The 2025 Toyota Sienna and 2025 Kia Carnival are minivans known for their spacious cabins with multiple seating rows, family-friendly features, and value for money. But which one is the right minivan for your family? In our 2025 Toyota Sienna vs. Kia Carnival comparison, we assess the features that matter to help you make the best choice.
Exterior Styling
The Sienna and Carnival are here to dispel the notion that minivans all look the same. The Carnival has a modern, boxy silhouette, while the 2025 Toyota Sienna has a more traditional look characterized by gentle curves. The Carnival’s styling is polarizing, but if you want a vehicle that stands out, it might be for you.
Cabin Design and Comfort
Kia’s updated the Carnival’s interior with improved materials and a new center console and switchboard, but it still can’t quite match the quality that Toyota’s famous for, especially at the base level. Both minivans can seat eight people with a second-row bench or seven if you choose the captain’s chairs. These are certainly more supportive and comfortable, although you can’t remove or stow them away in either model to maximize storage space.
Passenger and Cargo Space
Both minivans have space for seven or eight people, but the way they’re organized makes all the difference. Toyota treats rear seat passengers to an extra 3.1 inches of legroom, so it’s much more comfortable for tweens and teens. A few inches might seem small, but you’ll notice it on family road trips.
The Carnival has the edge when it comes to cargo space with 40.2 cubic feet behind the back seat, which is 6.7 cubic feet more than the Toyota Sienna Hybrid’s cargo space. However, only the Sienna has overhead console storage to complement its already impressive center console. These two units work together to keep the cabin more organized.
Technology and Infotainment Systems
The Sienna comes standard with an 8-inch touch screen at the entry level, but all other trims feature a 12.3-inch unit, just like the Carnival. Both infotainment systems connect wirelessly to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so you easily access your contacts and favorite playlists for family sing-alongs.
Both vehicles feature an array of modern USB-C ports, but if you’ve got an old device, you’ll appreciate that Toyota’s left a single USB-A port for you. All Sienna models also include a fifth-generation wireless charging pad, which isn’t available until the Carnival’s EX trim. Splurging on the rear-seat entertainment system, available with both models, should help road trips go much more smoothly.
Safety Features and Ratings
Toyota’s commitment to superior engineering helped the 2025 Sienna earn an overall five-star rating in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s crash tests. The Kia Carnival trails behind with a four-star rating. Toyota and Kia’s driver-assistance systems both come with a wide range of key features, such as automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection and lane departure warning with lane-keeping assist. They also include features many automakers charge extra for, such as adaptive cruise control and rear occupant alert, for your peace of mind.
Powertrains and Performance
Toyota shows its commitment to green technology by making a 2.5-liter inline-four hybrid the Sienna’s only powertrain option. It generates 245 hp and helps this minivan reach 60 mph in 7.5 seconds. The Carnival’s base engine is a 287 hp 3.5-liter V-6 that reaches 60 mph in 7 seconds. A 1.6-liter inline-four hybrid is optional. Despite its small size, this 242 hp powertrain helps the Carnival hit 60 mph in 7.8 seconds. The Sienna is available in both front-wheel drive (FWD) and all-wheel drive, but the Carnival is FWD only.
Fuel Economy and Efficiency
While the Carnival’s powertrains are powerful, neither can match the Sienna’s fuel efficiency. Expect to get 36 mpg in both city and highway driving with the FWD Sienna. That’s much more economical than the base Carnival engine, which gets 18 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the highway. The Sienna even bests the hybrid Carnival, which gets 33 mpg in the city and 34 mpg on the highway.
Reliability and Warranty
A 2025 member survey from Consumer Reports found Toyota was the third most reliable motor vehicle brand, so you can trust that a Sienna will be a dependable minivan for years to come. Kia sat in ninth, indicating consumers don’t have the same level of confidence in this brand.
However, Kia stands by its vehicles, offering Carnival owners an impressive five-year/60,000-mile limited warranty and 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty. The Toyota Sienna’s protection is much closer to the industry standard, with a three-year/36,000-mile limited warranty and a five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty. But Toyota’s hybrid-component warranty is more generous, lasting 10 years or 150,000 miles. Toyota also treats you to free maintenance for two years or 25,000 miles to sweeten the deal.
Pricing and Trim Options
Toyota offers the Sienna in six trims ranging from $39,485 to $56,445. There are five standard Kia Carnival trims, ranging from $38,235 to $52,335. Kia complements them with four hybrid trims priced between $42,235 and $54,335. That means you can get into a gas-powered Carnival for less, but if your heart’s set on a hybrid, the Sienna is the more affordable choice.
Kia Carnival vs. Toyota Sienna: Our Verdict
While the Toyota Sienna and Kia Carnival are both excellent minivans, with extra rear seat legroom, superior fuel economy, and a reputation for reliability, we think the Sienna has the edge. Discover why this minivan makes such a great family vehicle at Longo Toyota of Prosper. Our team would love to introduce you to this vehicle and arrange a test-drive. We’re open from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday for your convenience. Apply for finance preapproval online to save time at the dealership and drive away in your new Toyota Sienna sooner.
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