How Much Is the 2027 Kia Carnival?

What Car Shoppers Need to Know

• The 2027 Kia Carnival is one of the few minivans left in the U.S.
• It offers a choice of a gas engine or a hybrid powertrain.
• Pricing starts at $39,035 for the gas engine and $43,035 for the hybrid (all prices include destination).

Minivans have been on the decline in the U.S. for decades. The few that are still available all date to the type’s heyday, with one exception. Kia rolled onto the scene with the Carnival in 2022, packaging the usual spacious cabin within a blocky body that evokes a more macho SUV without overtly mimicking one.

Related: 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid Review: Excellence in Efficiency

Pricing

The 2027 Kia Carnival will go on sale later in the year. Full pricing (including the $1,545 destination charge) is as follows:

Carnival

• LX: $39,035
• LXS: $41,035
• EX: $43,235
• SX: $48,135
• SX Prestige: $53,135

Carnival Hybrid

• LXS: $43,035
• EX: $45,235
• SX: $50,135
• SX Prestige: $55,135

What’s Changed for 2027?

Nothing major is new with the Carnival for 2027. Second-row captain’s chairs are now optional on the EX and SX, giving those buyers a choice of seven- or eight-seat configurations. The seven-seat layout is the only one available on the entry-level Carnival LX, while LXS buyers get a middle bench, for a total of eight seats. The rear-seat entertainment system, which includes two flip-down screens for second-row passengers, is now only available on the range-topping hybrid SX Prestige trim with the heated and ventilated VIP Lounge Seats.

Fuel Economy

Non-hybrid Carnivals are powered by a 3.5-liter V-6 making 287 horsepower and 260 pounds-feet of torque. They send that power through an eight-speed automatic transmission to the front wheels. All-wheel drive is not available on any Carnival. The gas engine returns an EPA-rated 18/26/21mpg city/highway/combined.

In Carnival Hybrid models, the V-6 is replaced by a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder. With electric assist, the hybrid makes 242 hp and 271 pounds-feet, which it routes through a six-speed automatic. The hybrid’s fuel economy is rated at 34/31/32. With Kia demanding only $2,000 more on each trim level for a nearly 50% increase in fuel efficiency, the hybrid Carnival can pay for itself in fuel savings in as little as just two years.

Standard or Optional Features

Standard safety equipment on the Carnival includes forward collision warning with pedestrian and bicyclist detection, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-following assist, blind spot monitors, rear cross-traffic alert, a driver-attention monitor, and front and rear parking sensors.

Riding on 17-inch alloy wheels and fitted with manually adjustable front seats and cloth upholstery, the entry-level Carnival LX can seem fairly bare bones. It does, however, include LED headlights, hands-free power-sliding side doors, keyless entry and start, three-zone climate control, a 12.3-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, navigation and a six-speaker audio system.

Upgrades with the LXS are few: just synthetic leather upholstery, a power-adjustable driver’s seat and heated front seats. Up another small step in price, the EX adds 19-inch wheels, a hands-free power liftgate, a power-adjustable front passenger seat, memory settings for the driver’s seat, a wireless phone charger, window shades for the second- and third-row seats, and an intercom for scolding kids in the back without raising your voice.

Kia piles a bunch of additional safety technologies into the SX: its Highway Driving Assist 2 hands-on semi-autonomous driving system, front cross-traffic alert, side parking sensors, a 360-degree camera system and rear automatic braking. The SX also gains dual moonroofs, rain-sensing windshield wipers, ventilated front seats and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster.

The SX Prestige tops that off with LED taillights, real leather upholstery, a heated steering wheel and a 12-speaker Bose sound system.

Versus the Competition

Underhood diversity among minivans is such that shoppers can almost choose their ride based solely on the type of powertrain they want. The Chrysler Pacifica offers a choice of internal combustion or a plug-in hybrid with an EPA-rated 32 miles of electric range. The Honda Odyssey is only available with a gas engine. The Carnival can be had with either a gas or hybrid engine and, like the Pacifica and Odyssey, is only available with front-wheel drive. If you want an AWD minivan, you’d better also want a hybrid because your only choice is the exclusively hybrid Toyota Sienna. The chart below shows the Carnival versus the other available FWD minivans with their starting prices and the fuel economy of their base powertrains.

Read More About the Kia Carnival:

• How Much Is the 2026 Kia Carnival?
• How Do Car Seats Fit in a 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid?
• 2025 Kia Carnival Up Close: Now Hybrid in Another Way
• Minivan Crash Tests: Front-Seat Safety Improves, Backseat Safety Declines
• Research the Kia Carnival Hybrid

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