SAN DIEGO, CALIF. — It’s unfortunate that in this era, where we claim to be so enlightened and accepting, that “minivan” is still basically a bad word. Call it whatever you want—Kia prefers “Life Utility Vehicle”—minivans are unbeatable in their versatility. Kia’s Carnival has been selling well since its introduction in 2021, and they just introduced some pretty meaningful updates in the 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid to keep it compelling.
The most obvious update to the refreshed Carnival is new styling, which carries over design elements that have served so well on vehicles like the Telluride, Seltos, and Sorento. The grille is larger and more squared-off, and the lighting is completely overhauled, with Kia’s striking “star map” design with amber LED running lights. The same star map theme stretches to the rear of Carnival, incorporating a light bar and updated tailgate and bumper design. It’s a pretty significant facelift that does an impressive job hiding the fact that it’s, you know, a minivan.
Less obvious but just as significant is the inclusion of a hybrid powertrain, a first for the Carnival. The 287-horsepower, 3.5-litre V6 is still available, but is now joined by Kia’s 1.6L turbo-four and their largest hybrid drive motor. It puts out a combined 242 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque. The addition of the hybrid powertrain not only improves power delivery around town, but also significantly improves fuel economy. It averages 7.2 L/100 kilometres combined—quite frugal given the amount of vehicle being motivated,
They’ve also tweaked the new electric motor to do more than just save fuel. It also is used to help actively smooth out large bumps in the road—like that speed bump you didn’t see—by subtly decelerating and accelerating to keep the nose level. It also actively varies output between the left and right wheels to improve handling response and stability.
The Carnival is about the furthest thing from what I’d want in the winding valley roads outside of San Diego, but it handled itself admirably through undulating corners and around hairpins, feeling composed and controlled despite what we threw at it. Straight-line performance from the hybrid engine won’t set your hair on fine, but it’s enough to merge and pass with confidence, and it was completely unfazed by our high elevation and 100-degree ambient temperatures.
The Carnival really shines when you’re just cruising. It’s very well-insulated from wind and road noise, even in the back, and the ride is exceptionally comfortable. A sticking point with some hybrids is the racket from the little engine, but Carnival neatly avoids that, giving up no refinement to its six-cylinder sibling. It’s quiet, slick, and feels natural. The seats are terrific, and the loaded SX+ models we drove had second-row captains chairs that can fully recline into what Kia calls a VIP Lounge, complete with a powered thigh rest. Regardless of whether you’re in the front or back, there’s an abundance of room and it’s a nice place to spend time, especially in our tester’s very serene new navy blue and light grey leather interior.
There’s lot of other updates throughout the cabin, like a new curved dual 12.3-inch gauge cluster and centre display, a heads-up display, a digital rear-view mirror, multi-voice recognition that can be used to operate the climate control and windows from anywhere in the cabin. The 2025 Carnival gets some low-tech tweaks, too, like larger cupholders. The updated dashboard and centre console look handsome and modern, and help the Carnival feel like a pretty premium vehicle.
The 2025 Carnival features a lot of driver assist tech that’s normally found on more premium vehicles, too. An expanded suite of sensors and cameras make the standard Smart Cruise control even smarter. It’s now able to actively monitor traffic all around, and can even move within in a lane if it senses the vehicle next to you getting a little too close for comfort. It displays everything it sees on its radar for your piece of mind. Its adaptive cruise function works smoothly and its lane-tracing ability is among the most robust on the market. All the digital eyes make parking a cinch after the Carnival more or less driven itself to your destination.
Despite all that’s new for 2025—the driving assists, the new hybrid powertrain, the handsome new styling, and the commodious, leather-lined cabin with a literal reclining lounger—pricing for the Carnival Hybrid is downright aggressive. They start well-equipped with leather and power doors for $46,895, and loaded SX+ models we tested top out at $56,895. That is a lot of vehicle for the money; the 2025 Carnival is a lot of well-thought-out and well-executed vehicle that’s easy to live with. The only, only feature it’s missing is the option of all-wheel-drive, but anyone in this line of work will tell you that a good set of snow tires will more than handle winter in a Canadian city.
Otherwise, the 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid is a strong value proposition that’s hard to ignore. It offers so much comfort and content in a package that’s stylish enough to maybe override the fact that it’s—sigh—a minivan. It even keeps that value going down the road with frugal fuel use from its new hybrid powertrain. Life Utility Vehicle, minivan, van, family hauler, work vehicle, shuttle—whatever you want to call it, the Carnival is great at what it does.
The gas V6 version of the 2025 Kia Carnival is already on the road. Deliveries of the 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid begin early next year, and orders are already open.
