Kia Carnival vs Honda Odyssey: MPG, Fuel Cost, Recalls and Safety
On EPA ratings the 2025 Kia Carnival's best version gets 33 mpg combined against 22 mpg for the Honda Odyssey.
Kia Carnival
33mpg
Best 2025 version: 1.6L turbo 4-cyl hybrid · FWD · 6-speed automated manual
Honda Odyssey
22mpg
Best 2025 version: 3.5L 6-cyl · FWD · 10-speed automatic
The cheapest Kia Carnival to fuel costs $1,950 a year at EPA's prices, $1,000 less than the cheapest Odyssey. NHTSA lists 1 recall for the 2025 Carnival and 2 recalls for the Odyssey.
Side by side
| 2025 model year | Carnival | Odyssey |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel economy (EPA) | ||
Best combined rating | 33 mpg (clearly better) 1.6L turbo 4-cyl hybrid · FWD · 6-speed automated manual | 22 mpg 3.5L 6-cyl · FWD · 10-speed automatic |
Best gas rating Gas engines only; hybrids and diesels excluded | 21 mpg | 22 mpg |
Hybrid or plug-in available | Hybrid 33 mpg | No |
AWD or 4WD available | No | No |
Lowest annual fuel cost 15,000 miles at EPA fuel prices | $1,950 (clearly better) | $2,950 |
5-year fuel cost vs average new vehicle Cheapest-to-fuel version (EPA) | Saves $1,750 (clearly better) | Costs $3,250 more |
| Safety (NHTSA) | ||
Safety recalls, 2025 model year Counts depend on sales and time on sale | 1 | 2 |
Owner complaints, 2025 model year Filed with NHTSA so far | 187 | 379 |
NHTSA overall crash rating Range across tested versions | Not rated | 5 stars |
Rollover risk Range across tested versions; lower is better | 14.0% | 13.6% (clearly better) |
Marks the clearly better figure. Small gaps (under 2 mpg or 5%, $100 a year in fuel) and overlapping crash-test ranges are not marked, and recall and complaint counts are not scored because they depend on how many were sold.
Best combined rating by model year
The best-rated version of each, every model year since 2016. The Carnival rated higher in 2 of the 5 years both were sold, and they tied in the other 3.
- Kia Carnival
- Honda Odyssey
2025: Kia Carnival 33 mpg · Honda Odyssey 22 mpgTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
| Model year | Kia Carnival | Honda Odyssey |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | – | 22 |
| 2017 | – | 22 |
| 2018 | – | 22 |
| 2019 | – | 22 |
| 2020 | – | 22 |
| 2021 | – | 22 |
| 2022 | 22 | 22 |
| 2023 | 22 | 22 |
| 2024 | 22 | 22 |
| 2025 | 33 | 22 |
| 2026 | 32 | 22 |
Recalls by model year
Safety recalls NHTSA lists for each model year. Counts depend on how many were sold and how long each model year has been on the road.
- Kia Carnival (left bar)
- Honda Odyssey (right bar)
2026: Kia Carnival 2 recalls · Honda Odyssey 2 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
| Model year | Kia Carnival | Honda Odyssey |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | – | 6 |
| 2017 | – | 2 |
| 2018 | – | 16 |
| 2019 | – | 20 |
| 2020 | – | 14 |
| 2021 | – | 8 |
| 2022 | 6 | 9 |
| 2023 | 4 | 5 |
| 2024 | 2 | 3 |
| 2025 | 1 | 2 |
| 2026 | 2 | 2 |
More on each model
- 2025 Kia Carnival MPGEvery version and a fuel cost calculator
- Kia Carnival by yearMPG, recalls and complaints
- 2025 Honda Odyssey MPGEvery version and a fuel cost calculator
- Honda Odyssey by yearMPG, recalls and complaints
Questions
Which gets better gas mileage, the Carnival or the Odyssey?
For 2025, the Carnival. Its best version is rated 33 mpg combined; the Odyssey's best is 22 mpg.
Which is cheaper to fuel?
The Carnival. At EPA's assumptions its cheapest version costs $1,950 a year against $2,950, a $5,000 difference over five years.
How do they compare in NHTSA crash tests?
The 2025 Carnival has no NHTSA overall rating and the Odyssey is rated 5 stars overall. Rollover risk is 14.0% for the Carnival and 13.6% for the Odyssey.
Sources and method
- US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Sep 18, 2026, and EPA fuel prices.
- NHTSA recall file dated Sep 29, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Sep 28, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.
We compare the best-rated version of each model unless a row says otherwise. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.