

Josh Nevett
8
5 Days Ago
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.
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.
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.
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 |
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) |
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 |
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:
Carnival Sport adds:
Sport+ and up add:
There are five trim levels in the Carnival range.
Carnival S standard equipment includes:
Carnival Sport adds:
Carnival Sport+ adds:
Carnival GT-Line Lite adds:
Carnival GT-Line adds:
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:
MORE: Everything Kia Carnival
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Damion Smy is an automotive journalist with several decades of experience, having worked for titles including Car and Auto Express magazines in the UK, and Wheels and Motor magazines in Australia.
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