The Car Connection Expert Review
Likes
- Hybrid joins lineup
- SUV-like design
- Revamped screens and entertainment
- Likely a strong value
Dislikes
- Still no AWD
- Does this actually look better?
- Silly lounge seat option
- Second-row seats don’t stow
Buying tip
The 2025 Kia Carnival updates the minivan’s sharp design and adds a hybrid model.
What kind of vehicle is the 2025 Kia Carnival? What does it compare to?
The 2025 Kia Carnival is a minivan with eye-catching crossover-like styling in addition to the roomy, flexible seating expected of the class. It competes against the Chrysler Pacifica, Honda Odyssey, and Toyota Sienna.
Is the 2025 Kia Carnival a good car/SUV?
Carnival's a strong choice in the minivan segment. The addition of a hybrid model this year means its only demerits are lack of all-wheel drive and a smaller third row. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What's new for the 2025 Kia Carnival?
A lot. The Carnival’s been refreshed for 2025 with updated styling, new tech, and a hybrid powertrain option.
When the 2025 Carnival arrives this summer it will be available in a dizzying array of five trims including LX, LXS, EX, SX, and SX Prestige. The hybrid powertrain will be available in all but the base LX trim.
The Carnival’s exterior has been given a facelift to be even more distinctive. The front features a wider grille that wouldn’t be out of place on a large SUV—and LED fog lights set within the lower grille do tie the front end together with the Telluride SUV. Amber running lights blend right into the center of the Carnival’s front end, and the LED headlights are now made up of cubes stacked vertically. Taillights are now vertical to match the headlights and connect through the middle in a thin strip. Kia lowered the positioning of the rear license plate giving the Carnival a more SUV-like appearance in the rear, and a piece of silver plastic that looks like a skid plate (it’s not) can be optioned on the rear bumper. Wheels range in size from 17 to 19 inches and all feature geometric patterns like the electric EV9 crossover SUV.
Inside Kia focuses the Carnival’s design a bit more around its screens, now larger. Most Carnivals will feature a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and 12.3-inch touchscreen under a single panel of curved glass on the dashboard. In base models a 4.2-inch information display sits in the gauge cluster augmented by a 12.0-inch touchscreen. A volume and tuning knob remain while the rest of the climate controls have gone digital similar to what’s found in the EV6 electric car. The T-shaped gear selector has been ditched in favor of a silver rotary dial, and otherwise most of the current Carnival’s family unfriendly shiny piano black plastic has been replaced by matte plastic and open storage cubbies.
The Carnival carries forward with a standard 3.5-liter V-6 rated at 287 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque hooked to a smooth-shifting 8-speed automatic transmission. It might be the best transmission available in a minivan today. A new hybrid model joins the lineup, pairing a 1.6-liter turbo-4 with a 72-hp electric motor for a combined output of 242 hp and 271 lb-ft of torque. The hybrid powertrain is teamed with a 6-speed automatic transmission.
Kia hasn’t talked fuel economy when it comes to the Carnival, but the current model with the V-6 carries EPA fuel economy ratings of 19 mpg city, 26 highway, and 22 combined. Expect the V-6 model to be similar and the hybrid to improve upon those numbers.
Carnivals can carry 7 or 8 people with available second-row captain’s chairs that tilt and recline with a footrest. They are a tight squeeze to use in airplane mode for anyone beyond the age of 13. Every hybrid features seating for 8 with a standard second-row bench seat split into three segments. The middle segment can slide to create easier access to the third row. The second-row still doesn’t fold into the floor like a Pacifica and the third row is still going to be smaller than those in the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna.
Every Carnival will come standard with automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, active lane control, and blind-spot monitors. Kia will offer its navigation-based adaptive cruise control system that enables limited hands-free driving on the Carnival for the first time this year.
How much does the 2025 Kia Carnival cost?
Kia hasn’t said how much the Carnival will cost when it goes on sale this summer, but expect a slight price jump over the current model’s $34,565 cost of entry while retaining its strong value proposition. Six trims will be available including LX, LXS, EX, SX, and SX Prestige, but the base model won’t be available with the hybrid powertrain. Every Carnival will feature seven USB-C ports, two power outlets, and two 115-volt inverters. A color head-up display and dual 14.6-inch screens for a rear-seat entertainment system will be available.
Historically the mid-level EX model has provided the strongest value.
Where is the Kia Carnival made?
In South Korea