Compare the2025 Kia CarnivalVS 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Carnival are reminded to check the back seat when a sensor determines the back seat is occupied. The Grand Highlander doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Carnival has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning with Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist, systems which detect vehicles approaching from the sides and can automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. Only the Grand Highlander Limited/Platinum offers Parking Support Brake.

Both the Carnival and the Grand Highlander 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 around view monitors.

A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the Kia Carnival is safer than the Grand Highlander:

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 Grand Highlander’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 Toyota covers the Grand Highlander. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Grand Highlander ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

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

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 Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 29 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked 17th.

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Carnival V6 is faster than the Toyota Grand Highlander turbo 4 cyl.:

On the EPA test cycle the Carnival gets better mileage than the Grand Highlander:

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Carnival Hybrid’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. The Grand Highlander doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Carnival uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Grand Highlander Hybrid Max requires premium, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Carnival has 1.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the Grand Highlander Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (19 vs. 17.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Carnival has 1.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Grand Highlander’s standard fuel tank (19 vs. 17.8 gallons).

The Carnival stops much shorter than the Grand Highlander:

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Carnival’s wheelbase is 5.6 inches longer than on the Grand Highlander (121.7 inches vs. 116.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Carnival is 3.4 inches wider in the front and 3.3 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Grand Highlander.

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

The Carnival has 14.9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Grand Highlander (168.2 vs. 153.3).

The Carnival has 3.3 inches more front hip room, 4 inches more front shoulder room, 1 inch more rear legroom, 9.4 inches more rear hip room, 4.4 inches more rear shoulder room, 1.4 inches more third row headroom, 2.1 inches more third row legroom, 4.7 inches more third row hip room and 2 inches more third row shoulder room than the Grand Highlander.

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

The Carnival has a standard third row seat which folds flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The Grand Highlander doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

The Carnival EX/SX/Prestige’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Grand Highlander doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Carnival’s standard sliding doors can be opened with less than three inches side clearance. The Grand Highlander’s standard rear swing-out doors are bulky and make loading in tight spots difficult.

The Carnival’s power side sliding doors make it much easier to load and unload kids and cargo. One touch opens the door, before you even get to the van. The Grand Highlander doesn’t offer a power rear door.

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 Grand Highlander’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Kia Carnival and the Toyota Grand Highlander, based on reliability, safety and performance.

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 Grand Highlander isn’t in the top three.