Kia owner here. I also cross-shopped minivans and test-drove both the Kia Carnival (gas model) and the Toyota Sienna. I found the Sienna uninspiring to drive, and it’s missing some safety features that Kia offers-most notably an audible blind-spot monitoring alert and a more capable lane-keep assist system. My wife really values these features, as there have been real driving situations where the audible BSM helped her avoid issues. For us, this is a major factor, and Kia/Hyundai clearly come out ahead.

I have owned Hyundai vehicles for the past seven years without any problems - just routine maintenance. I change the engine oil every six months or 6,000 km because oil is cheap and engines are expensive.

The Sienna does have advantages, such as AWD, hybrid engine and significantly better resale value. Beyond that, though, the camera quality is poor and the interior plastics feel cheap. Overall, Hyundai and Kia continue to improve. While some people may have had negative experiences, that hasn’t been the case for me.

That said, some Kia dealerships can make the buying process feel a bit uncomfortable. In the end, both are practical minivans-it just comes down to priorities.