The Kia Carens was introduced in the Indian market in early 2022. At the time, it was the third mass market offering from the Korean car maker, and its second MPV for Indian car buyers. Before that, traditional MPVs in India had always prioritised function over form and always came across as the safe bet. Therefore, while MPVs did offer great value, they didn’t align with modern designs or offer the latest features that Indian car buyers wanted. The Kia Carens flipped that script by offering a bold design which featured an SUV-ish stance. Furthermore, the cabin experience felt upmarket due to the use of premium quality materials and slew of modern features.
It wasn’t surprising then the Kia Carens went onto become a crowd favourite among Indian MPV buyers. Today, the decision to buy a Kia Carens can be easily made seeing the track record of the MPV in the Indian market. Recently, Kia gave the Carens a facelift and the new model is called the Kia Carens Clavis. However, should you opt for buying a new Kia Carens Clavis or will a used Kia Carens offer better value? To answer this question, we have put together this comparison, highlighting the differences between the two. We also take a look at which purchase makes more financial sense, especially if you will be availing a car loan to bring home the Kia Carens.
New Kia Carens Clavis Quick Overview
The Kia Carens is currently in its first generation in India but as recently as May, 2025, the MPV was given a facelift and the model was renamed to Carens Clavis. All of this and the pre-facelift Kia Carens continues to remain on sale, albeit in a single lower variant with a petrol-manual powertrain. Kia did this because the Carens had become quite popular among fleet operators and the older model was kept on showroom floors to cater to them. As for private car buyers, the Carens was renamed to Carens Clavis to keep its premium identity separate from pre-facelift Carens. The Carens Clavis features design and feature updates over the Carens.
The newly updated Kia Carens Clavis has also received a new nomenclature for its variants. While the Carens was available in Prestige, Premium, Luxury and even X-Line variants, the Carens Clavis is offered in HTE, HTE (O), HTK, HTK+, HTK+ (O), HTX and HTX+ variants. This brings the variant lineup of the Carens Clavis in line with other models from Kia such as the Seltos and Sonet. However, the Carens Clavis continues to be offered in a single variant line, unlike the Seltos and Sonet which are offered in GT Line and X-Line trims as well. Kia could choose to offer these trim lines in the future, as the X-Line trim used to be offered on the pre-facelift Carens.
Kia offers the Carens Clavis with three engine options, two of which are petrol and one is diesel. The first petrol engine is a 1.5 litre naturally aspirated petrol unit. It is only available with a 6 speed manual transmission. It is also limited to the HTE, HTE (O) and HTK variants of the Carens Clavis, which are its bottom three variants.
The second petrol engine is a 1.5 litre turbocharged unit and it offers superb performance. In contrast, this engine is available with three transmission options: a 6 speed manual transmission, a 6 speed iMT (clutchless manual transmission) and a 7 speed DCT. The standard 6 speed manual transmission is available with all but the base HTE variant. The 6 speed iMT is available with only the top of the line HTX and HTX+ variants. The 7 speed DCT transmission is offered with HTK+, HTK+ (O) and HTX+ variants only.
The diesel engine of the Kia Carens Clavis is a 1.5 litre unit and it can be paired with either a 6 speed manual transmission or a 6 speed automatic transmission. The manual transmission option is available across all variants except for the top spec HTX+ variant. The automatic transmission is however available with only the HTK+ variant, which can be a cause of concern for those buyers who prefer a diesel-auto powertrain along with a fully loaded set of features of the top variant.
Furthermore, the Kia Carens Clavis is offered in 7 seater and 6 seater configurations. In the latter, the second row features captain seats for additional comfort. The 7 seater configuration can be specced across all variants of the Kia Carens Clavus. However, the 6 seater configuration is only available in the top-spec HTX+ variant. Essentially, the 6 seater configuration is only available with the 1.5 litre turbocharged petrol engine.
Key Updates of New Kia Carens Clavis
In giving the Carens a facelift and renaming it as the Kia Carens Clavis, the Korean carmaker made changes to the front and rear design of the MPV, rehashed the interior, added new features which made it more premium, and even went ahead and offered a new transmission option for the turbocharged petrol engine.
Taking a deeper look at the design changes, Kia has made wholesale changes to the front end of the Carens Clavis. The headlight design has been tweaked and features a three pod layout, along with a sleek look for the LED DRLs. This brings the design of the Carens Clavis in line with international models from KiThe air dam has also been tweaked and is taller than before. The side profile of the Carens Clavis is similar to the Carens, however, the alloy wheel design has been changed and the Carens Clavis features 17 inch wheels compared to the 16 inch wheels found previously on the top spec Carens. At the rear too, Kia has made changes. While the overall design of the tail lamps remains similar, the LED detailing is highly different and looks modern. The rear bumper has also been tweaked.
Kia has taken the opportunity to make many changes to the interior of the Carens Clavis as well. The dashboard design has been tweaked, the infotainment touchscreen and digital driver instrument cluster have now been positioned in the same housing and the HVAC controls have been redesigned and are sleeker now. The screen sizes have gone up as well with the Carens Clavis using 12.3 inches for both the touchscreen and the instrument cluster compared to the 10.25 inch screens found on the Carens. Other bits that were changed include the steering wheel design, seat upholstery and a new pattern for ambient lighting.
The Carens Clavis has also been given an equipment update to set it apart from the Carens. The MPV features a panoramic sunroof compared to the single pane electric sunroof found on its previous iteration. The Carens Clavis also has a 4 way power adjustable driver seat along with the aforementioned bump in screen sizes. Lastly, the Kia Carens Clavis is now equipped with Level 2 ADAS features which give it partial autonomous driving capabilities.
| New Kia Carens Clavis Ex-Showroom Price | ||
| Kia Carens Variant | Transmission | Price |
| HTE | Petrol MT, Diesel MT | Rs. 11.50 lakh to Rs. 13.50 lakh |
| HTE (O) | Petrol MT, Diesel MT | Rs. 12.50 lakh to Rs. 14.55 lakh |
| HTK | Petrol MT, Diesel MT | Rs. 13.50 lakh to Rs. 15.52 lakh |
| HTK+ | Petrol MT, Petrol AT, Diesel MT, Diesel AT | Rs. 15.40 lakh to Rs. 18 lakh |
| HTK+ (O) | Petrol MT, Petrol AT, Diesel MT | Rs. 16.20 lakh to Rs. 17.70 lakh |
| HTX | Petrol MT, Diesel MT | Rs. 18.40 lakh to Rs. 19.50 lakh |
| HTX+ | Petrol MT, Petrol AT | Rs. 19.40 lakh to Rs. 21.50 lakh |
Used Kia Carens Quick Overview
As we already know, the Kia Carens was launched in early 2022 and received a facelift recently in mid 2025. Since its launch, Kia has sold over 2 lakh units of the Carens in the Indian domestic car market. That means that the Kia Carens is widely available in the used car market. However, the used car market currently only has units of the pre-facelift Kia Carens as the Carens Clavis is a very recent introduction. For savvy buyers, picking up a used Kia Carens can be a great way to avoid paying the full price for an MPV while enjoying similar benefits.
Unlike other Kia models, the Carens has mostly been available in a single variant line. In fact, the variant nomenclature of the pre-facelift Kia Carens was different from other Kia models. The variants were named Premium, Prestige, Prestige Plus, Luxury and Luxury Plus. From its launch in 2022 to about March of 2023, the Kia Carens was available with three engine options, two of which were petrol engines and one diesel.
The first petrol engine was a 1.5 litre naturally aspirated unit and it could only be paired with a 6 speed manual transmission. This powertrain combo was only available with the Premium and Prestige variants of the Kia Carens. The second petrol engine was a 1.4 litre turbocharged unit and it could be specced with either a 6 speed manual transmission or a 7 speed DCT. In this case, the manual transmission powertrain was available across all variants of the Kia Carens, however, the DCT powertrain was restricted to the Prestige Plus and Luxury Plus variants of the MPV.
The sole diesel engine on offer was a 1.5 litre diesel unit and it could be mated to either a 6 speed manual transmission or a 6 speed automatic transmission. The diesel-manual powertrain could be opted for with all variants of the Carens, however, the diesel-auto combo was limited to the top spec Luxury Plus variant of the MPV. Furthermore, the Carens was also available in 7- or 6-seater configurations. Once again, the 7 seater configuration was available in all variants, whereas the 6-seater configuration with captain seats in the second row was limited to the top of the line Luxury Plus variant. Therefore, even diesel engine owners could opt for the 6 seater configuration, a choice that isn’t available today on the newly launched Kia Carens Clavis.
In 2023, the Kia Carens underwent two major updates. The first update saw its 1.4 litre turbocharged petrol engine replaced with a 1.5 litre turbocharged petrol engine. Along with the engine update, the Carens also received a new 6 speed iMT (clutchless manual) transmission option. This gearbox was offered with the newly introduced 1.5 litre turbocharged petrol engine and the 1.5 litre diesel engine. Kia also introduced new variants for the MPV such as Premium (O), Prestige (O), Prestige Plus (O) and Gravity.
Furthermore, later in the year, Kia also introduced an X-Line variant for the Carens. This was offered as the top of the line variant and was only offered with the 1.5 litre turbocharged petrol engine and the 1.5 litre diesel engine, that too only with their automatic transmission.
| Used Kia Carens Price | ||
| Production Year | Transmission | Price |
| 2022 to 2025 | Petrol MT, Petrol AT, Diesel MT, Diesel AT | Rs. 10.81 lakh to Rs. 19.02 lakh |
| 2025 to Present | Petrol MT, Petrol AT, Diesel MT, Diesel AT | Not yet available in the used car market |
New Kia Carens Clavis vs Used Kia Carens: Financing Comparison
Having settled upon buying the Kia Carens, you now have to choose between buying a new Kia Carens Clavis or a used Kia Carens. Choosing one of the two will not only lead to a different ownership experience, but it will also impact the financial investment you make to buy the MPV. The difference between the two highlights how a new Kia Carens Clavis will lose a major chunk of its value in the first few years of ownership, and in contrast, a used Kia Carens will do relatively better in holding onto its value.
Buying a used Kia Carens Clavis also makes more sense if you are availing a car loan. As the car loan amount will be significantly lower for a used Kia Carens compared to a new Kia Carens Clavis, you will pay lower EMIs and lesser interest despite used car loans attracting a higher rate of interest than new car loans. To give you a better understanding, we have put together the difference in buying the two using a car loan. To keep things simple, we have taken the top variant on offer for a new Kia Carens Clavis and a corresponding variant from the used car market. Further, the powertrain for both cars is a 1.5 litre turbocharged petrol engine with a 7 speed DCT. Lastly, both cars have a 7 seater layout.
| New Kia Carens Clavis | Used Kia Carens 2023 | |
| Total Cost of Vehicle | Rs. 25.58 lakh (Mumbai) | Rs. 18.60 lakh |
| Down Payment | Rs. 5 lakh | Rs. 5 lakh |
| Loan Tenure | 5 years (60 months) | 5 years (60 months) |
| Loan Amount | Rs. 20,58,228 | Rs. 13,58,600 |
| Rate of Interest | 10% | 12.9% |
| Interest Amount | Rs. 5,65,362 | Rs. 4,96,380 |
| Total Paid | Rs. 26,23,860 | Rs. 18,54,980 |
In the table above, we have chosen the same down payment of Rs. 5 lakh for both the new Kia Carens Clavis and the used Kia Carens. The loan tenure is also fixed at 5 years both, however, the rate of interest for a new Carens Clavis is 10% and for a used Carens is 12.9%. While the rate of interest can differ, these are the most commonly offered rates for car loans in the Indian car market, and it can change depending on your credit profile and the institution offering the loan.
As it is clearly noticeable, you pay about Rs. 70,000 more in interest over a 5 year period for a new Carens Clavis compared to a used Carens. As for the total loan repayment, the used Carens requires you to pay close to Rs. 8 lakh less when you combine the total EMIs over 5 years in comparison to a new Kia Carens Clavis. Furthermore, the used car example we have taken is from 2023 and if you opt for an even older model, you will end up saving a lot more in comparison.
New Kia Carens Clavis vs Used Kia Carens: Insurance Comparison
While buying a car is one thing, you also have to pay insurance premiums every year to be able to legally drive it on public roads. However, insurance premiums differ from broker to broker and also on the type of insurance you opt for such as comprehensive or zero depreciation insurance. Generally speaking, the insurance premium for a new Kia Carens Clavis can range from anywhere between Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 90,000, depending upon the variant you pick.
If you choose a second hand Kia Carens, you can opt to have a lower IDV on paper and that is one way you can lower your insurance premium. You can also opt for a third-party insurance, which is the most basic type of insurance offered on motor vehicles in India. Unlike other types of insurance, the premium for third party insurance is decided by IRDAI which is the insurance regulatory authority in India. The third-party insurance for a new Kia Carens Clavis and a used Kia Carens are given in the table below.
| New Kia Carens Clavis | Used Kia Carens | |
| Third Party Insurance | Rs. 10,640 (for three years) | Rs. 3,416 (for one year) |
While insurance premiums are subject to individual choices, you can get away with lower premiums when buying a used car, primarily because the value of the car you are buying is lower than what it would cost new.
New Kia Carens Clavis vs Used Kia Carens: Which to Choose?
Having gone through the whole financial comparison, it is easy to understand that you will save a lot of money opting for a used Kia Carens over a new Kia Carens Clavis. Not just that, but your used car will do better to hold on to its value than a new Kia Carens Clavis.
So, while you will miss out on the feeling of buying a new car from the showroom, buying a used Kia Carens will ensure that you make a better financial decision.
FAQs about Kia Carens
Q. What is the price range of the Kia Carens Clavis?
The Kia Carens Clavis is priced between Rs. 11.50 lakh to Rs. 21.50 lakh (both prices are ex-showroom).
Q. Since the launch of the Kia Carens Clavis, is the old Kia Carens still on sale?
Technically, yes, the older Kia Carens is still on sale. However, Kia only offers it in a single Premium (O) variant with a 1.5 litre naturally aspirated petrol engine and a 6-speed manual transmission. Essentially, this variant has been kept alive to cater to fleet operators.
Q. Does the Kia Carens Clavis have ADAS?
Yes, the Kia Carens Clavis is offered with Level 2 ADAS on its top-of-the-line HTX+ variant.
Q. Does Kia offer a panoramic sunroof on the Carens Clavis?
Yes, Kia offers a panoramic sunroof on the top two HTX and HTX+ variants of the Carens Clavis.
Q. What is the insurance cost of the Kia Carens Clavis?
Depending upon the variant, it costs anywhere between Rs. 50,000 and Rs. 90,000 to insure the Kia Carens Clavis.
Q. What are the seating configurations of the Kia Carens Clavis?
The Kia Carens Clavis is offered in 7- and 6-seater configurations. While the 7-seater configuration is available across all variants, the 6-seater configuration is limited to the top-of-the-line HTX+ variant, and furthermore, it is only available with the 1.5 litre turbocharged petrol engine.
