Kia remains adamant that the Carnival is not a minivan, and to back up that assertion, it’s given the already butch un-van even more SUV-like touches for 2025—mainly, the upside-down-L-shaped headlight motif common to its latest Telluride, Sorento, and EV9 SUVs—and added a new hybrid powertrain option.

No question, the Carnival remains attractive, its new lighting and squared-off snoot better matching its boxy profile than last year’s digs. But the novelty of its stance against the very minivan segment it very obviously competes in is starting to wear thin. If you want a minivan, chances are, you’re looking forward to a flexible interior with seats you can easily rearrange, fold flat, or remove entirely.

The Carnival’s functionality is locked in the same protest with van life as the styling. Aside from its relatively straightforward fold-flat third row, which collapses into a deep well in the trunk much the same as its competitors’ do, the Kia’s interior isn’t nearly as usefully arranged as are those of the Chrysler Pacifica, Honda Odyssey, or even the new Volkswagen ID Buzz, with the Carnival’s low roof and highish floor pinching the cabin’s height.

2025 Kia Carnival COTY Review: Not Minivan Enough?

The anti-minivan remains locked in conflict with itself, and the 2025 update doesn’t help.Alexander StoklosaWriter

MotorTrend StaffPhotographerNov 19, 2024

Pros

• Great looks inside and out
• Hybrid option’s on-paper mpg
• Comfortable seats

Cons

• Frustrating second-row seat functions
• Firm ride
• Hybrid option’s real-world mpg

When Kia introduced the Carnival as the Sedona’s replacement in 2021, it was with the schtick that this sliding-door vehicle was an “MPV,” not a minivan. It was a three-row … thing, a vehicle more stylish and versatile than your average three-row midsize SUV, but a category-defying thing nonetheless.

Kia remains adamant that the Carnival is not a minivan, and to back up that assertion, it’s given the already butch un-van even more SUV-like touches for 2025—mainly, the upside-down-L-shaped headlight motif common to its latest Telluride, Sorento, and EV9 SUVs—and added a new hybrid powertrain option.

No question, the Carnival remains attractive, its new lighting and squared-off snoot better matching its boxy profile than last year’s digs. But the novelty of its stance against the very minivan segment it very obviously competes in is starting to wear thin. If you want a minivan, chances are, you’re looking forward to a flexible interior with seats you can easily rearrange, fold flat, or remove entirely.

The Carnival’s functionality is locked in the same protest with van life as the styling. Aside from its relatively straightforward fold-flat third row, which collapses into a deep well in the trunk much the same as its competitors’ do, the Kia’s interior isn’t nearly as usefully arranged as are those of the Chrysler Pacifica, Honda Odyssey, or even the new Volkswagen ID Buzz, with the Carnival’s low roof and highish floor pinching the cabin’s height.

Doing anything other than sitting in the comfortable second-row seats is frustrating. Similar-looking levers and paddles activate their recline and tilt-and-slide functions, and after finding the right lever and tilting and sliding the second row to open up third-row access, the seats don’t return to the same position. And accomplishing any of this from the third row can be challenging.

Could we point to the non-sequitur anti-van layout as evidence of high design? Perhaps, but against our COTY criteria, the Kia wobbles on the edge of a knife in most instances, as capable of tipping one way or the other on advancement in design, efficiency, engineering excellence, and other categories.

The Carnival’s cabin is stunning but not very functional, and on paper the new hybrid powertrain is much more efficient than the carryover entry-level V-6 engine. In the real world, however, you won’t see much upside (both Carnival powertrains deliver similar mpg in practice), neutralizing its value. The rear displays are modern and loaded with apps, but the screens mostly just get in the way of ingress and egress, and the second-row seats smash into the displays anytime you tilt and slide them.

All of these shortcomings existed previously. The 2025’s addition of the hybrid option adds to them, ballooning the curb weight by a few hundred pounds to electrically assist a tiny 1.6-liter turbocharged gas engine that feels more strained than the V-6. All Carnivals ride firmly, too, with no handling upside over, say, the smoother-riding and similarly agile Pacifica or Odyssey.

It’s almost as if in trying so hard to come off as a three-row SUV that happens to have sliding doors, the Kia manages to suffer from some of the same problems that plague the SUVs it’s working to emulate. Confusion over self isn’t a deal killer at Car of the Year, but the Kia’s faceplants against our criteria are, and the 2025 Carnival’s new look and powertrain don’t break those falls.

This review was conducted as part of our 2025 Car of the Year (COTY) testing, where each vehicle is evaluated on our six key criteria: efficiency, design, safety, engineering excellence, value, and performance of intended function. Eligible vehicles must be all-new or significantly revised.