10 Sedans with a Backup Camera

Backup cameras are an essential piece of safety equipment, so effective that all cars will be required to have them starting in May 2018. While aftermarket backup cameras are available, they entail mounting a camera and running wires, and most aftermarket systems aren’t as full-featured as the auto manufacturers’ built-in systems, which lack features such as dynamic gridlines and 360-degree cameras. 

To help you sort through the choices, the editors at AutoBytel have created a list of 10 sedans with a backup camera to highlight some of these advanced features. Read on to discover if there are any that you won’t be able to live without when it comes time to purchase your next car.

While the 2017 Dodge Charger doesn’t yet come standard with a backup camera, the ParkView rear backup camera is available as an option on some trim levels. When you shift into reverse the system provides an on-screen image of what’s immediately behind the vehicle, with active guidelines that are overlayed on the image to illustrate the size of the vehicle and its projected path. When you shift back into drive a front image is displayed for up to ten seconds, perfect for parallel parking.

The cameras work in all lighting conditions, but for additional backup Blind Spot Monitoring with Rear Cross-Path Detection is also available, which uses radar sensors to monitor the car’s blind spots, whether you’re on the highway or backing out of a tight parking space.

Every version of the 2018 Lexus GS comes standard with a backup camera that is shown on the multimedia display in order to help you during parking and other maneuvers. The system features dynamic gridlines that move as you turn the steering wheel to show the vehicle’s projected path. Also standard is Rear Cross-Traffic Alert which uses sensors to detect vehicles approaching from either side - a boon when you’re backing out of tight spaces with obstructions that make it hard to see oncoming traffic.

To make it even easier to maneuver in tight spaces, Lexus offers a Dynamic Handling System including Dynamic Rear Steering on F-Sport models that reduce the GS’ low-speed turning circle (and improves handling at higher speeds.)

The 2018 BMW 7 Series is a full-size luxury car, and so as you’d expect it comes with a standard backup camera. When you shift into reverse the system is automatically activated. The variable green lane lines show you the vehicle’s path based on the current steering angle, but unlike most systems, there are also static red lines on the display that show the smallest turning circle. While a bit confusing at first, once you get used to them, these red lines make lining up parking spots simple. If that’s not easy enough for you there’s always the available Parking Assistant package that gives the vehicle the ability to locate parallel or perpendicular parking spots and park itself in them.

The mid-size 2018 Kia Optima comes standard with a Rear Camera Display that shows a live image of what’s behind the vehicle when you shift into reverse, and with Rear Cross-Traffic Alert that uses radar sensors to detect passing vehicles as you back up. But to make parking easy as pie Kia also offers a Surround View Monitor system as an option on the top of the line SX trim level; this system offers a near all-around view of the car, as well as views from either side, any of which can be viewed simultaneously as the backup camera (which includes guidelines that show the car’s path based on the angle of the steering wheel.) There’s also a front view that’s handy for low-speed maneuvering in parking lots and tight areas.

All models of the full-size 2018 Audi A6 come with a backup camera, but the system differs between trim levels. The Premium and Premium Plus trims have a rearview camera system that can detect objects, highlighting objects outside the driving path in white and objects inside the driving path in red. Also included is a virtual driving path display that provides lateral guidelines that are precalculated based on the steering input. Stepping up to the Prestige or Sport trim level upgrades the system to include a top view camera that stitches together images from front, rear and side-view cameras to show a 360-degree bird’s-eye view of the top of the car and its surroundings, which makes parking a breeze in just about any situation.

The mid-size 2018 Infiniti Q50 comes standard with a backup camera, dubbed the RearView Monitor, which displays an image from a rear-mounted camera when the car is shifted into reverse. Colored lines on the display indicate the approximate distance between your vehicle and detected objects, while predictive course lines show the approximate path the vehicle will take when backing up based on the current steering angle. If you order a model with the ProASSIST Package you also get the Around View Monitor with Moving Object Detection that provides a composite 360-degree view of the car from above. The ProASSIST Package also includes Backup Collision Intervention that detects approaching vehicles and large stationary objects behind the car and can automatically engage the brakes to avoid a collision.

Every 2018 Acura TLX comes with a standard rear camera, but when ordered with the Advance Package the mid-size sedan also gets a Surround View Camera System that uses four exterior cameras to give an overhead view of the car. Both of these camera views can be displayed on the infotainment display simultaneously, you can select the rear view alone or opt for a wide-angle version of the rear view. Also shown on the display are guidelines that correspond with the angle of the front wheels to show you your prospective path. There’s even a front wide-angle view to help when nosing out of a parking spot, as well as a passenger side view and views looking ahead from both sides.

No matter which version you choose, the full-size 2018 Genesis G90 comes standard with a multi-view camera system that uses four external cameras (a forward-view cornering camera, two side-mirror cameras, and a rearview camera) to provide an overhead view of the car and its surroundings. When you shift into reverse the backup camera is automatically activated, and the system provides dynamic guidelines on both the rearview and top view displays. When you shift back into drive the system will then show the front camera for the first several yards to help get out of tight spots. The Genesis’ screen can be divided into multiple sections, allowing you to view the backup camera with the overhead display and navigation all at the same time.

The full-size 2018 Cadillac CT6 comes standard with a Rear Vision Camera that provides a view of directly behind the vehicle when it’s shifted into reverse, and it’s also available with Surround Vision that shows an overhead view of the scene around the vehicle. You can even get it with Night Vision that shows an image of the area beyond the headlamps and highlights detected pedestrians and large animals. But what really makes the CT6 stand out is the availability of the Rear Camera Mirror, which streams HD video of the area behind the car and displays it on the rear-view mirror itself. The system provides a less obstructed view and offers more vision than a traditional mirror, and even comes with a washer to keep the camera clean.

The full-size (and super-luxurious) 2018 Mercedes-Benz S-Class comes standard with one of the best backup cameras we’ve ever seen. The system incorporates multiple cameras that can show a front view, rear view or side view (with both sides shown at the same time,) any of which can be displayed alongside the top view. Guidelines work in both forward and reverse, and there are even guidelines in the overhead view that show the path of both the front and rear wheels.

To further up the ante there’s Active Parking Assist (available as part of the Premium Package) which can find suitable parallel or perpendicular parking spaces as you drive, and then automatically maneuver the car into the parking spot (and back out again when it’s time to go.)