Compare the2026 Chrysler VoyagerVS 2026 Kia Carnival

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Chrysler Voyager are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Kia Carnival doesn’t offer height-adjustable middle seat belts.

The Chrysler Voyager has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Carnival doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

With its standard Pedestrian Emergency Braking, the Chrysler Voyager is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Kia Carnival, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	Voyager	Carnival
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-10 MPH
12 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-6 MPH
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-13 MPH
25 MPH Low beams	-6 MPH	-5 MPH
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-24 MPH
37 MPH Brights	-22 MPH	-18 MPH

The Voyager offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Carnival doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

Both the Voyager and the Carnival have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Chrysler Voyager is safer than the Kia Carnival:

	Voyager	Carnival
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	168	239
Neck Stress	230 lbs.	245 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	75/194 lbs.	141/167 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	196	250
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.8 inches
Neck Injury Risk	25%	50.7%
Neck Stress	117 lbs.	174 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	440/251 lbs.	632/305 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Chrysler Voyager is safer than the Carnival:

	Voyager	Carnival
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	848 lbs.	1071 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	83	186
Neck Tension	112 lbs.	245 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Shoulder Deflection	1.1 in	2.01 in
Torso Deflection Rate	12 MPH	13 MPH
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Voyager is 2.4% less likely to roll over than the Carnival.

Warranty

The Voyager’s 5 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Carnival runs out after 100,000 miles.

There are over 3 times as many Chrysler dealers as there are Kia dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Voyager’s warranty.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Voyager has a 730-amp battery. The Carnival only offers a standard 660-amp battery.

Engine

The Voyager’s 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 45 more horsepower (287 vs. 242) than the Carnival’s optional 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid. The Voyager’s 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 2 lbs.-ft. more torque (262 vs. 260) than the Carnival’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Chrysler Voyager is faster than the Kia Carnival:

	Voyager	Carnival 4 cyl. hybrid gas	Carnival V6
Zero to 30 MPH	3.1 sec	3.3 sec	3.4 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	8 sec	8.5 sec	8.4 sec
Quarter Mile	16.2 sec	16.6 sec	16.5 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	90 MPH	87 MPH	90 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Pacifica 3.6 DOHC V6 FWD gets better fuel mileage than the Carnival 3.5 DOHC V6 (19 city/28 hwy vs. 18 city/26 hwy).

Both the Voyager and the Carnival Hybrid have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. All Voyagers have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily.

The Voyager has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Carnival doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Transmission

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Chrysler Voyager, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Carnival.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Voyager’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Carnival:

	Voyager	Carnival
Front Rotors	13 inches	12.8 inches

The Voyager stops shorter than the Carnival:

	Voyager	Carnival
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	141 feet	153 feet	Consumer Reports

Chassis

The Chrysler Voyager may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 250 to 650 pounds less than the Kia Carnival.

The design of the Chrysler Voyager amounts to more than styling. The Voyager has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .3 Cd. That is significantly lower than the Carnival (.34) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Voyager get better fuel mileage.

Passenger Space

The Voyager has .1 inches more rear headroom, .1 inches more third row headroom, .9 inches more third row legroom and 1.7 inches more third row shoulder room than the Carnival.

Cargo Capacity

The Voyager’s cargo area provides more volume than the Carnival.

	Voyager	Carnival
Third Seat Folded	87.5 cubic feet	86.9 cubic feet

The Voyager has standard Stow ’n Go second and third row seats, which fold flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The Carnival only has a third row seat which folds into the floor. The Carnival’s second row seat has to be removed for maximum cargo room.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Voyager. The Carnival doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

The Voyager’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Carnival’s (3600 vs. 3500 pounds).

Ergonomics

The Voyager’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Carnival does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The Voyager’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Carnival’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically. The Carnival EX/SX/Prestige’s .

The Voyager’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Carnival’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Voyager has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the Carnival.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Chrysler Voyager and the Kia Carnival, based on reliability, safety and performance.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Voyager as the 2017 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The Carnival has never been chosen.

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