2025 Honda Odyssey vs. 2025 Kia Carnival

Minivans, the never proud but previously popular choice for families, have plummeted from their heyday in the early 2000s. In the segment’s peak years, Chrysler alone sold more minivans than every brand combined does today. 

But there remains no smarter package for hauling the most people and stuff, and the companies that still make minivans continue to pack them with family-friendly features you won’t find in any other type of vehicle. Both the segment’s bestseller, the Honda Odyssey, and its newest competitor, the Kia Carnival, were updated for 2025. Let’s see how they stack up.

Engine Specifications, Fuel Efficiency and Capability

Honda gave the Odyssey a little exterior refresh and some new interior features for 2025, but Kia steals the spotlight with the Carnival’s newly available hybrid powertrain. The Carnival pairs a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder with an electric motor for a combined 242 horsepower and 271 pound-feet of torque, routed through a six-speed automatic to the front wheels. The Carnival’s standard engine is a 3.5-liter V6 that makes 287 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque and is paired with an eight-speed automatic.

That leaves the Odyssey as the only minivan in the U.S. without a hybrid powertrain. It uses a 3.5-liter V6 that’s good for 280 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque, teamed with a 10-speed automatic and front-wheel drive. Honda’s V6 has a slight edge in fuel economy compared to the six-cylinder Carnival, turning in an EPA-rated 19 mpg in the city, 28 on the highway and 22 mpg combined, compared to the V6–powered Kia’s 18/26/21 mpg.

The Carnival Hybrid flips the script, offering 34/31/33 mpg city/highway/combined. Better still, the hybrid powertrain — available on all but the base Carnival LX trim level — adds only $2,000 to the price. Assuming owners drive 14,000 miles annually, the approximate average for an American, and $3.75 for a gallon of gas, buyers will make up that added cost in just under three years. 

For owners who need to bring more stuff than can fit inside, the Honda is rated to tow 3,500 pounds. While Kia hasn’t released exact numbers for the 2025 model yet, the 2024 Carnival was rated for 3,500 pounds, as well.

Safety Ratings and Features

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the Honda a Top Safety Pick designation in 2024 for its performance in crash tests and collision-avoidance evaluations. The Kia was not, due to unsatisfactory marks for its pedestrian-detection technology and standard headlights. 

It’s a give-and-take between the two vans in crash testing, with the Carnival outperforming the Odyssey in frontal collisions and the Odyssey better protecting occupants in side impacts. However, the IIHS has not yet evaluated the 2025 versions of either model.

Considering that the current Odyssey generation dates to 2018 and the Carnival arrived in 2022, it’s not surprising that the Kia boasts the more-comprehensive suite of standard safety tech. Both feature forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitors, rear cross-traffic alert and adaptive cruise control. To that, the Kia adds blind-spot intervention — which actively resists changing lanes when another vehicle is adjacent to the Carnival — lane-following assist, and front and rear parking sensors.

The Kia’s list of optional safety gear is also more impressive than the Honda’s. Parking sensors are available on Odyssey’s higher trim levels, but the Carnival offers a 360-degree parking camera, blind-spot cameras, Kia’s Highway Driving Assist 2 hands-on semi-autonomous driving tech and an upgraded forward-collision warning system that watches for oncoming traffic at intersections and when making left turns.

Luxury and Comfort Features

Aside from its safety tech, the base Carnival is more sparsely equipped than the entry-level Odyssey — as it ought to be, given it’s priced some $5,500 lower. Standard features on the Kia include hands-free power sliding doors, keyless entry and start, cloth seating and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Odyssey has all that plus leather upholstery, heated front seats, a sunroof and a power liftgate.

But the Kia’s lower base price means that the third-highest of its five trim levels still undercuts the cheapest Odyssey EX-L. The Carnival EX’s leather is fake, but it also has heated front seats, a power liftgate and an intercom — real leather and a dual-pane sunroof enter the Kia lineup higher up the trim ladder.

Fully loaded, the Carnival holds its edge over the Odyssey in the available features department. A 11-speaker sound system, ventilated front seats and a rear-seat entertainment display are available on the Honda, but the Kia offers a 12-speaker sound system, heated and ventilated front and rear seats and two rear-entertainment screens, plus second-row lounge seats with ottomans, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and 12.3-inch touchscreen and more.

However, the Honda maintains an advantage over the Kia in that most fundamental of minivan traits: space. Particularly in the third-row seat, the Honda is significantly roomier, boasting a meaningful 2.5 inches of additional legroom. Its 10.7-cubic-foot edge in maximum cargo volume — 155.8 to 145.1 — will likely be appreciated less often but will certainly be welcome when moving into freshman dorms. The Odyssey also has more storage cubbies scattered throughout.

Pricing

The 2025 Kia Carnival is available in five trim levels: LX, LXS, EX, SX and SX Prestige. Base prices range from $36,500 for the LX to $50,600 for the SX Prestige. The hybrid powertrain is available on all but the LX for an additional $2,000.

The Odyssey comes in four trims: EX-L, Sport-L, Touring and Elite. The EX-L starts at $43,315, while the Elite opens at $52,275.

Ready to move to a minivan?

The decision between “which is the better minivan” ultimately depends on your lifestyle. If you drive a lot, the hybrid Carnival would make more sense for your pocket, but if you’ve got tall passengers, the extra-roominess of the Odyssey would win.

No matter which you choose, you can use TrueCar to find your dream minivan (yes, that’s a real thing). Whether you’re shopping new or used, use TrueCar to help you find a great deal on a great van near you.

The post 2025 Honda Odyssey vs. 2025 Kia Carnival appeared first on TrueCar Blog.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *