Are you looking for a minivan that can keep up with your family’s busy days while still presenting sleek styling and modern technology? Then you ought to head to your local Kia dealer to check out the 2025 Carnival! This well-designed minivan was made with hectic family days in mind. Everywhere you look, you’ll find clever details and features that speak to the very nuisances parents deal with on the road.
For the 2025 model, Kia has put tons of treats into the Carnival that make it worth checking out if you’ve never test-driven one before. Below, I’ll cover the highlights of the 2025 model, including the new hybrid powertrain. Whatever your days look like, the 2025 Carnival can keep up.
Screens, Screens, and Screens
Both parents and kids are spoiled with screens in the 2025 Carnival. As the driver, you’ll enjoy a 12.3-inch cluster display in the front that shows important journey stats. Plus, you’ll have a 12.3-inch infotainment screen complemented by navigation displays. These screens are laid out on a curved panel that makes information easy to see and keeps you focused. The big infotainment touchscreen is where you’ll take advantage of the wireless smartphone compatibility. So whether you want to check out playlist information, see incoming caller information, or look at turn-by-turn directions, you’ll see it all on the 12.3-inch touchscreen.
As for your rear-seat passengers, they can enjoy an available rear-seat entertainment system boasting two 14.6-inch monitors with full HD resolution. This system lets backseat passengers stream shows and play games off of popular platforms. If you have finicky kids who won’t spend much time in the van before throwing tantrums, then you know just how valuable this rear-seat entertainment system can be. Postpone those tantrums a little longer by letting kiddos stream their favorite shows from the back seat. Thanks to dual screens, they don’t have to agree on what they watch—but when they want to enjoy a program together, they can. Plus, over-the-air updates allow for the possibility of adding more apps later.
Occupying Your Occupants
The 2025 Kia Carnival boasts several features that give you control over how lively the cabin is. For starters, there’s Quiet Mode, which lets you mute the speakers in the second and third rows. So, if you want to listen to a podcast but want to let rear-seat passengers focus on homework or enjoy a nap, you can make their area quiet while still enjoying your media. (This also comes in handy when you’re listening to something that might not be appropriate for kids).
Maybe you want to communicate with rear-seat passengers. From telling that one kid to stop bugging the other one to asking for requests on where to stop for ice cream, there are plenty of reasons parents need to chat with rear-seat passengers on the road. The in-cabin intercom can help with that. It uses microphones to amplify the driver’s voice through to the rear speakers. It can even cancel out any audio media rear passengers might be listening to, so kids can’t claim they “didn’t hear you” when you tell them to get off their phones.
Need extra help keeping an eye on rear-seat passengers? Take advantage of the in-cabin camera. The passenger view lets you see live footage of the rear rows right on the touchscreen. So, if that one child in the third row claims they aren’t eating any more candy, you can check the footage and confirm that statement. Controlling cabin climate is also easy, thanks to the voice recognition system. You can give it commands like “Turn on the AC” or “Open the windows” to control cabin comfort without taking your hands off the wheel. It’s an advanced system that recognizes natural speaking patterns.
Easy Cabin Configuration
From one day to the next, you might have varying passenger needs. You might be transporting just a couple of kids today and the whole softball team to a game tomorrow. So you’ll love how easy it is to adjust the 2025 Carnival’s cabin to meet your needs. A standard “Slide-Flex” seat gives you a sliding second row that can either go back to make extra legroom for tall second-row passengers (like that pre-teen who shot up like a beanstalk) or slide forward to make it easier for third-row passengers to get to their seats.
That’s not the end of the adjustability of the cabin. The second-row seats aren’t just slidable; they’re removable. So when you simply don’t need the passenger seats but you need a big cargo space, take them out entirely. Then, the third-row seats can actually fold into the floor. Between these various features, you can turn the entire rear area of the Carnival into a giant cargo space for those Costco trips that get out of hand (or when you give in and bring home a dog from the shelter). When you do have passengers getting in and out, they’ll find it easy to do with the power sliding rear doors with hands-free open.
Everybody Gets to Plug-In
Most parents have accepted that rear-seat passengers are all going to be holding some sort of device. Books have been swapped out for tablets. Whether they’re doing homework, chatting with friends online, or gaming, everyone has a gadget in their hand. So, give them a place to plug in! The 2025 Carnival is rich with charging ports. There are six standard USB-C ports ready for charging and data transfer. You’ll find these located in all three rows, so there won’t be any arguing over access. Plus, there are two power outlets and two 115V inverters available for other types of appliances.
An Exciting Hybrid Powertrain
Okay, this was big news for 2025: Kia added a hybrid powertrain! Everyone can appreciate spending less on gas and less time at the pump. Typical Carnival drivers—parents—really appreciate this because they’re trying to build college funds. The Carnival hybrid has a 1.6-liter turbo-hybrid engine paired with a 54-kW motor. It kicks out 242 hp and 271 lb-ft of torque, and it’s paired with a six-speed automatic transmission.
Kia designed the Carnival hybrid with some other perks that boost fuel economy. One of these is the active air flap system. It controls the air flap below the front bumper to improve fuel efficiency. Then there are the 17-inch aerodynamic wheels, which reduce wind resistance and drag to further boost fuel efficiency.
The Carnival Is Ready for Road Trips
As you can see, the 2025 Carnival is anything but your regular old minivan: it’s a technologically advanced, well-designed carpool machine. Loaded with features that help drivers feel more in control of what’s happening in the rear seats, the Carnival is really a parent’s dream minivan. The addition of that hybrid powertrain will likely attract a whole new shopper to the Carnival; having a vehicle that’s less reliant on gas can mean less time spent at the gas pump, and parents of finicky kids know that any stop you can skip is a gift.
If you’ve been curious about the Kia Carnival but weren’t quite sure it was right for you, 2025 might just be the year to finally take it for a test drive.
