Motorists Rank Candy Bars, Fries Best Foods to Eat While Driving

FOSTER CITY, Calif. -- Drivers score candy bars and french fries as the best foods to eat while driving, according to a new survey by Insure.com.

While American motorists are widely divided in their top picks for car food, 16% would choose a candy bar. The go-to snack food scored well on a number of attributes: It can be eaten with one hand, it doesn't drip and it's tasty. Out of the 15 foods included in Insure.com's survey, candy bars also rated highest for not leaving a smell in the car.

French fries were a very close second for best car food, with 15% choosing the hot potato sticks. As with candy bars, fries made it to the top of list due to high scores for being a one-handed food, nondrippy and tasty.

French fries would have ranked No. 1 if they left less odor in the car. Only tacos rated worse for lingering smell.

Best foods to eat while driving

1. Candy bar: 16%
2. French fries: 15%
3. Potato chips: 9%
4. Chicken nuggets: 8%
5. Doughnut: 8%
6. Fresh fruit: 8%
7. Hamburger: 7%
8. Breakfast sandwich: 6%
9. Other: 6%
10. Sandwich: 5%
11. Hot dog: 3%
12. Ice cream cone: 3%
13. Burrito: 2%
14. Pizza: 2%
15. Taco: 2%

Granola bars and nuts were the top write-in candidates for "other."

"Our own analysis confirmed candy bars are indeed the best food for the road," said Amy Danise, editorial director of Insure.com. "Any food that can gush its components, like sandwiches or tacos, proved undesirable."

Survey respondents also rated each food for driving-friendly attributes. Here are the top- and lowest-scoring foods for each category:

One-handed food

Best: Candy bar. Worst: Pizza.

Nondrippy food

Best: French fries. Worst: Ice cream cone.

Tasty food

Best: Candy bar. Worst: Taco.

Filling food

Best: Burrito. Worst: Ice cream cone.

Does not leave lingering smell in car

Best: Candy bar. Worst: Taco.

There is more agreement on the worst food to eat while driving: Soup. Among five choices of sloppy eats, the liquid meal was chosen as the worst food to eat while driving by more than a third of respondents.

Worst food to eat while driving

1. Soup: 39%
2. Spaghetti: 28%
3. Ribs: 19%
4. Salad: 4%
5. Nachos: 4%

Best place for car food among large chains

1. McDonald's: 31%
2. Dunkin' Donuts: 11%
3. Wendy's: 7%
4. Other: 7%
5. Starbucks: 7%
6. Burger King: 6%
7. Sonic Drive-In: 5%
8. Chick-fil-A: 5%
9. Taco Bell: 4%
10. Subway: 3%
11. Jack in the Box: 2%
12. Dairy Queen: 2%
13. KFC: 2%
14. Arby's: 2%
15. Panera Bread: 2%
16. Pizza Hut: 1%
17. Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen: 1%
18. Domino's Pizza: 1%
19. Chipotle Mexican Grill: 1%
20. Papa John's: 1%
21. Hardee's: 0%

Insure.com surveyed 1,500 licensed drivers age 25 and older. Respondents were split evenly between males and females and distributed across age groups in line with U.S. Census age data. The online-panel survey was fielded in July 2013.

Foster City, Calif.-based Insure.com provides a comprehensive array of information on auto insurance, home insurance, health insurance, and life insurance. The site offers an extensive library of originally authored insurance articles and decision-making tools that are not available from any other single source. Insure.com is owned and operated by QuinStreet Inc., one of the largest Internet marketing and media companies in the world.