Radar Detectors: Reviews

Updated October 2011

Speeding tickets take a bite out of your checkbook in more ways than one. Sure, there's the fine. Then the points on your license increase your insurance premium. It's a situation that's best avoided altogether. To help, we analyze reviews of radar detectors from a variety of experts, ranging from magazine writers to fiercely independent "outlaw" types. The radar detectors best able to keep flashing blue lights out of your rearview mirror? They're all named here.

Escort Passport 9500ix

Best radar detector overall

*Est. $500

Estimated Price

New radar/laser detectors with GPS receivers can do one thing others can't -- they warn you where speed or red-light cameras are lurking. Experts say the Escort Passport 9500ix not only excels at this, it also detects radar guns more quickly than its rivals. The 9500ix also automatically determines which alarms are false and remembers them -- and it will only get your attention when it counts. The 9500ix isn't invisible to radar-detector detectors like the Escort RedLine (*Est. $500) is, but experts say that only matters if you're illegally using your radar detector in areas where they're banned.

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Beltronics RX 65

Best midrange radar detector

*Est. $300

Estimated Price

The Beltronics RX 65 radar/laser detector lacks GPS functionality, can't alert you to speed or red-light cameras like the Escort Passport 9500ix (*Est. $500) can, and is more prone to false alarms. It also takes longer to get a strong signal from a faraway police radar gun in tests. However, reports say the RX 65 gives the driver better warning than a budget unit such as the Beltronics Vector 955 (*Est. $150). The RX 65 also comes with some helpful extras, including a signal-strength meter, Ku-band detection for European use (Ku-band radar is not used in the U.S.) and a carrying case.

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Beltronics Vector 955

Best radar detector under $200

*Est. $150

Estimated Price

While no review says the Beltronics Vector 955 is as good as the top-performing Escort and Beltronics radar detectors, testers say it's a good budget radar and laser-gun detector that will give drivers just enough notice to react to upcoming traps. It shares many of the same features as the Beltronics RX 65 (*Est. $300), including spoken alerts and a city mode that is supposed to reduce false alarms from automatic grocery-store doors and the like; however, users still report far more false alarms than with GPS-equipped detectors like the Escort Passport 9500ix (*Est. $500).

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Escort RedLine

Best "invisible" radar detector

*Est. $500

Estimated Price

Although the use of radar detectors is usually legal in passenger cars, a few states ban them completely, and federal law prohibits their use in trucks exceeding 10,000 pounds. Police can use radar-detector detectors -- or RDDs -- to discover which cars and trucks are using a radar detector. However, the Escort RedLine is invisible to RDDs in tests. It's also a great radar/laser detector, picking up signals just about as quickly as the Escort Passport 9500ix (*Est. $500). Unless you really need an invisible radar detector, reviews still recommend the 9500ix as the best choice for typical drivers, as its GPS chip helps it filter out false alerts and detect red-light and speed cameras -- something the Escort RedLine can't do.

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