Compare the2026 Kia CarnivalVS 2025 Honda Odyssey

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Kia Carnival have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Honda Odyssey doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

The Carnival has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Odyssey doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Carnival SX/Prestige has a standard Parking Collision Avoidance-Reverse that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Odyssey doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Carnival SX/Prestige has a standard Surround View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Odyssey only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the Carnival and Odyssey have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Carnival has Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Odyssey’s Cross Traffic Monitor doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Carnival and the Odyssey have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Kia Carnival is safer than the Honda Odyssey:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The Carnival comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire van and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Odyssey’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Carnival 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Honda covers the Odyssey. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Odyssey ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Carnival has a standard 180-amp alternator. The Odyssey’s 150-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Carnival first among minivans in their 2024 Initial Quality Study. The Odyssey isn’t in the top three.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 18 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is ranked 10th.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in long-term dependability. With 3 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Honda is rated below average.

The Carnival’s optional 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 9 lbs.-ft. more torque (271 vs. 262) than the Odyssey’s 3.5 SOHC V6. The Carnival’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 7 more horsepower (287 vs. 280) than the Odyssey’s 3.5 SOHC V6.

On the EPA test cycle the Carnival 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder Hybrid gets better fuel mileage than the Odyssey (34 city/31 hwy vs. 19 city/28 hwy).

Regenerative brakes improve the Carnival Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Odyssey doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Kia Carnival higher (5 to 6 out of 10) than the Honda Odyssey (4). This means the Carnival produces up to 12.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Odyssey every 15,000 miles.

For better stopping power the Carnival’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Odyssey:

The Carnival stops much shorter than the Odyssey:

The Carnival has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Odyssey doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Carnival’s wheelbase is 3.6 inches longer than on the Odyssey (121.7 inches vs. 118.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Carnival is 1.4 inches wider in the front and 1.5 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Odyssey.

For better maneuverability, the Carnival’s turning circle is 1.9 feet tighter than the Odyssey’s (37.7 feet vs. 39.6 feet).

The Carnival has 8.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Odyssey (168.2 vs. 160.1).

The Carnival has 2.2 inches more front headroom, .2 inches more front legroom, 1.2 inches more front hip room, 1.1 inches more front shoulder room, .3 inches more rear headroom, 1.6 inches more rear hip room, 1.6 inches more rear shoulder room, .3 inches more third row headroom and 2 inches more third row hip room than the Odyssey.

The Carnival’s cargo area provides more volume than the Odyssey.

Standard Trailer Stability Assist (TSA) on the Carnival uses the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Odyssey doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Carnival SX offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Odyssey doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The power windows standard on both the Carnival and the Odyssey have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Carnival is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Odyssey prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Carnival’s available headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Odyssey’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Carnival has standard extendable sun visors. The Odyssey doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Both the Carnival and the Odyssey offer available heated front seats. The Carnival Prestige also offers optional heated second row seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated second row seats aren’t available in the Odyssey.

The Carnival SX/Prestige has standard front air conditioned seats and the Carnival Prestige offers them optionally in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The Odyssey doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Kia Carnival and the Honda Odyssey, based on reliability, safety and performance.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its August 2021 issue and the Kia Carnival Prestige won out over the Honda Odyssey Elite.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Carnival first among minivans in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Odyssey isn’t in the top three.