The 2022 Kia Carnival is a great new minivan. In fact, Parents Magazine says its the best minivan for families. Yet there’s one important aspect of the Carnival that may make you want to rethink the Carnival. Let’s take a look at what’s great about the new Kia Carnival and what could be better so that you can choose the best minivan for your family.

Parents Magazine says the 2022 Kia Carnival is the Best Minivan for Families

Parents Magazine scoured the stats and specs of lots of vehicles and then test drove 35 to choose the best vehicles for families. They chose the 2022 Kia Carnival as the Best New Minivan for families. It’s a spacious minivan, though Kia is calling it a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV). It comes with a great driver assistance system, sliding doors, and five LATCH systems for car seats.

There are other great features that parents will love, too. The Carnival doesn’t allow the sliding doors to open if there’s another car coming, which should help to ease parents’ worried minds. There’s also a rear seat reminder, which can help parents remember that a child who is sleeping or quiet is in the back seat.

The Kia Carnival is the only minivan that doesn’t earn the Top Safety Pick+ award

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is a non-profit organization which crash tests vehicles and looks at safety systems to help consumers make informed decisions about the safety of the vehicles they purchase. For 2022 the IIHS tested four minivans and the 2022 Kia Carnival is the only one that didn’t earn the organization’s best award, the Top Safety Pick+.

To be an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ minivan, the vehicle has to have all good crashworthiness scores. These categories include things like the small overlap test on the driver and passenger side as well as the moderate overlap test and the original side crash test. It also most have superior or advanced safety systems as well as good or acceptable headlights available on all vehicles. 

The 2022 Kia Carnival has good scores in every single crashworthiness category. In addition, it has superior vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-passenger safety systems, which is the highest score it can get. These ratings apply to both the standard as well as the optional systems. Yet its headlights can be problematic, being rated both good and poor. With more than half of all fatal accidents occurring in the dark, this cannot be overlooked. If you decide to buy an otherwise-fantastic Carnival, you’ll want to opt for the SX Prestige trim level, which has good headlights.

How much does the 2022 Kia Carnival cost?

The 2022 Kia Carnival costs $33,275 for the base model, the Kia Carnival LX. This comes with a 3.5-liter V6 engine that makes 290 hp and 262 lb-ft of torque. This is matched to an eight-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive.

The high-end 2022 Kia Carnival SX Prestige begins at $47,275. It also has a heated steering wheel, 12.3-inch driver information display, and 12-speaker premium sound system. The 2022 Kia Carnival SX Prestige has second-row reclining lounge-style captain’s chairs and dual sunroofs, as well.

Parents Magazine is right about the 2022 Kia Carnival. It is a great minivan. Yet the importance of headlights cannot be overstated. If you do decide to go with the Kia Carnival, the SX Prestige is the way to go. Its headlights will keep you and your family safer, and make this the best minivan for families.