Kia Carnival vs Toyota Sienna: MPG, Fuel Cost, Recalls and Safety
On EPA ratings the 2025 Toyota Sienna's best version gets 36 mpg combined against 33 mpg for the Kia Carnival.
Kia Carnival
33mpg
Best 2025 version: 1.6L turbo 4-cyl hybrid · FWD · 6-speed automated manual
Toyota Sienna
36mpg
Best 2025 version: 2.5L 4-cyl hybrid · FWD · CVT
The cheapest Toyota Sienna to fuel costs $1,800 a year at EPA's prices, $150 less than the cheapest Carnival. NHTSA lists 1 recall for the 2025 Carnival and 5 recalls for the Sienna.
Side by side
| 2025 model year | Carnival | Sienna |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel economy (EPA) | ||
Best combined rating | 33 mpg 1.6L turbo 4-cyl hybrid · FWD · 6-speed automated manual | 36 mpg (clearly better) 2.5L 4-cyl hybrid · FWD · CVT |
Hybrid or plug-in available | Hybrid 33 mpg | Hybrid 36 mpg |
AWD or 4WD available | No | Yes |
Lowest annual fuel cost 15,000 miles at EPA fuel prices | $1,950 | $1,800 (clearly better) |
5-year fuel cost vs average new vehicle Cheapest-to-fuel version (EPA) | Saves $1,750 | Saves $2,500 (clearly better) |
| Safety (NHTSA) | ||
Safety recalls, 2025 model year Counts depend on sales and time on sale | 1 | 5 |
Owner complaints, 2025 model year Filed with NHTSA so far | 187 | 267 |
NHTSA overall crash rating Range across tested versions | Not rated | 5 stars |
Rollover risk Range across tested versions; lower is better | 14.0% | 12.7% to 14.0% |
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 Sienna rated higher in every one of the 5 years both were sold.
- Kia Carnival
- Toyota Sienna
2025: Kia Carnival 33 mpg · Toyota Sienna 36 mpgTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
| Model year | Kia Carnival | Toyota Sienna |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | – | 21 |
| 2017 | – | 22 |
| 2018 | – | 22 |
| 2019 | – | 22 |
| 2020 | – | 21 |
| 2021 | – | 36 |
| 2022 | 22 | 36 |
| 2023 | 22 | 36 |
| 2024 | 22 | 36 |
| 2025 | 33 | 36 |
| 2026 | 32 | 36 |
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)
- Toyota Sienna (right bar)
2026: Kia Carnival 2 recalls · Toyota Sienna 0 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
| Model year | Kia Carnival | Toyota Sienna |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | – | 5 |
| 2017 | – | 10 |
| 2018 | – | 7 |
| 2019 | – | 7 |
| 2020 | – | 2 |
| 2021 | – | 4 |
| 2022 | 6 | 4 |
| 2023 | 4 | 2 |
| 2024 | 2 | 3 |
| 2025 | 1 | 5 |
| 2026 | 2 | 0 |
More on each model
- 2025 Kia Carnival MPGEvery version and a fuel cost calculator
- Kia Carnival by yearMPG, recalls and complaints
- 2025 Toyota Sienna MPGEvery version and a fuel cost calculator
- Toyota Sienna by yearMPG, recalls and complaints
Questions
Which gets better gas mileage, the Carnival or the Sienna?
For 2025, the Sienna. Its best version is rated 36 mpg combined; the Carnival's best is 33 mpg.
Which is cheaper to fuel?
The Sienna. At EPA's assumptions its cheapest version costs $1,800 a year against $1,950, a $750 difference over five years.
How do they compare in NHTSA crash tests?
The 2025 Carnival has no NHTSA overall rating and the Sienna is rated 5 stars overall. Rollover risk is 14.0% for the Carnival and 12.7% to 14.0% for the Sienna.
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.