My favourite dash cam is nearly half price thanks to a 'Lightning Deal' on Amazon

The Orskey dash cam has served Gareth well in the time he's owned it

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Motoring writer Gareth Butterfield has spotted a limited-time deal that brings a dash cam he's been using for months down to just over £30.

I've spent years testing dashcams, and every time I review a high-spec device that's on the market for hundreds of pounds, I tend to end up ignoring most of its functions.

They're one of those gadgets that quietly gets on with its job, providing you with a discreet safety net in case of an incident that might, fingers crossed, never happen.

So when I needed to buy one for myself, for one of my own cars, I decided I'd consider price over features. And, as is often the case, Amazon came up with the goods.

All the features you need, for a very affordable price - and it's a doddle to use

I snapped up one of these "Orskey" dash cams which was half the price of a similarly-specced premium-branded dash cam, and looked neat and easy to use. I paid nearly £40, thinking the coupon deal I used was pretty good, but I've just checked in and the price is currently down to £33.99, which is excellent.

The recommended retail price is £63.99, but the lightning deal that's on at the moment brings it down to this temporary price. And it looks like it's being claimed very quickly.

One of my favourite things about the Orskey dash cam is how simple it is. I've had to alter barely any settings, there's no fancy alerts or smart detection modes, it doesn't even have an app. You just plug it in and off you go.

The resolution is 1080p, with 30fps, none of which will win any awards, but the footage is clear enough to read number plates, even in low light.

The sensor works well in all lighting conditions, and the LCD is very easy to see | Amazon

It has night vision, a g-sensor to automatically save recordings, and the 170-degree wide view is excellent.

There are a couple of things I'm not keen on. Firstly, it doesn't come with a microSD card, and you do need one. These are cheap enough to buy nowadays, but it's a shame it's not included.

Because there's no app, it means footage can be viewed or downloaded directly from the excellent three-inch display, but altering things in the menu is a bit tricky, and takes some getting used to.

My final complaint is the start-up noise. It's fairly quiet and benign, but there's no way to turn it off that I can find and, after you've heard it a few dozen times, you wish you could silence it. At least you'll always be aware if it hasn't powered up for any reason, I guess.

But for a shade over £30, if you're quick enough to catch the deal, I can't recommend it enough. I've tested dash cams costing three times that price and they do perform better, or they'll have a handful of smart features, but I'm honestly just as happy with the little Orskey.

A dash cam is one of those devices you hope you'll never have to use, but they could be vital if you do ever get into trouble. And insurance policies don't come much cheaper than this. Grab one while you can.

Just bear in mind, you’ll need to be a Prime member to get the deal. If you're not a Prime Member, don't worry, there's a trial membership available that will give you 30 days of free access to deals like this, all the Amazon Prime Day deals, and then fast, free deliveries and all the other benefits.