2025 Kia Carnival review - Why buy a 7 seater SUV? This 8-seat people mover (MPV) is AMAZING!

People-mover vans like the Kia Carnival MPV are brilliant. I mean, you have to be okay with front-wheel drive only, as there's no AWD model available, and some people think they look dorky...

But those people are wrong. Because the updated 2025 Kia Carnival is a brilliant machine, with three rows of seats (with 8 seat capacity), a huge boot or trunk space, diesel or petrol V6 power, and a new HEV petrol-electric hybrid model on its way, too!

The branding has changed - with S, Sport, Sport+, GT-Line Lite and flagship GT-Line now the five versions to choose from. And yes, that means the Platinum version is done!

Even so, there's a lot to like about the new-look KA4 PE Kia Carnival, and in this detailed review I will tell you what version I'd be buying if I needed a vehicle like this for my family, and also the best alternatives to it!

--

Here are a few alternatives, too:

--

00:00 2025 Kia Carnival
00:23 Is it the right price?
03:16 What are the best alternatives?
04:34 Is it the right size?
06:45 Interior
15:00 Under the bonnet
15:51 Driving
21:20 Efficiency
22:09 Is it safe?
23:38 Ownership
24:29 Verdict

--

I am aiming to review every new car on the market that people actually buy, to help new-car customers like you, or curious car enthusiasts (maybe also like you) get the right steer when it comes to choosing a new set of wheels.

If you're looking for a car for yourself, monitoring the market and hunting for the latest info, or even if you've just bought your new car and you're looking to see what experts like me think about it, The Right Car will offer you something of value.

I'm aiming to upload a review or two per week, so if you have any specific cars you want me to take a look at, please feel free to leave a comment. Any feedback on my content is welcome, and you can feel free to email me or hit me up on social media.

I'm eager to see this new channel grow, and it can only do that with your support and feedback - so please let me know if there's anything you don't like, want more of, or would like to see changed. I'd love to hear from you.

Follow The Right Car on social media to see what I'm up to and to ask any questions!

The Right Car:

#kia #carnival #review

[marksweet]

Why on earth would you want an SUV when this just cooler and better.

[michaelgoh]

Rented a pre-facelift petrol Kia Carnival for our road trip from Melbourne to Adelaide in December 2022.
The boot was loaded to the brim and there were 8 of us.
The ride was comfortable, the only problem we encountered was a glitch on the touch screen which momentarily went dark In Adelaide.
It is a fantastic people mover.

[mindfreeze]

Had a former neighbour who when I last saw her 2 years ago she had 2 kids and a Tiguan, now she has 4 kids and a Carnival and was I so proud of her because she wasnt caught by the 7 seat Suv trap. The 3rd row in those things are only useful for preteens at best(worse if i was based on a ute). What the market need however are smaller less pricier MPV's so families doont have to spend a bomb to get decent transport for all members of a large family.

[iiiNeURoTiC]

I picked up my GT Line T/D Friday, loving it, I do agree the lane keeping is a little savage

[RodneyW]

The value of this car in comparison with the Kia EV9 is impressive. $65k vs $100-120k! At the tested consumption rate of 7 litres / 100km, the Carnival diesel has a range of more than 1000km - i.e. a comfortable trip between Sydney and Melbourne without refuelling. (Yes, I know that you need comfort stops.... but the best places to stop for food & toilet on the Hume are not the places with cheap petrol stations and/or chargers!!). The EV9 has a WLTP range of 440km, and would struggle to achieve 400km on a freeway. That's at least two stops for recharging with a consumption of around 21 kWh/100km at 110km/h. The upshot of that is that the EV9 is only around 30% cheaper for "fuel" (at public charging stations) in comparison to the diesel Carnival.

[gregturner_awod]

Many of the Foster Carers I worked with had Carnivals to travel with/transport the tribes of kids they often provided brilliant love and care for. The Carnivals were/are reliable, capacious, and in our regional setting, diesels predominated. The new version looks ‘fancier’ than the models I knew. I’d go for the Carnival above the others recommended, and think it drives better than the Staria which I’ve also driven (in my view). As said in the review the Carnival is very practical. The connected services and viewer for rear seats as described will make the Carnival safer. I agree the diesel is certainly the way to go with a vehicle like this. The new model looks excellent, fit for purpose, and pleasurable to drive. The hybrid model, if paired with the diesel, should be superb. The economy on the diesel sounds excellent, but I look forward to when you can review the hybrid. The top version seems to have everything. An excellent review, thank you!

[samaraiza]

The hybrid is a welcome addition but the lack of awd is a deal breaker.

[edwardgh]

Before you buy always check IIHS crash test rating.THE 2024 carnival is not recommended by IIHS

[yazars]

Appreciate the review! Wonder how similar the petrol V6 3.5L version in the United States will be to this one. Kias don't have a great reputation in terms of reliability in the US, but that may be more due to US made Kias rather than the South Korean made Carnivals.

[erictan]

Still not getting the 7 seater into Australia?

[stnucynuff]

Would be great to see a comparison with the upcoming Ford Tourneo

[d.mitchell]

Hi Matt, the previous video presented a Honda Accord Hybrid at a 62-ish K AUD price point... this people mover (and I know that some will say it's chalk and cheese) well equipped under 60k... Wonder what the hybrid Kia will cost... maybe low 60s? It's good to see that Kia markets quality and innovative products to our market..and competitive pricing, warranty, large service network, etc etc...I know where I would put my hard earned scratch!

[bradleyhill]

In the spirit of overkill, this is a perfect vehicle for those with three kids. 😅

I'd love to see a comparison against the 1995 Toyota Tarago. It has zero safety and 8 seats.
Comparing interior packaging would be a fun exercise. Considering It's shorter than a 2024 Camry. I guess size does matters.

[sandilemajiya]

8 seater what a huge family car. Good for airport shuttle

[islandcoma]

Props to Matt for always talking about the annoying speed limit monitor. Hopefully if enough journos keep saying this they will make the required tweaks. I for one will stay away from all Hyundai and Kia models until this is fixed

[sammy]

What is the difference between the 2024 and 2025 hybrid carnival?

[Richard-slwe]

Anybody on this forum own or previously owned a VW Touareg 170 TDI? How is your experience with this large SUV? A family member in Melbourne is looking to buy a 2022/2023 model, will be good to get real feedback from owners.

[Bronlynn]

You mentioned the staria and the mifa but neither of those can have 5 tethered car seats

[arthurl]

Pity we cant order that stunning pecan leather interior that can be optioned in the new Santa Fe Calligraphy

[natt]

How much is the price of Hybrid plus on road cost?