8 Reasons Why The 2026 Kia Carnival Is An Excellent Family Car

Minivans just aren’t cool. At least, that’s what some people believe. The 2026 Kia Carnival seeks to take that opinion and turn it on its head. First arriving in the United States in 2021 as a 2022 model, the Carnival replaced Kia’s previous minivan, the Sedona. Along with the name change, Kia’s marketing department took a different approach with the Carnival, branding it as an MPV (Multi-Purpose Vehicle) rather than a minivan, knowing the latter is considered a taboo word for American families.

The move paid off, as the Carnival broke onto the scene and quickly sold in higher volumes than its predecessor. Last year, in 2024, Kia sold 49,726 copies of the Carnival MPV, the most since 2006 during the minivan heyday, when it moved 57,018 units of the Sedona. For the 2025 model year, the Carnival received its first major facelift, including a first-ever hybrid powertrain for improved efficiency. After spending a week in a loaded SX Prestige Hybrid, we believe the Carnival may be one of the best minivans (sorry, MPVs) that your family can buy. These are our eight favorite features:

1

It Doesn’t Look Like A Van

Styling is the biggest reason why so many families refuse to purchase a minivan; they simply don’t look “cool” parked next to a rugged family SUV. Kia bucks this trend with the Carnival, which genuinely looks like an SUV until you spot its sliding doors. During our week of testing, we had several people comment that the Carnival “does not look like a minivan.” This is especially true of the top SX Prestige trim level, which gets Dark Edition styling with black accents to give the Carnival a sleek and sporty appearance.

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The Carnival is built in South Korea.

Even the lowest LX and LXS trims look pretty bold, riding on 17-inch matte black wheels that wouldn’t look out of place on a budget sports car. The EX trim upgrades to two-tone 19-inch wheels with a squared-off spoke pattern, and the SX models both get the same wheel, just fully blacked out. Other bold styling elements like the big grille, amber running lights, roof rails, and chiseled fender flares give the Carnival a tougher look than any other minivan sold today. Kia even offers some interesting colors, such as Flare Red and our tester’s Ceramic Silver.

2

500 Miles Per Tank

Kia previously offered the Carnival with only one engine: a 3.5-liter V6 sending 287 horsepower and 260 lb-ft to the front wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission. This engine was pretty average for a minivan, producing decent power but pretty mediocre fuel economy of 18 mpg in the city, 26 mpg on the highway, and 21 mpg combined. New for 2025, buyers can now opt for a Carnival Hybrid, which swaps the V6 for a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. It delivers less power, 242 hp, but the torque is higher at 271 lb-ft when combined with a 54-kW electric motor. This powertrain is rated at a far superior 34/31/33 mpg city/highway/combined.

We drove the Carnival to our in-law’s house for a weekend, racking up nearly 500 miles on a single tank of gas. The screen showed a little over 40 miles remaining with 470 miles on the trip computer. In 470 miles of highway and city driving, we averaged 32 mpg. Only the Toyota Sienna delivers superior efficiency in this segment, but it doesn’t offer a gas-only V6 option like the Kia. We would easily recommend the hybrid, but it’s nice to know that buyers still have the option if they aren’t ready to embrace electrification.

3

Multiple Seating Configurations

Most Carnival trims offer seating for eight passengers with a bench seat in the second row. The third row folds neatly into the floor to open up more cargo space, and each of the second row seats can be removed, meaning families can organize the Carnival however they want. That means you can remove the left or right seat to create better access to the third row, remove the middle seat to create captain’s chairs, or take them all out to create a cargo van. Alternatively, you can leave all three seats in place, but fold the middle one to become an armrest with extra cupholders. All three seats can slide and recline, and the middle one can slide further back, essentially making it a one-seat third row if one child is misbehaving and needs a time-out.

If your kids are older, or you plan to carry adults in your Carnival, Kia offers a no-cost VIP Lounge Seat Package on the top SX Prestige trim level. This swaps the second-row bench for power-operated captain’s chairs with heating and ventilation plus leg extenders. This package also adds ambient lighting plus sound-absorbing glass windows. We absolutely adored these seats from the last time we tested a Carnival, but they negatively impact practicality because they can not be folded or removed like the bench seat. It may not be perfect for every family, but it’s great that Kia includes them for $0 on the highest trim.

4

Keep The Kids Entertained

Not only does Kia offer the most luxurious seats available on a minivan, but it also sells one of the most usable rear seat entertainment systems. The Rear Seat Entertainment Package costs $2,500, and adds two touchscreens mounted on the front seatbacks. That’s all well and good, but systems like this are only as useful as their media sources. Kia gives you YouTube (plus YouTube Kids) and Netflix, two of the most well-known streaming services, as built-in options. Families can also bring along a streaming stick or a video game console and plug-in using an HDMI port.

Unlike some other vehicles with rear-seat entertainment, Kia doesn’t lock owners into an expensive data plan. The Carnival can stream content using your cell phone as a portable hot spot. Even if you choose to get your kids a pair of iPads instead of the built-in screens, the Carnival has other features to make sure they are comfortable and entertained. These include available side sunshades on the second and third row, up to nine USB ports (six standard), and an available second-row moonroof that actually opens.

5

Huge Cargo Space

Kia’s website mentions “best-in-class” cargo and passenger space, though if you measure the Carnival against its competitors, there are a few options with more. The Carnival beats the Sienna’s storage capacity in all measurements, but the Chrysler Pacific has a bit more behind its second row. It’s also worth mentioning Chrysler’s signature Stow ‘n Go seats in the floor, which give the Pacifica impressive cargo volume without needing to remove the second row. The Honda Odyssey outmatches the Carnival in all measurements besides behind the 3rd row, and the Volkswagen ID. Buzz barely offers more space overall, but less behind the 2nd and 3rd rows.

There’s more to a family car than just the raw numbers though, and we’ve already talked about the Carnival’s impressive flexibility. It has the largest amount of space behind the third row, which is important when you plan to carry more than five passengers. Stowing the third row can be done one-handed, and removing the second row seats is fairly easy, assuming you are strong enough to lift out the seats.

6

Keep An Eye On The Kids

Keeping your children comfortable and entertained is important, but there will undoubtedly come a time when they start to get unruly and parents will need to check up on them or even administer some discipline. That’s why the EX trim and higher get Kia’s Passenger View and Passenger Talk, two features that allow you to check up on any passengers in the 2nd or 3rd row.

Clicking on Passenger View pulls up a camera on the infotainment system, which shows a live view of anyone sitting in the back seat; you can even zoom in on particular seats. If you detect a child acting naughty, you can push to activate Passenger Talk, which projects the driver’s voice into the back seat using the car’s speakers. Anyone who’s ever sat in the 3rd row on a road trip knows it’s hard to hear the driver unless they raise their voice. This allows the front occupants to converse with the rear passengers without straining their voices.

7

Hands-Free Doors

The Carnival has plenty of space inside, but busy parents know it can often be difficult to get kids or cargo into the van when you have your hands full. That’s why Kia programmed the Smart liftgate (EX trim and higher) to open by itself if you stand behind it with the key in your pocket. The system will beep three times, then open the trunk if you don’t move away with the key. If you upgrade all the way to the SX Prestige, this same feature is available for the sliding doors; just stand near one with the key, and they will open after three beeps. The system also works in reverse; if you have your hands full and walk away from the car, the doors will close automatically.

Of course, Kia puts buttons on the key fob to open the doors and liftgate, and there are buttons for all three on the headliner, if you need to close the door after a child hops out of the car. There’s also an option to hold the lock/unlock buttons on the fob to open/close the windows, the doors, or everything.

8

Safety Is Paramount

Kia includes 18 driver and safety assistance features, even on the base Carnival LX trim. These include automatic emergency braking, pedestrian/cyclist detection, blind-spot detection, rear cross-traffic collision avoidance, lane keeping and following, safe exit assist, rear occupant alert, front and rear parking sensors, and Highway Driving Assist.

Stepping up to the SX trim brings in a 360-degree camera plus a blind-spot view monitor that shows a camera view of your blind spots in the digital gauge cluster. This trim also gets one of Kia’s best features, Highway Driving Assist 2. HDA2 improves on the base system with better lane centering, including automatic lane changes when you use the turn signals. Combines with the excellent fuel economy and comfort features, the Carnival Hybrid is a superb road trip vehicle.