This is a genuine question, not trolling at all. I’m really hoping to hear from actual Carnival owners for some insight.
My wife and I have a toddler, and we’re expecting our second child in less than a month. We’ve been looking at minivans for the last six months, and originally, we were only considering the Sienna, though it’s been tough to find one. Then, we saw the 2025 Carnival.
We were instantly drawn to the new look and features of the Carnival and started seriously considering it. However, I came across a comment where someone made a joke about its crash test ratings, which led me to dig deeper. I found out that the Carnival didn’t perform well on the updated IIHS side collision test, and that got me thinking.
Knowing about those crash test results, what made you choose the Carnival? What factors outweighed the test ratings for you? I’m finding it hard to imagine putting my kids or elderly parents in the back without worrying. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!
When the Carnival first came out in 2022, it did well in the tests. Then, they made the tests harder, and now Kia needs to make some updates to address that. I’m surprised they didn’t include that in the 2025 refresh, but just because the standards got tougher doesn’t mean the car is suddenly unsafe. It’s still a safe vehicle, just that the bar has been raised.
Also, if your kids are in car seats, those results won’t matter as much for them. The Carnival’s only weak spot was a slightly higher risk of torso injuries, but car seats will protect your kids in that case.
@Jason
That reasoning makes sense about the tests getting tougher, so thank you for that perspective.
I’m not trying to sound overly cautious, but based on what you’re saying, would it be safer for kids in car seats versus adults sitting in the back seats?
@DanBurn
I think you might be overthinking it a bit. The car is rated well for head and other critical areas, just slightly higher risk of torso injuries. I wouldn’t lose sleep over it.
Jason said: @DanBurn
I think you might be overthinking it a bit. The car is rated well for head and other critical areas, just slightly higher risk of torso injuries. I wouldn’t lose sleep over it.
Also, car seats are going through their own standardization process for side impacts. So when those numbers come out, they might look worse than they are. It’s all part of the improvements, but it can look scary when you first see the results.
That was my post from a month ago! You might also find some real crash stories in the Facebook group ‘Kia Carnival Family of Owners.’ Someone posted recently about their accident with photos.
The Odyssey now gets a Poor rating in the new frontal overlap test, even though it was a top safety pick just a few years ago.
The Carnival is much safer than a 2020 Sienna, but in 2024, the Sienna is safer due to the updated standards. A few years from now, the Sienna might be rated poorly in the next new test.
The bottom line is that these heavy modern minivans are some of the safest vehicles on the road.
For us, it came down to convenience and availability. We had an older Pacifica that kept having problems, and no one could figure out the issue. We had a lot of road trips planned, and the Carnival had what we were looking for. It was available, the dealership worked with us remotely, and they offered us a great trade-in deal.
I had a Kia Niro, and the safety features were great at helping avoid accidents. The blind spot sensors were very loud, and if I got too close to something, the car would stop itself. It felt like I had a driving partner.
I test drove a Sienna, and while it has safety features too, they were much less responsive. The blind spot sensors only flashed a light on the mirror, and there was no sound. I felt much safer in the Kia because the features were more proactive.