Minivan popularity has been in retreat since a reported peak in popularity more than two decades ago, and now just four brands field mainstream contenders. After a week spent testing the class, we’ve concluded the all-new Kia Carnival is the best minivan out there. But our enthusiasm for the group at large is tepid: Minivans, it seems, aren’t what they used to be.
Minivan Challenge
Results | Winner | How We Tested
That’s not to say we don’t love minivans (we do) or that yesteryear’s models were objectively better (they weren’t). But a number of head-scratching aspects, many from misguided attempts to seem like anything other than a minivan, make the current batch of ultimate family haulers seem, well, not so ultimate after all.
Where the Dust Settled
Renamed the Carnival for 2022, Kia’s redesigned people-hauler replaces the outgoing Sedona minivan. Across 19 categories and 420 possible points, the Carnival beat out three model-year 2021 rivals: the Chrysler Pacifica and Honda Odyssey, both with substantial updates for the model year, and the redesigned Toyota Sienna, now a hybrid-only choice. As always, it’s important to contextualize these scores among the specific examples we tested, all well-equipped: a Carnival SX, Pacifica Limited, Odyssey Elite and Sienna Platinum. Our Pacifica and Sienna had optional all-wheel drive; the Carnival and Odyssey were front-wheel drive.
With 259 points awarded by our two-judge panel, myself and editor Jennifer Geiger, the Carnival topped the No. 2 Pacifica (247 points), No. 3 Odyssey (235) and No. 4 Sienna (229). Kia won with just 62% of the maximum points available in the test. That trails winners in our recent comparisons of compact sedans (the winner earned 63% of maximum points available), small affordable SUVs and mid-size SUVs (65% in both cases), and three-row SUVs (a whopping 74%). Kia’s win over the other vans is decisive, though, with 12 more points than the second-place Pacifica.
