The best dried fruit and nuts for a long drive, from SA sellers

Thirty-six ratings at a straight 5.0 is the strongest shopper record in this category by a distance, and it is worth more than the listing itself, which is brief and leans on the words premium and pure without saying much.

On price it sits near the bottom of the field while other dried mangoes here run to four and six times as much. Slices rather than cubes also means the chewy, tear-off kind that actually lasts a few hours in the car.

The catch. The listing gives no weight, so you are buying without knowing how big the bag is. Compare on the page before you commit.

African Oils states the fruit comes from Mozambique, which is more than most mango listings here bother to say. It is priced in the middle of the pack, above the top pick but well under the dearest mango on this shelf.

Same snack, same use, different seller, so it does the job of a spare.

The catch. No shopper ratings yet, and the listing is thin beyond the origin note.

The mix is spelled out: almonds, Brazils, cashews and macadamias, roasted and salted. That is the same four-nut exotic blend the pricier bags on this shelf sell, at a good deal less.

Twenty-one ratings averaging 4.2 is a real record, not a lucky one or two. It is not the top score in the category, which suggests some shoppers have quibbles, but it is solid for the money.

The catch. 4.2 is the lowest average among the well-rated nut bags here, and the listing doesn't state a weight.

The Deli's roasted and salted exotic tree nut mix carries 4.8 from twenty ratings, the strongest showing on the nut side of this category. On a shelf where most nut listings say much the same thing, that score is the real separator.

It is also the most expensive thing in this guide, and the listing doesn't explain what you get for the premium beyond the word gourmet. If you go through nuts steadily and the mix matters to you, the ratings justify the spend. If you just want something salty for the drive, they don't.

The catch. Close to double the mid-range nut bags, with no stated weight to check the value against.

Work out whether you want fruit that is sun-dried or fruit that is sugared, because both are on this shelf and the listings use different words for it. Sugared cubes and fruit lollies are sweets with fruit in them. Sliced mango, peach halves and pear halves are the fruit on its own. Neither is wrong, but they suit different moods and different passengers.

Check for a stated weight before you compare prices. Several listings here give none, which makes a cheap bag look cheap until it arrives. Where a weight is given, like the 500g and 1kg packs, do the sums in your head and you will often find the mid-priced option is the better buy.

On nuts, the phrase that matters is the actual mix. An exotic blend usually means macadamias and Brazils are in there, which is why those bags cost more than a standard peanut-heavy mix. Also decide on raw or roasted and salted up front, since most makers here sell both at the same price and shoppers tend to rate the salted version higher.

Ratings count more than rating score in this category. A 5.0 from one shopper tells you nothing. Twenty or more ratings, even at 4.2, tells you the bag is consistent.