The Toyota Sienna is one of the best minivans on the market, but it’s no longer the only great option for minivan shoppers. It drives comfortably, has cushy and practical interior space, but its high price makes a few other test drives worth your while.

The Toyota Sienna has been one of the best minivans on the market for nearly a decade. The 2023 model continues that streak, with a cavernous interior, comfortable performance and a hybrid powertrain that has stellar fuel economy at 36/36 mpg city/highway.

The downside is, you’ll probably need those fuel savings to afford the Sienna. The base Sienna starts at $36,885. While that’s a lower starting price than the Honda Odyssey (which starts at $37,490), it’s higher than the very-well equipped Kia Carnival ($33,200). While that price difference doesn't seem like much, the average price paid for a Sienna is just over $4,000 more than the average price paid for the Carnival and $1,000 more than the average price paid for the Honda Odyssey. This is a great van, but don’t expect a deal on it.

For some buyers, however, the premium on the Sienna will be worth it. The Sienna offers available all-wheel drive and has an eight-passenger seating configuration for people who found out about birth control a little too late. The highest trims of the Sienna have an optional built-in vacuum for spilled fruit snacks and Cheerios, and you can option out the second-row captains chairs to be full-on recliners with ottomans.

The Sienna isn’t thrilling to drive, but nothing in this class really is. While it can be more expensive than other vans, it offers a lot of justification for the premium.

With over four decades of doling out trusted automotive advice and extensive vehicle knowledge, both behind the wheel and under the hood, Car Talk's founder and original Tappet Brother Ray Magliozzi shares his first-hand experience test driving the Toyota Sienna.

We bet that if these vans had feelings, they’d be sick of being compared to each other. For nearly a decade, however, the Sienna and Odyssey were the only two good minivans on the market, so the comparison is natural. The Odyssey is slightly more fun to drive, and its second-row seats can be removed, giving it more total cargo space than the Sienna. That said, the Odyssey can’t compete with the Sienna’s fuel economy and the Odyssey does not offer all-wheel drive.

If minivans were horses, the Kia Carnival would be a dark one. Introduced for 2022, the Carnival has blocky SUV-like styling that kinda sorta hides the fact that it’s a minivan. The Carnival has a lower starting price and a longer warranty period than the Sienna, and comes in just above the Sienna when it comes to reliability. Between the two vans, we think the Carnival is a no-brainer, but both vans deserve a spot on your test drive list.

The Toyota Sienna starts at $36,885 in the base LE trim, and tops out at $53,740 for the top-of-the-line Platinum trim. New for 2023 is the 25th anniversary trim, which (duh) celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Sienna. Only 2,525 of these will be made, with a starting price of $49,565. Unless you’re banking on your Sienna becoming a collectable (protip: don’t do that), the XLE trim at $43,590 will pamper most families without hitting the Platinum’s eye-popping price.

2023 is the 25th anniversary of the Sienna nameplate, and Toyota is celebrating with a 25th anniversary edition. This is a limited run model, and only 2,525 will be built. These vans will have special wheels, roof rails and badging. It’ll also have a black leather interior, upgraded JBL stereo and floor mats with a 25th anniversary edition logo. If you like that sort of thing and have nearly $50k to spend on a minivan, there’s no reason not to buy this trim, but it’s hard to think of a good argument in favor of getting it beyond “look at my special floor mats!”

The Toyota Sienna is a sedate daily driver and a comfortable road trip companion. Note that we mean those descriptions as complements, since few people buy a minivan for tearing up back roads.

The steering on the Sienna is a little numb, and the ride is smooth, both of which are typical for this class. The smooth ride and good sound deadening material in the Sienna make it easy for passengers to nap or lose themselves in their iPads. The Sienna won’t carve any corners, but it handles gentle curves and parking lots fine.

The weakness in the Sienna’s performance is its acceleration. It’s just not very good. This is a big, heavy van and while its engine makes 245 horsepower, those ponies have a big load to pull. Merging on the freeways can be thrilling, but not in a good way. Make sure you leave plenty of space to pass. Better yet, learn to love the right lane.

The Sienna has strong crash test ratings, earning a five-star overall rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It earned four starts for frontal crash and rollover protection, and five starts for side impact protection.

Like most Toyotas, the Sienna has a good reputation for reliability. JD Power and Associates rates it 74 out of 100 for reliability, which is average. The Honda Odyssey earned 81 out of 100 in the same ratings (which JD Power says is “Great”) and the Kia Carnival earned 75 out of 100, which is average as well. Consumer Reports says it expects the Sienna to be more reliable than the average car and smarter than the average bear (Note: we made up the thing about the bear, but considering we’ve never seen a bear with wireless phone charging or a rearview camera, we’re sticking by it).

The base Sienna LE is going to treat you pretty well, but for nice-to-have features like four-zone climate control, you’ll need to step up to the XLE trim. Optional features include a Driver Easy Speak system that projects the driver’s voice into the back seats. We suggest skipping this and just yelling. The 16-inch HD entertainment system is also worth skipping – just get some inexpensive tablets instead. A spare tire is optional on all trims, and we recommend getting it. All wheel drive is standard on the 25th anniversary edition, and available on the XSE, Limited and Platinum trims. We’ve found that for most vans, a good set of snow tires is enough for winter weather.

The Toyota Sienna has a warranty that’s comparable to the Honda Odyssey, but not as long as the Kia Carnival. It's important to note that the powertrain warranty varies by trim, with some having unlimited miles, and others only have 60,000. Make sure you understand what warranty you’re getting before you buy. Hybrid components are warrantied for eight years or 100,000 miles

• Basic: 3 years / 36k miles
• PowerTrain: 5 years / unlimited or 60k miles depending on trim
• Hybrid system: 8 years / 100k miles
• If buying used look at our best extended warranties

The Toyota Sienna is a good used car, and it has the prices to prove it. The current generation of the Sienna came out in 2020, so if you’re looking for similar features and performance, shop 2020 and later. Just note that other used vans may be less expensive and have transferable warranties, so shop around.

Editor's note and disclaimer: Car Talk is supported by our fans, readers and listeners. When you click on some of the links on our website, we may receive referral compensation. However, you should know that the recommendations we make are based on our independent editorial review and analyses.