The 7 Best Radar Detectors in the Market which is in your Budget

Are You In the Market for the Best Radar Detector?

Why buy a radar detector anyway? Even been booked for a speeding ticket? It happens all the time – you are driving on the highway with music blaring loud, revving up the engine, enjoying your fancy new car when you find yourself followed by the cops, asking you to stop for over speeding.

It’s a horrible feeling when you’re booked by the cops for a traffic violation. You wish the ground could just open up and take you in! If only you knew the location of the speed trap – you could have slowed down just in time.

That would save your reputation, save you a few hundred dollars in fine and ensure that your driving record remains unblemished. Not to mention the fact that a traffic violation ticket can send your car insurance premiums shooting in the upwards direction.

That’s why you need to buy the best radar detectors for the money. A police radar detector will protect you against the potential traps in your way. In this review of the best cop radar detector, we have only listed radar scanners that are 100% legal, top rated, which are based on a wireless or GPS technology.

The radar detectors discussed here tap into the latest database of speed cameras used by the police and have the ability to learn the location of potential speed traps on the go. They make use of GPS and other technologies such as AutoLearn to weed out nuisance alarms when you drive through the city.

The radar detectors discussed here integrated with iPhone or Android apps so as to access leverage community-based input on speed traps and are fully capable of identifying laser speed detectors on the fly.

 

What Should You Look For In the Best Radar Detectors?

GPS: You certainly need a radar detector based on GPS which is able to access a database of speed cameras and match that with your current GPS location so as to warn you in advance about the location of these cameras.

False Alert Filtering: The radar detector should make use of technologies such as AutoLearn and comprise of digital signal processors to filter out false alerts.

Automatic Sensitivity Adjustment: The best radar detector should have automatic sensitivity adjustment so that it does not pick up nuisance signals such as those emanating from automatic doors.

Dual radar antennas: It really helps if the cop radar detector comes with two antennas at the front and the rear.

Range: You should expect the police radar detector to have a reasonable radar or laser range.

Radar Detector Detector Protection: Some police departments, such as in Canada and Virginia, use a Radar Detector Detector device such as Spectre which detects the illegal usage of radar detectors. The radar detectors listed here are immune to detection by Spectre, so you don’t have to worry about that.

Note: Many people bear the misconception that using radar detector is illegal in the country, but the fact is, what they think is absolutely wrong. It can be used legally in any part of the country except Washington D.C. and Virginia.

Laser Jammers – Older version radar detectors are based on a laser detection technology, which detects the cars ahead of you that are hit by a cop with a laser in order to alert you on time. But what if there are no cars ahead of you? In that case, you will be completely unable to prevent yourself from getting targeted by a laser on time.  That is why it helps to invest in radar detectors that come with laser jammers.

There are other parameters too to look for when buying the radar detector.

 

Here’s a look at the Best Radar Detectors for the money!

(1) Escort Max 360 Radar Detector (Black)

The Escort Max 360 Radar Detector is a windshield-mounted model that comes with a rear radar antenna. It provides a 360-degree radar coverage. It displays results on an OLED display and has 4 LED arrows that point to the location of the radar. Know more about Escort Max 360

This cop radar detector displays up to four different threats at the front and the rear on the Expert Mode and tells you the direction from which the threat is coming from. It makes use of GPS to provide you with red light camera protection.

 

(2) Escort iX Long Range Radar Laser Detector, Black

Escort iX Long Range Radar Laser Detector is a long-range model from Escort, which is the leading maker of police radar detectors.  This device excels at providing a fast response and comprises of the following of instant and conventional modes – X-band, K-band, Pop mode.

It comes with a number of laser sensors that provides off-axis protection. More importantly, it makes use of a GPS based anti alert falsing technology which makes it capable of rejecting non-essential fake alarms. The fake alerts are dangerous as they can distract you when you are driving.

The Escort is connected to the Escort Live app which is available for both iPhone and Android. This way you can connect your iPhone or Android phone to your radar detector.

False alarms are always a big problem with cop radar detectors. You need a proper mechanism against them. Escort Long Range comes with an auto learn technology which makes use of GPS and detects false alarms on time and insulates you from them.

Finally, the most impressive feature of this radar detector is the long-range detection. It covers a distance of 6 miles and gives you a clear warning on what’s ahead of you. It is amazingly effective over the long range compared to the other radar detectors discussed here.

 

(3) Valentine One Radar Detector

The Valentine One Radar Detector has an impressive detection range, which is much higher than what most radar detectors are capable of. This detector weighs 10.6-ounces and is 6 x 2.5 x 4-inch in size. It delivers a decent range performance and works well with multiple radar antennas.

It comes with dual antennas, including one forward-facing and one rear-facing antenna. Valentine One Radar Detector is capable of identifying the direction of the signal. It detects not only laser but also a range of other bands such as X, K, Ku, and Ka.

It has a range of at least 5 miles, which makes it a decent long-range radar detector. Most user reviews of Valentine One Radar Detector have been positive and it has come in for a lot of praise from professional reviewers as well.

Valentine detects threats on time and once a threat is detected, it alerts you with its auto-mute feature which first gives you a full volume first alert. Then the sound is lowered with each consecutive alert so that you don’t get irritated by it.

The Valentine cop radar detector does not come with the latest features available with some of the other devices in this category such as GPS technology. This means it is not fully capable of preventing false signal reports, and in certain circumstances may not give you a warning early enough for red light signals and speed cameras.

It has a simple interface, but it is an analog interface. Some of the more advanced radar detectors listed in this article come with a digital interface, which puts them at an advantage. The device has a main knob that turns it on and off and adjusts the volume accordingly. It gives you only as much information as you need. While Valentine One may not be the best radar detector out there, it is certainly worth your money.

 

(4) Escort Passport 9500IX Radar/Laser Detector (Black)

Escort Passport 9500ix is a top-rated radar detector that can detect X, K, KA bands. It features an advanced GPS-based detection system which ensures that you don’t get any false signals.

This radar detector gives you the best possible threat protection while ensuring that you don’t get any false threats. Escort is, of course, the most famous brand when it comes to radar detectors, a name you can trust 100%.

The device comes with an internal GPS that provides you with a range of alerts and makes it possible for you to mark specific locations as red light cameras, speed traps, etc. This internal GPS alerts you quickly and on time by making use of a crowdsourcing functionality provided to it by its smartphone app called “Escort Live”. Escort Live is available for both iPhone and Android.

 

(5) Whistler CR90 High-Performance Laser Radar Detector: 360 Degree Protection, Voice Alerts, and Internal GPS

The Whistler CR90 High-Performance Laser Radar Detector makes it the most inexpensive product in the category of “best radar detectors”, but this should not be taken to mean that the device lacks in any of the features that you expect.

The Whistler CR90 covers all major laser and radar frequency bands that are used by the police in all states across the United States. It is equipped with an internal GPS system that sends advanced alerts on time for speed cameras, red lights and other threats.  It also comes with the “Stay Alert” feature that ensures that you don’t nod off when on a long trip.

Whenever the device detects a signal, the signal strength is displayed on the blue LED display and a voice alert come through which reveals the type of the signal. The voice alerts are a useful feature & it ensures that your focus remains on the road so that you don’t get distracted by the visual signals. The device also comes with a Full Dark Mode which makes it perfect for night time driving.

 

(6) Beltronics GT-7 Radar Detector

Beltronics GT-7 Radar Detector has a great design and has an attractive appearance with a copper and black finish. The device weighs 1.5 pounds and measures 8 x 2 x 8.5 inches. It is a robust equipment and is very easy to install and setup.

You only need to attach the magnetic bracket that it comes with, to the windshield and attach the power cord to a 12v power insert. The Beltronics GT-7 consists of a number of LED lights which alert the driver to detection by the police. The high-resolution display is another highlight of this radar detector. It displays the strength and quality of signals very clearly.

The device collects real-time speed data and alerts you whenever you’re driving faster than the speed limit for the stretch of road where you are passing through.  It consists of 3 driving modes which scale back or increase the signal area, depending on where you are driving.

The threat detection is handled quickly and efficiently because of the Digital Signal Processing microprocessor. This identifies the false signals right on time and separates them from real alerts.

The device comprises of all law enforcement bands. It provides a full range protection from all threats, such as a 360 degrees radar detection. However, it does not make use of crowdsourcing to detect the threats from a long distance. This is the only real flaw with the Beltronics GT-7. Apart from that, it is one of the best radar detectors for the money.

 

(7) Escort Solo S3 Cordless Radar Detector

The Escort Solo S3 Cordless Radar Detector is the leading manufacturer of radar detectors. As with all products from the company, the Escort Solo S3 comes with advanced features such as crowdsourcing and is integrated with the Escort Live app for iPhone and Android.

It is a cordless radar detector and is powered by 2 AA batteries. It is much easier to set up than the other detectors on this list and can be simply attached to the windshield or dashboard. It is capable of detecting radar, laser and pop frequencies and alerts you in advance about emergency vehicles so that you can get out of the way.

The device conserves batteries by switching off by itself whenever the vehicle stops for 25 minutes or more. The battery life is around 40 hours, which is admittedly not much. Alerts are shown on a high-resolution OLED display. It displays the strength of the signal, the type of the threat and the level of the brightness.

One major negative is that this device does not come with GPS alerts; apart from that, the Escort Solo S3 Cordless is a great option if you are looking for an affordable cop radar detector.