Compare the2024 Honda OdysseyVS 2024 Kia Carnival

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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The Honda Odyssey has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Carnival doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Odyssey deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Odyssey’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Carnival’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

The Odyssey has a standard Whiplash Mitigation Front Seat Design, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash Mitigation Front Seat Design system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Carnival doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

With its standard Collision Mitigation Braking System, the Honda Odyssey is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Kia Carnival, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	Odyssey	Carnival
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
	Crossing Child - DAY
25 MPH	-21 MPH	-13 MPH
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-10 MPH
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-13 MPH
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-5 MPH
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
37 MPH Brights	-28 MPH	-18 MPH

The Odyssey Touring/Elite has standard HondaLink Assist, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Carnival doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Odyssey and the Carnival have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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, driver alert monitors and available rear parking sensors.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Honda Odyssey is much safer than the Carnival:

	Odyssey	Carnival
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	POOR
Structure	GOOD	POOR
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	127	167
Neck Tension	201 lbs.	245 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Torso Max Deflection	1.26 in	1.42 in
Torso Deflection Rate	5 MPH	6 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	POOR
Pelvis Force	625 lbs.	1562 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	142	357
Neck Tension	112 lbs.	379 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	POOR
Shoulder Deflection	.98 in	1.89 in
Shoulder Force	312 lbs.	469 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.81 in	2.36 in
Torso Deflection Rate	11 MPH	12 MPH
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

The Honda Odyssey achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Carnival is not a “Top Safety Pick” for 2024.

Warranty

The Odyssey’s 5 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Carnival runs out after 100,000 miles.

Honda pays for scheduled maintenance on the Odyssey for 2 years and 24,000 miles. Honda will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Kia doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Carnival.

There are over 35 percent more Honda dealers than there are Kia dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Odyssey’s warranty.

Reliability

The engine in the Odyssey has a single overhead cam for simplicity. The engine in the Carnival has dual overhead cams, which add to the number of moving parts and the complexity of the cylinder heads.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 5 places higher in reliability than Kia.

Engine

As tested in Motor Trend the Honda Odyssey is faster than the Kia Carnival:

	Odyssey	Carnival
Zero to 60 MPH	6.6 sec	7.7 sec
Quarter Mile	15 sec	15.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	94.6 MPH	90.4 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Odyssey gets better fuel mileage than the Carnival (19 city/28 hwy vs. 19 city/26 hwy).

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Odyssey’s fuel efficiency. The Carnival doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Odyssey’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Carnival doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The Odyssey has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Carnival doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Transmission

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Honda Odyssey, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Carnival.

Brakes and Stopping

The Odyssey stops much shorter than the Carnival:

	Odyssey	Carnival
70 to 0 MPH	180 feet	191 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	123 feet	129 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The Odyssey’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Carnival LX’s standard 65 series tires.

For better load carrying, ride, handling and brake cooling the Odyssey has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Carnival LX.

The Odyssey has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Carnival doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Chassis

For excellent aerodynamics, the Odyssey has standard flush composite headlights. The Carnival has recessed headlights that spoil its aerodynamic shape and create extra drag.

The front grille of the Odyssey uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Carnival doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Odyssey uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Carnival doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Odyssey has .4 inches more rear legroom, 2.5 inches more third row legroom and .5 inches more third row shoulder room than the Carnival.

Cargo Capacity

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

	Odyssey	Carnival
Third Seat Folded	92.3 cubic feet	86.9 cubic feet
Max Cargo Volume	158 cubic feet	145.1 cubic feet

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Odyssey. The Carnival doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Ergonomics

The Odyssey’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Carnival’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically.

If the windows are left open on the Odyssey the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Carnival can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Odyssey Elite’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Carnival’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Odyssey EX-L/Sport/Touring/Elite’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Carnival offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Odyssey Touring/Elite has a standard center folding armrest for the third row rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and can provide a barrier between children. The Carnival doesn’t offer a third row rear seat center armrest.

The Odyssey has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Carnival EX/SX/Prestige.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Odyssey owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Odyssey will cost $330 to $2675 less than the Carnival over a five-year period.

The Odyssey will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Odyssey will retain 54.9% to 58.5% of its original price after five years, while the Carnival only retains 49.23% to 49.86%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Honda Odyssey will be $413 to $5135 less than for the Kia Carnival.

Recommendations

The Honda Odyssey has won recognition from these important consumer publications:

	Odyssey	Carnival
Consumer Reports® Recommends	TRUE	TRUE
Car Book “Best Bet”	TRUE	n/a

The Honda Odyssey outsold the Kia Carnival by 71% during 2023.