A head-up display (HUD) is a comprehensive electronic display device that projects such information as vehicle status, driving status and navigation to the front of the driver's line of sight, helping the driver to recognize various information. It improves driving safety by preventing drivers from looking down at information and reducing visual deviation on the road. However, visual attention while driving is limited; thus, the HUD information needs to be presented within the driver's field of view for quick recognition. In this study, simulated driving was used to investigate drivers' recognition responses and subjective ratings to stimuli in 77 positions within a field of view of 50° × 50° in different driving scenes. The results showed that as the position deviated from the centre, the driver's recognition response decreased, and the subjective evaluation of the positions in the visible and suitable dimensions also decreased. In the daytime scene, the driver pays more attention to the road than in the nighttime scene, leading to a more noticeable neglect of the surrounding scene. This study provides response time and subjective ratings distribution within a field of view of 50° × 50°, and the results of the test for significant differences at different positions were derived. The results may help designers of head-up displays create better interfaces and avoid disrupting the driver's view and obscuring the road scene.