- The new 2025 Kia Carnival hybrid costs $2,000 more than a similarly equipped Carnival LXS
- The 2025 Kia Carnival hybrid costs between $41,895 and $53,395
- The hybrid joins the Toyota Sienna and Chrysler Pacifica, leaving only the Honda Odyssey without a hybrid
The redesigned 2025 Kia Carnival minivan arrives with a new look, fresh tech, a first-ever hybrid option, and a price increase of at least $3,330 over the 2024 Kia Carnival. The base Carnival LX costs $37,895, including the mandatory $1,395 destination fee.
New for 2025, the Carnival sports a facelift with a wider grille and amber running lights reflect the light signature of the Kia Telluride three-row crossover SUV. It comes standard with eight seats with a sliding second row that can be removed. The third row can be stowed in the floor, but the Chrysler Pacifica remains the only minivan on sale now with second-row seats that can be stowed in the floor. A seven-seat option features second-row captain’s chairs that can recline and be equipped with footrests.
The 2025 Carnival is sold in five trims including LX, LXS, EX, SX, and SX Prestige. The hybrid powertrain is available in all but the base LX trim. Every Carnival comes standard with automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, active lane control, and blind-spot monitors.
Standard convenience features include power sliding doors, a 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, six USB ports, and it rolls on 18-inch wheels.
The gas-only Carnival carries forward with a standard 3.5-liter V-6 rated at 287 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque. It has an 8-speed automatic transmission sending power to the front wheels only. The Pacifica and Toyota Sienna can be had with all-wheel drive, but the Chrysler Pacifica plug-in hybrid also can boast about its 32 miles of electric range. The Toyota Sienna is the only minivan that comes standard as a traditional hybrid with a 36-mpg combined rating, and opting for the all-wheel-drive hybrid drops it to 35 mpg.
The 2025 Kia Carnival’s new hybrid model pairs a 1.6-liter turbo-4 with a 54-kw electric motor for a combined output of 242 hp and 271 lb-ft of torque. Similar to the Kia Sorento and Kia Sportage hybrids, this hybrid powertrain has a 6-speed automatic transmission with front-wheel drive only. It has 17-inch wheels optimized for aerodynamics, and it has active grille shutters.
The 2025 Kia Carnival hybrid starts with the LXS grade for $41,895, including the $1,395 destination fee. That’s $2,000 more than the Carnival V-6 LXS.
The Hybrid EX costs $44,095, and like the gas EX, upgrades with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, an in-cabin camera and intercom, and a voice recognition system that can adjust the climate and control the windows, in addition to nav and media commands.
Kia didn’t detail the full trim walk, but the Hybrid SX costs $48,995, and the Hybrid SX Prestige tops the lineup at $53,995.
The hybrid doesn’t have an official mpg rating yet; the V-6 Carnival rates at 18 mpg city, 26 highway, 21 combined.