Many Kiwis will be taking an extra-long break this weekend, booking a day’s leave on Monday ahead of Anzac Day for a four-day getaway. There’s nothing quite like sailing through the back roads of New Zealand with the windows rolled down and the music turned up while dipping into a bag of delicious lollies. A snack with tasty sweetness, satisfying chew and nostalgic packaging can make even the slowest road trips feel special.

However, selecting a bag of lollies, especially if you’re catering to a car full of strong opinions, can turn a quick refuel at the petrol station into an agonising debate. This highly subjective list finally answers the question: which bag of lollies from the petrol station is best?

10. Mackintosh’s Toffee de Luxe

These come in a few different flavours, including toffee, Harrogate, mint, coconut, malt and egg and cream. Coconut and malt are the only redeemable ones in the bunch, balancing out the sweetness with enough punchy flavour. The texture of these sweets is also strange, simultaneously being too chewy and slightly grainy. The vintage-looking wrapping of each toffee cube is quite cute, but there’s almost always one flavour left in the bottom of the bag.

9. Minties

While Minties are a bit of a classic and work well at the end of a very long road trip (after you’ve eaten all of the other snacks), they’re slightly overrated. They’re not exactly a bag you want to dive back into again and again – just one Minty is enough. The lolly does gain a lot of points for the excellent packaging though, as the tiny illustrations are adorable and work well to tempt you into another bite.

Photo / 123rf.com

8. Skittles

The initial crack you get after biting into a handful of Skittles is so satisfying, and the candy breaks into delicious sourness that isn’t really rivalled by another on this list. However, the texture is way too sticky, and you’re often left trying the pull the taffy from around your molars. They are not very practical for on-the-road snacking, even though they do serve up that mouth-watering tang.

7. Jet Planes

While these chewy jubes get bonus points for their extremely fun shape, they lose some for their overly chewy texture. Once you’ve taken a good bite, these lollies take a moment to loosen up. Initially, they kind of glue your jaw together with their stickiness. However, the flavour range is well thought out, offering variety through both sour (lemon) and sweet (lime) notes.

6. Sherbet Fizz

These little liquorice tubes are delightfully chewy and sweet and include a sherbert-based filling with a moreish bit of tang. They have an excellent texture, delivering snap, chew and tongue-coating sourness. It contains perhaps the most complex flavour profile on the list, making them a more gourmet option. However, the wider range of flavours for this lot is really awful. The original pack is the one you want to grab; avoid whatever nightmares lie in the garish ‘tropical’ edition.

5. Lolly Scramble

This is a great option if you are transporting a carload with wildly different tastes. Want a Fruit Burst? Go for it. Keen on a Milkshake? Delicious. A Mintie? Well, it’s your call. The only drawback is that the ratio can often be a little off in these bags. Somehow, there’s always a lot of banana Fruit Bursts and absolutely no strawberry picks. Best chosen for competing palettes, not similar ones.

4. M&Ms

They’re the only really chocolatey pick to make it onto this list, and for good reason. You could pick absolutely any flavour of M&M, from peanut to crispy to original, and end up happy on your journey. The hard-shell coating gives you a bit of crunch, while the chocolate is the perfect level of sweetness. When there’s a bit of added saltiness, M&Ms really can’t be beaten – unless you’re taking your trip in summer and end up with a completely melted mush.

3. Pineapple Lumps

Unsurprisingly, Pineapple Lumps do battle it out to land in the top three. There’s not another lolly like them and, though the texture can vary massively from pack to pack, the treats taste great in every form. The mallow-y, chewy pineapple goo is so singular, not really recreated or rivalled by any other product, and there’s no one who’s going to be unhappy when these are cracked open.

Pineapple Lumps take out the number-three spot.

2. The Pascall Party Pack

This bright and cheery bag is a great equaliser. Since there is so much variety, there’s something for everyone – if you’re after sweet, sour, chewy or gummy, then the Party Pack will have your back. There are a whole lot of classics included, so you won’t have to row over jet planes, Eskimos or snakes. Though, whoever picks those strange minty leaves will likely have to explain themselves.

1. Milkshakes

The Milkshake lolly is unmatched in nearly every category. They offer a velvety texture, a perfectly pleasant vanilla flavour and adorable pink and white packaging, which makes unravelling a new lolly so fun. The taste is so uncomplicated and the reward is instant – no pungent or sickly flavour, or determined chewing needed to enjoy the treat. Simple is best when it comes to snacking along a road trip, making the Milkshake lolly the deserving winner.