you with a ticket.
Some high-end detectors have a laser detection feature, but its effectiveness is questionable. If the laser has hit you, it’s already too late, and the, “detection,” is essentially just letting you know you’ve been tagged. There are rare occurrences when a laser will reflect off a surface and hit your detector, giving you time to slow down, but it’s not something you should bank on.
Despite all of this, radar is still the most common speed detection method. It’s also capable of hitting a range of vehicles at once, as opposed to laser detection which can only focus on one vehicle at a time. For these reasons, radar detectors are arguably still worth it if you live in a state where they are legal. Avoiding a couple of tickets may be enough to cover the cost of the detector.
There is also an argument that apps like Waze and Google Maps do a similar job for free. However, these apps rely on other users reporting and confirming speed traps. So, a radar detector may give you an edge on less traveled routes.
Before you buy a radar detector, it is essential to ensure that it is legal in your state. Mississippi, Virginia and the District of Columbia, it’s illegal to use a radar detector. In others, it may be illegal to mount it to your windshield. This includes California, Florida, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Before using a radar detector in your vehicle, be sure to check the latest laws of your state.
The Escort Redline 360c is, according to its manufacturers, totally undetectable due to the way it is built. Enthusiasts on radar detector forums and message boards also assert that the Redline 360c is undetectable using current methods. However, at $800, you are certainly paying a premium for that undetectability.
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