Cheapest New Minivan Is 1 of the Safest and Most Spacious
While minivans are not as popular as they were back in their heyday a couple of decades ago, they are still a good option for families. They are spacious, provide easy access, and offer a range of comfort and convenience features. Like the rest of the automotive industry, minivans are more expensive — due to high inflation and supply chain issues. However, there’s an affordable choice: the 2023 Kia Carnival, the cheapest new minivan. Also, the Carnival is one of the safest and most spacious ones available.
2023 Kia Carnival is the cheapest new minivan
With a starting price of $33,100 MSRP, the 2023 Kia Carnival is the cheapest new minivan. The next most affordable model is the 2023 Toyota Sienna ($36,135 MSRP).
Here are the new minivans — in order of cheapest to most expensive:
- 2023 Kia Carnival: $33,100 MSRP
- 2023 Toyota Sienna: $36,135 MSRP
- 2023 Chrysler Pacifica: $37,020 MSRP
- 2023 Honda Odyssey: $37,490 MSRP
As you can see, there are not many minivan choices. As consumers increasingly favor SUVs as the family vehicles of choice, minivans have dropped considerably in popularity. The peak year for the minivan segment was 2000, with 1.4 million units sold in the United States. However, in 2021, only 310,000 units were sold, which is only 22% compared to the peak sales year.
However, for those that still want a minivan, there are still some good choices. And the most affordable one of all is the Carnival. Perhaps, due to the dwindling popularity, Kia doesn’t officially call it a minivan, referring to it as an MPV (multi-purpose vehicle). However, Kia isn’t fooling anyone. The Carnival is still a minivan.
2023 Kia Carnival is one of the safest minivans — with the most standard driving assistance features
In addition to being the cheapest minivan, the 2023 Kia Carnival is one of the safest. A major factor in the high-level safety is the wide range of safety-enhancing driving assistance features. The Carnival has more standard advanced driving assistance technologies than any other minivan in the segment.
This includes forward collision avoidance assist, parking distance warning-reverse, blind-spot avoidance assist, driver attention warning, high beam assist, lane-keeping assist, and rear cross-traffic collision avoidance assist. Plus, for even greater safety, the affordable minivan offers additional available driving assistance features. This includes the segment-exclusive blind-spot view monitor. There’s also highway driving assist, a surround-view monitor, parking collision avoidance assist, forward collision assist-cyclist, and navigation-based smart cruise control-curve.
That’s quite a lengthy list of safety-enhancing driving assistance features. Also, as a further testament to the high-level safety, the Carnival performed well in crash testing conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Because of this, it earned an IIHS Top Safety Pick award.
Carnival also offers the most passenger and cargo space in its class
Furthermore, the 2023 Carnival has the most passenger and cargo space in the minivan segment. It can seat up to eight people — with a total passenger volume of 168.2 cu-ft. Also, it provides versatile seating configurations, especially with the Slide-Flex second-row seating feature. And for a more upscale ride, there are VIP Lounge Seating options.
For storage space, there’s a maximum cargo capacity of 145.1 cu-ft. This maximum cargo space is achieved with the fold-in-floor third-row seats and removable second-row seats.
For those searching for an affordable minivan, the 2023 Kia Carnival is a good choice. It’s the cheapest new minivan, as well as one of the safest — along with best-in-class total passenger and cargo space.
