The 2025 Kia Carnival gets an EV9-like front end as well as a hybrid option.
Kia has been working over the past couple years on giving its cars more front-end presence, and that new styling language now makes its way to the Carnival minivan. We first saw this new look last fall, but the 2024 Chicago Auto Show is the first time it’s making an appearance in North America. Not only does the 2025 Carnival get a fresh look, but it also gets a hybrid powertrain, which makes it a stronger contender against Toyota and Chrysler’s van offerings.
In essence, we’re looking at the same unit that underpins the new Sportage and Sorento Hybrid models. That is, you get a turbocharged 1.6-liter turbo engine coupled to a 72-horsepower electric motor. Thanks to the electric assist, the 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid manages a combined 242 horsepower and 271 lb-ft of torque. Like Hyundai and Kia’s other hybrid models, you get a 6-speed automatic transmission here rather than a CVT, which sets it apart from your two other hybrid minivan choices. Official EPA figures aren’t available yet, but the Carnival Hybrid should manage much better than the V6 model’s 22 mpg combined figure.
If you don’t want a hybrid, don’t fret: Unlike with Toyota, you can still get the 3.5-liter naturally aspirated V6 instead. Like before, it puts out 287 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque. However, you can only get it with front-wheel drive, leaving the Pacifica as the only option that mates a V6 engine to an all-wheel drive system. If you opt for the V6, you get a conventional 8-speed torque converter automatic, like the Carnival’s always had.
Whether you get the hybrid or the gasoline-only Carnival, power only goes to the front wheels. There is no AWD option.
Other changes to the 2025 Kia Carnival
Like the K5 sedan, Kia focused on powertrain, styling and tech updates here. While the hybrid option is arguably a bigger change than the K5’s new (but familiar) base engine, the styling changes are fairly reserved. The 2025 Kia Carnival still looks a lot like the outgoing moel, apart from the front end’s change to look more like the rest of its SUV lineup, including the Sorento and EV9. The headlight design obviously borrows its look from the EV9, while the Carnival’s running lights cut into the top of the grille surround and stretch most of the way across the front fascia, just leaving room for the iconic Tiger Nose element that’s been a Kia mainstay for well over a decade.
If you’re not a fan of the faux-chrome metallic trim, the 2025 Kia Carnival is getting a “Dark Edition” that does exactly what its name implies. Instead of all the shininess, you’ll instead get a blacked-out look. As is usually the case with a mid-cycle refresh, the new Carnival also gets updated wheel designs.
Inside, the 2025 Kia Carnival brings a few notable changes, with the largest being the infotainment setup. You can now get — say it with me — two 12.3-inch displays on higher-end models, which is now ubiquitous across Kia and Hyundai’s latest models. As standard equipment, though, there are still analog gauges with a 4.2-inch information screen, complemented by a 12-inch center screen. If you want rear entertainment screens, a pair of 14.6-inch units will be available as optional equipment. Seven USB-C ports are spread throughout the cabin, while occupants can also connect via wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, and the Carnival now also brings the latest-generation Digital Key functionality, as well as a highway assist system that can help with automated lane changes, lane keep assist and adaptive cruise control.
Pricing and availability
When it goes on sale this summer, the 2025 Kia Carnival will be available in six trims, ranging from the base LX to the SX Prestige. In the middle, buyers can choose the LXS, X or SX models, depending on their budget and feature preferences.
With the hybrid model joining the lineup, pricing is a bit of a question mark. We’ll learn more about those details closer to launch.
