Raise your hand if you have heard of this one before: “Minivans are great, but I don’t ever want to be seen driving one.” My hand is up, and by the looks of this refreshed 2025 Kia Carnival, we can tell Kia’s execs have their hands up as well.
Even though Kia only introduced the Carnival to Canada in 2022, the nameplate has been around since 1999 in other parts of the world, and was otherwise identical to the Kia Sedona sold here. The name change has been rather successful, as we have seen a healthy number of Carnivals roaming the streets since it launched. Not to lose momentum, Kia has given the Carnival a serious facelift just three years in.
The most prominent changes are right up front. A redesigned front fascia features a distinctive set of LED headlights and a commanding front grille. It looks bold, modern, and completely redefines the Carnival. It ties into other recently refreshed Kias, such as the Sorento and K4. We also like that they’ve looked outside the minivan box with its slightly elevated ride height, make it appear more SUV-like, which likely contributed to its increased popularity over the last few years. The Carnival’s reworked rear end features a new tail light design connected by a light bar, rounding out what we think is an attractive family hauler that should win over some minivan naysayers.
One significant update is the introduction of a hybrid powertrain. We came away impressed when we sampled it a few months ago, but the tried-and-true normally aspirated 3.5-litre V6 carries over into 2025 as well. Our tester features the latter, putting out 287 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. It is every bit as smooth and silky as we remember; the Carnival can actually hustle when you push it. It is also worth noting the V6-powered Carnival is rated to tow up to 3,500 pounds, which is about 1,000 more than the hybrid. Keep that in mind if you plan on putting it to work.
Fuel economy is rated at 12.9 L/100 kilometres in the city, 8.8 on the highway, and 11.1 combined. That may seem thirsty especially compared to the Carnival Hybrid’s combined rating of 7.2 L/100 km on paper. But in practice, the 11.9 L/100 km we averaged in the real world was well within our expectations for a vehicle of this size, and the Carnival gladly accepts regular-grade gas to keep running costs low.
The Carnival’s best attribute is in the way it delivers on passenger comfort. Like every minivan, there is a ton of interior space for everyone, and the opening to access the third row is quite accommodating. The seats are fairly comfortable despite being a bit on the wide side, and a pair of captain’s chairs—complete with power leg rests—is available on the SX+ if your second-row passengers prefer to lounge and unwind after a long day at badminton practice. Cargo space is rated at 1,139 litres behind the third row, with the ability to expand up to 4,110 litres.
The rest of the cabin is fairly well-appointed. Materials feel good and the layout is clean and practical. We love the bright and airy atmosphere made possible by the large windows and the dual sunroof. There are plenty of storage cubbies throughout to hold every piece of gear that you plan to bring along on your journey. The Carnival’s list of amenities is in line with the rest of the segment, with goodies such as the climate-controlled front seats, leather-wrapped surfaces, power-sliding doors and tailgate, and a Bose surround sound system.
We like the look of the dual 12.3-inch displays—one for the digital instrument cluster, the other a touchscreen for the infotainment—and both are quite easy to use. Our only complaint with the Carnival remains for 2025: the dual climate control and media shortcut arrangement. The two systems are combined into one capacitive-touch panel, and you toggle between the two via a set of arrows before you turn the knob or touch the prompts. Kia is normally very good at keeping things intuitive, but this convolutes a normally distraction-free operation. The arrows do not always respond to inputs, so I found myself turning up the fan speed when I wanted the volume dialed up and vice-versa, and hitting the arrow keys more than once to ensure I was in the right menu before adjusting anything.
In terms of active safety and driver assists, Kia includes a full array starting at the base LX trim, which includes Forward Collision Avoidance Assist, Lane Follow and Keep Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control, High Beam Assist, and Driver Attention Warning systems. On this top-of-the-line SX trim tester, the list expands to include a 360-degree camera system, side parking sensors, rear automatic braking to avoid collisions when you’re backing up, and Kia’s very useful Blind View Monitor, which displays an image of your blind spot in the digital gauge cluster depending on the turn signal.
Pricing for the 2025 Kia Carnival ranges from $43,280 for the base LX, and climbs steadily to $54,680 for the SX model. Add $250 for the Ceramic Silver paint job, and it puts our tester at $54,930 as-tested. We think the Carnival is a real value pick, not only in the minivan segment as a whole, but in general—most top-trim three-row SUVs can easily surpass the $60,000 mark, including Kia’s own Telluride.
While most can argue that the 2025 Kia Carnival lacks the tough and bold image of a SUV, as well as the four-season confidence of all-wheel-drive, we think it hits a sweet spot as a well-rounded and superbly comfortable people mover. The new sheet metal and the slightly elevated silhouette will serve Kia well to get customers back into a minivan—or Life Utility Vehicle, as they call it. Once buyers see the dollar savings compared to an equivalent three-row crossover, the Carnival is a no-brainer.