Before adding a recording gadget to a car, it is worth knowing what the vehicle already does on its own. In the EU, two systems are relevant, and both are mandated rather than optional.
eCall
Since 31 March 2018, new types of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles approved for sale in the EU have been required to include eCall. In a serious collision the system automatically contacts the emergency number and transmits a minimum set of data: vehicle type, direction of travel, time, and location. It can also be triggered manually.
The design intent was privacy-conscious. The system is specified to remain dormant until triggered, and the mandated data set is limited to what emergency services need. It is not a continuous tracking system, though vehicle manufacturers may offer additional connected services that are.
Event data recorders
Under the EU General Safety Regulation, event data recorders became mandatory for new vehicle types from 6 July 2022 and for all new vehicles registered from 7 July 2024.
An EDR records a short window around a collision — parameters such as speed, braking, accelerator position, seatbelt status and airbag deployment. It is deliberately narrow: it does not record audio or video, and the regulation restricts the data to a closed loop that is not intended to identify the vehicle or its owner.
In short: your car already records how it was being driven at the moment of an impact. It does not record where you went last Tuesday, or what you said in the car.
Where aftermarket gadgets differ
A dash cam or a GPS tracker is a different proposition, because it captures far more and the owner becomes responsible for it.
Dash cams record continuously, including identifiable people and number plates outside the vehicle, and sometimes audio inside it. Data protection law generally applies once footage identifies people — and the obligations increase sharply if the footage is published rather than retained privately. Several countries also restrict continuous recording in public, or specify where devices may be attached to the windscreen.
Interior-facing cameras raise a further step: passengers, including taxi and rideshare customers, generally need to be informed.
GPS trackers in a company vehicle bring employment and privacy obligations toward the driver. Tracking a vehicle used by another person without their knowledge is a serious matter in most European jurisdictions.
Practical guidance
- Know what your car already logs. The owner’s manual and the manufacturer’s privacy documentation are the primary sources.
- Check the rules for the countries you drive in, not just where the car is registered. They differ, and they change.
- Turn off dash cam audio unless you have a reason to keep it, and tell passengers if you do.
- Set a short retention period. Loop recording that overwrites within days is easier to justify than an archive.
- Think carefully before publishing footage. Sharing a clip online is a different act, legally, from keeping it for an insurer.
- Secure the footage. A card full of video of your daily routine is personal data about you as well.
*This is general information, not legal advice. Requirements vary by country and are periodically revised — verify the current rules that apply to you.*
