2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid Is Not a Quick Brick

How about fuel economy?

These are all hybrids, so it stands to reason that if you’re interested in buying one, you care about fuel economy. The EPA estimates the Carnival Hybrid will get 33 mpg in combined driving. That’s better than the Pacifica Hybrid (30 mpg), though keep in mind it’s a plug-in hybrid so you’ll get an EPA-estimated 32 miles of all-electric driving before dipping into the pure hybrid system. The Sienna gets an EPA-estimated 35-36 mpg. We have not owned a Pacifica Hybrid, but when we tested it, we got around 30 mpg without factoring in the extra distance we got on the electric battery, which is true to the EPA estimate.

In reality, we’ve struggled to hit all of those EPA estimates. We finished our year of ownership of the Toyota Sienna with nearly 19,000 miles and 32.9 mpg. That’s still very good for a minivan. We’re much earlier in our journey with the Carnival, but at the time of writing, we’re merely getting 27.7 mpg. That is disappointing, and we will be sure to update with more information as our test continues.