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Photo of various radar detectors. Credit: Reviewed / Dan Roth

The Best Radar Detectors on Amazon of 2022

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Photo of various radar detectors. Credit: Reviewed / Dan Roth

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Product image of Escort Max 360

Escort Max 360

This device has plenty of great features and an effective radar detector. But it's quite expensive, and some extra features are also behind a paywall.Read More

Pros

  • Sensitive detection
  • Real-time app updates
  • Easy to use controls

Cons

  • Some services behind paywall
  • False detection from some headlights
Product image of Radenso Pro M

Radenso Pro M

This tool is strong, but silent. Its radar detection is dependable, its extra features are effective, and its automatic silence detection works well.Read More

Pros

  • Reliable radar detection
  • Effective false alarm filtering
  • Automatic silence settings

Cons

  • No directional detection arrows
Product image of Escort X80

Escort X80

Discretion is difficult with this detector. Its loud warnings come in fast and heavy. The real-time updates through the app are a nice feature.Read More

Pros

  • 应用程序提供实时更新

Cons

  • Loud and aggressive notifications
  • Small buttons
Product image of Radenso XP

Radenso XP

This detector is effective, its extra features are useful, and Radenso offers free software updates for life.Read More

Pros

  • Sensitive detection
  • Extra features
  • Free updates for life

Cons

  • None that we could find
Product image of Whistler CR93

Whistler CR93

While this detector packs in a lot of features for its low price point, it doesn't do its main function of detecting radar as well as it should.Read More

Pros

  • Affordable
  • Plenty of extra features

Cons

  • Slow to detect radars
  • Not as sensitive

Radar detectors are useful helpers for avoiding speeding tickets. In many places, even going with the flow can get you nailed by a police radar speed trap, so a radar detector’s ability to sniff out ambushes from both hidden police and red-light cameras is crucial. Not only do they provide peace of mind, but they can also help you become a more attentive driver. The trick is that they need to be sensitive enough to detect the right signals but sophisticated enough to ignore the veritable sea of stray noise we’re bathed in.

These are our recommendations for the best radar detectors on Amazon. Just a note that while these detectors will help you avoid detection, please don't travel at an unsafe speed. These are not a license to drive dangerously.

Editor's Note

The recommendations in this guide are based on thorough product and market research by our team of expert product reviewers. The picks are based on examining user reviews, product specifications, and, in some limited cases, our experience with the specific products named.

Product image of Escort Max 360
Escort Max 360

The most curious thing we noticed with this detector was that the laser headlights in some cars put it in a constant state of alert. In a car with regular old incandescents, this detector displayed very good range. It’s versatile, with front and rear-facing antennas, which help the unit point to the location of the threat. Its display uses directional arrows to let you know where you’re getting lit up from. Voice alerts and different alert tones for each band help you keep your eyes on the road, instead of peering at the detector to see which frequency it has detected.

This detector performed quite well, but its large physical size means that it blocks some of your windshield view. On-board GPS and phone-enabled features such as the Defender Database and Escort Live app work together with Bluetooth. These enhancements may not be useful to you unless your phone is compatible with the app, which may be an issue with some older models. Additionally, the Defender Database is a subscription service. Getting live alerts may be valuable enough to you that it’s worth it. The GPS helps the Max 360 keep false alarms to a minimum, and you can add your own marked locations. Because it’s large, the controls on top are easy to manipulate. This is a nice detector with good performance, but its high price and ongoing subscription costs are downsides.

Pros

  • Sensitive detection

  • Real-time app updates

  • Easy to use controls

Cons

  • Some services behind paywall

  • False detection from some headlights

Product image of Radenso Pro M
Radenso Pro M

This premium detector is small but mighty. In fact, all of the Radenso units we tried provided outstanding false alarm filtering and excellent detection with plenty of warning. This unit was so effective at ignoring false alarms that we sometimes questioned whether it was working at all. It was, but it’s just great at ignoring those stray signals and other radar sources that freak out other units, and it does it without having to play with buttons all the time. Just stick it on the windshield and go. AutoCity mode knowns when you’re in-town and keeps quiet. You can manually select Highway or City modes, as well.

Detection was just about as early and reliable as the longest-range standouts in the test, and it also has smart GPS features. You’d expect to be able to mark locations that set off false alerts, and you can, but the Pro M also keeps quiet if it detects you’re traveling below the speed limit. Voice alerts and multiple threat tracking provide important information in an easy fashion, and this detector turned out to be the strong, mostly-silent type. It’s great right out of the box, and there are lots of fine-tuning you can do to make it perform most effectively for you. We did miss the directional arrows and more graphical displays of some of the other units, at least at first, but you’ll spend hundreds more to get the eye candy without any attendant increase in performance. The Radenso Pro M works like a charm when it’s important, and stays out of the way with its small size and outstanding filtering.

Pros

  • Reliable radar detection

  • Effective false alarm filtering

  • Automatic silence settings

Cons

  • No directional detection arrows

Product image of Escort X80
Escort X80

This detector was the angriest to test. Blindspot detection, cruise control, and stray K-band triggered the X80 often. It’s good that the unit provided alerts, but it made for a busy time behind the wheel, muting warnings in stop-and-go traffic and around town. The OLED display is attractive. With Bluetooth onboard and the Escort Live app, you get the benefit of GPS and crowd-sourced alerts. Again, though, the app may not work with all phones, but it’s a nice way to extend the capabilities of what is Escort’s lowest-priced detector.

The buttons to operate volume, sensitivity, and dimming are small and on the top of the unit, so you have to operate them by feel when it’s installed. It takes some fumbling to get the function you want. The display will show you a voltmeter readout unless you’re connected to Escort Live. Then it displays your speed and the current speed limit at your location, which is much more useful information. The X80 does have voice announcements and four independently switchable segments of the KA band, so you can switch off the ones that aren’t used in your area and reduce false alarms. That’s not as many segments and you’ll get from other brands we tried, either. It’s disappointing that you really need to pair the X80 with a phone to get the most out of it, and its false alarm filtering isn’t as good as the others, so it may quickly wear out its welcome.

Pros

  • 应用程序提供实时更新

Cons

  • Loud and aggressive notifications

  • Small buttons

Product image of Radenso XP
Radenso XP

This is the middle of the Radenso windshield-mount detector line. Like the SP, the detection is very sensitive, and the XP adds GPS with location memory. In keeping with the “quiet detector” theme, the XP will automatically mute itself based on your speed. It knows what roads you’re on and what the speed limit is thanks to GPS and a built-in database of locations including red light and speed cameras.

Radenso offers free firmware and database updates forever, too. That’s a feature that other brands charge for. With the raw detection charms of its SP brother, plus GPS, the XP makes quite the case for itself, especially given its performance, which was equal in practice to the most expensive and sensitive units we tried.

Pros

  • Sensitive detection

  • Extra features

  • Free updates for life

Cons

  • None that we could find

Product image of Whistler CR93
Whistler CR93

不像其他敏感的探测器,尽管它性病ll found the threats. The question is whether it found them with enough time to react, or not. While this unit is a lower-priced detector, it has a lot of features. There’s built-in GPS and an internal location database of speed and red-light cameras that can be user-updated. The CR93 also includes Field Disturbance Sensor Rejection and Traffic Flow Sensor Rejection, two features that help ignore the driver assistance systems that may be in nearby cars.

在我们的测试中,CR 93提醒后比其他detectors we tried, meaning you’ve got less time to make adjustments. Sometimes a lot less, depending on the situation. With a clear road and a radar or laser gun pointed directly at you, the CR 93 is probably fairly reliable at detecting and warning. Other independent testing, however, found that it has considerable blind spots, including situations where vehicles are being clocked stealthily from behind or when exiting a curve. Given the amount of performance for the dollar we found from other detectors, you’re better off skipping the Whistler CR93. The built-in GPS database is a nice feature for the price, but in terms of raw detection capability, it comes up short.

Pros

  • Affordable

  • Plenty of extra features

Cons

  • Slow to detect radars

  • Not as sensitive

Meet the tester

Dan Roth

Dan Roth

Contributor

@boston_auto

Dan Roth is an editor, writer, and automotive journalist.

See all of Dan Roth's reviews

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