The Kia Carnival lineup has been expanded, with its hybrid powertrain now available in two additional model grades.
This gives the Carnival Hybrid range a base price more than $20,000 lower than before.
There are still five trim levels starting with the Carnival S, Sport, Sport+, GT-Line Lite, and highest-spec GT-Line all subject to a $420 price rise for model year 2026 (MY26).
Otherwise, the Carnival is unchanged for MY26.
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The petrol and diesel engines are available across all five grades, while the hybrid powertrain – previously offered only as a GT-Line – is now also available in S and Sport+ grades.
The Carnival is Australia’s best-selling people mover by a huge margin, and features eight seats across three rows.
The second row is ‘reversible’ – meaning it can face rearwards – and has slide and recline functions. It also has a sliding ‘Walk-in’ feature enabling easier access to the third row’s 60/40-split seat.
Every Carnival has five top-tether and five ISOFIX seat-mounting points.
There are USB chargers for the first two rows, air-conditioning vents for all three rows, and nine cupholders across the interior.
Pricing
| Model | Price |
|---|---|
| 2026 Kia Carnival S V6 | $50,570 (+$420) |
| 2026 Kia Carnival S diesel | $52,800 (+$420) |
| 2026 Kia Carnival S hybrid | $56,100 (NEW) |
| 2026 Kia Carnival Sport V6 | $56,470 (+$420) |
| 2026 Kia Carnival Sport diesel | $58,700 (+$420) |
| 2026 Kia Carnival Sport+ V6 | $62,800 (+$420) |
| 2026 Kia Carnival Sport+ diesel | $65,030 (+$420) |
| 2026 Kia Carnival Sport+ hybrid | $68,330 (NEW) |
| 2026 Kia Carnival GT-Line Lite V6 | $66,770 (+$420) |
| 2026 Kia Carnival GT-Line Lite diesel | $69,000 (+420) |
| 2026 Kia Carnival GT-Line V6 | $71,100 (+$420) |
| 2026 Kia Carnival GT-Line diesel | $73,330 (+$420) |
| 2026 Kia Carnival GT-Line hybrid | $76,630 (+$420) |
All prices exclude on-road costs.
Drivetrains and Efficiency
Across the five grades, the Carnival is offered in a choice of petrol, petrol hybrid and diesel-powered versions – with the hybrid previously exclusive to the flagship GT-Line now also offered in the S and S+ grades.
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Carnival Hybrid
| Petrol | Diesel | Hybrid | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 3.5-litre petrol V6 | 2.2-litre turbo-diesel four | 1.6-litre petrol four |
| Power | 216kW (6400rpm) | 148kW (3800rpm) | 180kW (5500rpm) |
| Torque | 355Nm (5000rpm) | 440Nm (1750-2750rpm) | 366Nm (0-4500rpm) |
| Transmission | Eight-speed auto | Eight-speed auto | Six-speed auto |
| Driven wheels | Front-wheel drive | Front-wheel drive | Front-wheel drive |
| Fuel economy (combined cycle claim) | 9.6L/100km | 6.5L/100km | 5.8L/100km |
| Fuel tank size | 72L | 72L | 72L |
| Fuel requirement | 91-octane regular unleaded | Diesel | 91-octane regular unleaded |
| CO2 emissions (combined cycle claim) | 220g/km | 170g/km | 132g/km |
Dimensions
| Kia Carnival | |
|---|---|
| Length | 5155mm |
| Width | 1995mm |
| Height (incl. roof rails) | 1775mm |
| Wheelbase | 3090mm |
| Luggage space (all seats up) | 627L |
| Luggage space (third row folded) | 2827L |
| Braked towing capacity | 2000kg (petrol, diesel) 1000kg (hybrid) |
| Unbraked towing capacity | 750kg |
| Maximum kerb weight | 2206kg (petrol) 2245kg (diesel) 2334kg (hybrid) |
Servicing and Warranty
All Kia Carnivals have a seven-year, unlimited kilometre warranty with seven years of capped-price servicing and up to eight years of roadside assistance.
Servicing is required every 12 months or 15,000km on petrol and diesel Carnival, with servicing for hybrid versions every 12 months or 10,000km.
The hybrid model has a seven-year, 150,000km warranty for defects in its high-voltage system, including the battery.
| Petrol | Diesel | Hybrid | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | $356 | $386 | $374 |
| Year 2 | $640 | $682 | $653 |
| Year 3 | $449 | $480 | $492 |
| Year 4 | $827 | $869 | $1036 |
| Year 5 | $401 | $434 | $421 |
| Year 6 | $798 | $845 | $878 |
| Year 7 | $426 | $461 | $743 |
Safety
The Kia Carnival has a five-star ANCAP rating based on testing conducted in 2021, and features driver and front passenger airbags, a driver’s knee airbag, front-row side airbags, as well as curtain airbags covering the first, second and third rows.
Kia Connect telematics – which includes a smartphone app to check items such as fuel level and remote door locking – is standard, with an ‘eCall’ button to summon emergency services.
Standard safety equipment across the range includes:
- Autonomous emergency braking
- Pedestrian detection
- Cyclist detection
- Junction assist
- Adaptive cruise control with stop/go
- Intelligent speed limit assist
- Lane departure warning
- Lane-keep assist
- Lane Following Assist (lane centring)
- Blind-spot assist
- Rear cross-traffic alert
- Rear occupant alert
- Trailer stability control assistance
- Intelligent speed limit assist
- Multi-collision braking
- Reversing camera
- Front and rear parking sensors
- Connected services with SOS call function for crashes
- Front and front-side airbags
- Curtain airbags for all three rows
- Driver’s knee airbag
Carnival Sport adds:
- Highway Driving Assist 1
Sport+ and up add:
- Parking Collision Avoidance – Rear (AEB reverse)
- Blind-Spot View Monitor
- Rear cross-traffic assist
- Surround-view camera
- Side parking sensors
- Junction Cross, Lane Oncoming, Lane Direct avoidance
- Highway Driving Assist 2
- Steering, braking, accelerating and stop-start traffic jam assistance
Standard Equipment
There are five trim levels in the Carnival range.
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GT-Line -
-
-
Carnival S standard equipment includes:
- 17-inch alloy wheels
- Temporary spare wheel
- LED headlights
- LED daytime running lights
- Automatic high-beam
- Electric heated mirrors
- Sliding sunvisor w/ illuminated vanity mirror
- Cloth upholstery
- Electronic park brake with auto hold
- Proximity entry with push-button start
- ‘Basic’ digital instrument cluster incl. 4.2-inch screen
- 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system
- Wired and wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto
- 8-speaker sound system
- Kia Connect with OTA updates
Carnival Sport adds:
- 18-inch alloy wheels
- LED rear combination lamp
- Electric folding side mirrors
- Leatherette upholstery
- Leather steering wheel
- Leather shifter
- Auto window defog
- Dual-zone climate control
- Rear single-zone temp control
- Wireless phone charger
Carnival Sport+ adds:
- Power tailgate with auto close
- Power sliding side doors
- Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
- 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
- Heated front seats
- Second-row outboard heated seats
- Side parking sensors
- 8-way power seat adjustment
- 2-way lumbar adjustment for driver
- Rain-sensing wipers
- Rear privacy glass
- Heated rear windshield
Carnival GT-Line Lite adds:
- 19-inch alloy wheels
- LED interior lighting
- Auto up, down window for driver
- Chrome styling elements (exterior handles, skid plates)
- Dual sunroof
- *Removes 8-way power passenger seat adjustment
Carnival GT-Line adds:
- Dual projector LED headlights
- Heated steering wheel
- Front ventilated seats
- 12-speaker Bose sound system
- Dial-type shifter
- Paddle shifters
- Digital rear-view mirror
- Head-up display
- Auto up, down windows with safety function
- Gloss black centre fascia
- Remote Start Parking Assist
- 8-way electric front seats with memory
- 4-way lumbar support (driver)
Colours
The S has a black interior, while the rest of the Carnival lineup has a two-tone black and taupe interior colour scheme.
Ceramic Grey is the standard paint colour, with the following finishes costing an extra $700:
- Astra Blue
- Flare Red
- Panthera Metal
- Snow White Pearl
- Deep Chroma Blue (excludes S, Sport)
- Aurora Black Pearl (excludes S, Sport)
MORE: Everything Kia Carnival