Compare the2026 Kia Carnival VS 2026 Chrysler Voyager

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Kia Carnival have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Chrysler Voyager doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

The Carnival has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Voyager doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

The Carnival SX/Prestige has a standard Surround View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Voyager only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.

Both the Carnival and Voyager have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Carnival has Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Voyager’s Rear Cross Path Detection doesn’t automatically brake.

The Carnival’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Voyager doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Carnival and the Voyager have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 Kia Carnival is safer than the Chrysler Voyager:

	Carnival	Voyager
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	23.1%	29%
Neck Compression	12 lbs.	56 lbs.

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

The Carnival comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire van and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Voyager’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Carnival 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Chrysler covers the Voyager. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Voyager ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Kia Carnival’s reliability 17 points higher than the Voyager and the Kia Carnival Hybrid is rated 39 points higher than the Voyager.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Carnival third among minivans in their 2025 Initial Quality Study. The Voyager isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Chrysler vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in initial quality. With 32 more problems per 100 vehicles, Chrysler is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Chrysler vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in long-term dependability. With 86 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Chrysler is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2026 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Chrysler vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 12 places higher in reliability than Chrysler.

The Carnival’s optional 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 9 lbs.-ft. more torque (271 vs. 262) than the Voyager’s 3.6 DOHC V6.

On the EPA test cycle the Carnival 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder Hybrid gets better fuel mileage than the Pacifica 3.6 DOHC V6 FWD (34 city/31 hwy vs. 19 city/28 hwy).

Regenerative brakes improve the Carnival Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Voyager doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The Carnival has a standard locking fuel door, which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Voyager. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

For more complete vehicle control the Carnival has Shiftronic, with the available convenience of an automatic transmission and the complete gear control of a manual transmission without the inconvenience of a clutch. Shiftronic allows the driver to eliminate unwanted shifts and maximize engine braking by down shifting while cornering. The Voyager doesn’t offer a transmission that allows complete gear control.

The Carnival stops shorter than the Voyager:

	Carnival	Voyager
60 to 0 MPH	129 feet	136 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	134 feet	141 feet	Consumer Reports

The Carnival EX/SX/Prestige’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Voyager’s 65 series tires.

For better load carrying, ride, handling and brake cooling the Carnival EX/SX/Prestige has standard 19-inch wheels. The Voyager’s largest wheels are only 17-inches.

The Carnival V6 has a standard space-saver spare (not available on Hybrid) so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Voyager; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

The Carnival has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Carnival flat and controlled during cornering. The Voyager’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For better maneuverability, the Carnival’s turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the Voyager’s (37.7 feet vs. 39.7 feet).

The Carnival has 3.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Voyager (168.2 vs. 165.1).

The Carnival has .8 inches more front headroom, .8 inches more front hip room, .4 inches more front shoulder room, 1.5 inches more rear legroom, 1.6 inches more rear hip room, .2 inches more rear shoulder room and .9 inches more third row hip room than the Voyager.

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

	Carnival	Voyager
Behind Third Seat	40.2 cubic feet	32.3 cubic feet
Max Cargo Volume	145.1 cubic feet	140.5 cubic feet

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Carnival’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Voyager doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Standard Trailer Stability Assist (TSA) on the Carnival uses the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Voyager doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

When two different drivers share the Carnival EX/SX/Prestige, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Voyager doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Carnival EX/SX/Prestige’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Voyager doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Carnival SX offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Voyager doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Carnival’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Voyager’s halogen headlights. LED lights also light instantly and last over twenty times longer than halogen.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Carnival’s available headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Voyager’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

While driving with high beams on, sensitive light sensors standard on the Carnival detect other vehicles which could be blinded and automatically switch to low beams. The Voyager doesn’t offer automatic dimming high beams.

When the Carnival SX/Prestige is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Voyager’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Carnival’s optional rear view mirror has an automatic dimming feature. This mirror can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on it, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Voyager doesn’t offer the luxury of an automatic dimming rear view mirror.

Both the Kia Carnival and Chrysler Voyager offer exterior mirrors that can be folded to provide convenience. The Carnival offers available power folding mirrors, which allow for easy, one-touch folding or unfolding at the driver’s discretion. This provides added convenience when maneuvering or parking, as well as when walking past the parked vehicle. In comparison, the Voyager’s foldable mirrors are manual, requiring the driver to get out and physically fold them once parked and unfold them before getting in.

Both the Carnival and the Voyager offer available heated front seats. The Carnival Prestige also offers optional heated second row seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated second row seats aren’t available in the Voyager.

The Carnival SX/Prestige has standard front air conditioned seats and the Carnival Prestige offers them optionally in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The Voyager doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Carnival has a standard center folding armrest for the middle row passengers. A center armrest helps make middle row passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Voyager doesn’t offer a middle row seat center armrest.

To direct the driver from any location to a given street address, a GPS navigation system is standard on the Carnival. The Carnival’s navigation system also has a real-time traffic update feature that offers alternative routes to automatically bypass traffic problems. (Service not available in all areas.) The Voyager doesn’t offer a navigation system.

With standard voice command, the Carnival offers the driver hands free control of the radio, climate controls and the navigation computer by simply speaking. The Voyager doesn’t offer a voice control system.

Compared to the Chrysler Voyager, the Kia Carnival eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries with its optional integrated Homelink® universal remote controlled from the rear view mirror.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Kia Carnival, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Chrysler Voyager isn't recommended.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Carnival first among minivans in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Voyager isn’t in the top three.

The Kia Carnival outsold the Chrysler Voyager by almost five to one during 2025.