2025 Honda Odyssey Review

The 2025 Honda Odyssey is a three-row minivan starting at $41,920. Last year, the Odyssey was the US’ second-best-selling minivan, but it has always been a top contender within its segment. This success can be attributed to the Odyssey’s reputation for offering a spacious interior, reliability, and family-friendly features. Our review will see whether the 2025 Odyssey checks these boxes and if it goes above and beyond its primary competitors, which include Toyota’s Sienna, Chrysler’s Pacifica, and Kia’s Carnival.

MotoPickers Rating: 8.6/10

Updates for the 2025 Odyssey consist of a new grille, fresh wheel designs for every trim, more colors, and a redesigned display configuration. This Odyssey also boasts a supercar feature that’s hiding in plain sight, which we’ll cover during our review’s exterior section. The 2025 Odyssey is part of the model’s fifth generation, which began in 2018.

Some of the first things we noticed when reviewing this refreshed minivan were its robust V6 engine, capable handling, and multi-adjustable second-row seats. However, these second-row seats don’t fully fold flat, and the third-row seats lacked power-folding functionality.

These observations are just the beginning of our analysis. Keep reading to see whether the 2025 Odyssey’s upsides outweigh its downsides, or vice versa, and how its rivals compare.

Exterior spotlight

The 2025 Odyssey’s new wheel options for each trim measure 18”-19”, but the most significant exterior updates exist within the front and rear bumper redesign. In the front, you have LED headlights with auto on/off functionality to detect oncoming traffic at night, and a new fog light design is placed below the turn signal indicators and daytime running lights (DRLs). In addition to improving visibility, this front light design contains a contemporary and refined appearance.

However, our favorite element of this minivan’s exterior is its darkened rear windows that wrap around the back and divert attention away from the sliding doors’ track. Regarding the 2025 Odyssey’s supercar secret, Car and Driver points out that the rear bumper reflectors are reminiscent of Acura’s NSX. Acura is a subsidiary of Honda. These rear reflectors flank a chrome bumper for durability and style, similar to the chrome door trim.

Exterior color choices include:

• Sonic Gray Pearl
• Crystal Black Pearl
• Radiant Red Metallic II
• Solar Silver Metallic
• Modern Steel Metallic
• Platinum White Pearl

Side mirrors have heating, integrated turn signals, and memory function, while the power tailgate has a programmable height. Honda continues its frequent use of an active shutter grille to optimize aerodynamics with the 2025 Odyssey, and standard acoustic glass for the windshield provides better sound insulation. Drivers who select the Odyssey’s top Elite trim receive this acoustic glass on the front and rear doors in addition to the windshield.

The roofline spoiler with an integrated brake light provides some additional rear styling, but a more eye-catching portion of this exterior are the sides’ flowing lines that look especially good with colors like Smoke Blue Pearl. Exterior accessories can include roof rails, crossbars, and body-side molding for additional durability.

While the 2025 Odyssey’s redesigned front is a step up from previous iterations, it falls short of Toyota’s 2025 Sienna. However, the Odyssey’s front is miles ahead of rivals such as Chrysler’s Pacifica. Kia’s Carnival features a distinct crossover minivan design that might not be everybody’s cup of tea, and Chrysler’s Pacifica has a unified design that flows nicely from end to end, besides the aforementioned front fascia.

Interior close-up

Honda’s 2025 Odyssey offers seating for eight passengers, 32.8 cubic feet (cu. ft.) of cargo space behind the third row, and 86.6 cu. ft. of storage behind the second row. Removing the second row’s seats and folding down the third row opens up 140.7 cu. ft. of cargo space, but we found second-row removal difficult. Still, this second row contains a multi-adjustable Magic Slide design.

Leather-trimmed upholstery has become standard on all Odyssey trims. Each Odyssey grade also contains a one-touch power moonroof. Front seats are heated and ventilated within the peak Elite trim. Every Odyssey has standard front heated seats, which isn’t a given, as shown by models such as Honda’s CR-V SUV. The 2025 Odyssey’s driver’s seat creates a 12-way power adjustment, 4-way power lumbar support, and two-position memory. A heated steering wheel is present within the Odyssey Elite.

Tri-zone automatic climate control is standard across all trims, along with second-row controls, humidity control, and air filtration. Honda enhances rear passenger comfort with second—and third-row sunshades.

Accessories for this minivan’s interior include:

• All-season floor mats
• Cargo bins inserted into a well behind the rear seats
• Cargo net cargo mat
• Second and third-row seat covers

Ambient lighting strips run along areas like the dashboard, and upper seatback pockets on the front row are limited to Touring and Elite variants. While removing the 2025 Odyssey’s second row is difficult, you’ll experience similar challenges performing this task with competitors such as Kia’s Carnival. However, Kia’s Carnival offers the most significant storage space behind its third row at 40.2 cu. ft., far exceeding the Odyssey.

We mentioned that other Honda models like the CR-V don’t contain standard heated front seats across its trim lineup, but this drawback can affect the minivan class. The 2025 Toyota Sienna is an example of a minivan suffering from this problem.

Power and performance

All 2025 Honda Odyssey models contain a V6 direct fuel-injection engine with 280 horsepower and 262 lb.-ft. of torque. This minivan’s Eco Assist system claims to offer more performance efficiency by optimizing throttle response, integrating with cruise control, and suggesting more economical driving practices. However, mileage lags behind that of hybrid minivan competitors at 19 MPG in the city and 28 MPG on the highway.

Toyota’s Sienna hybrid offers 35-36 combined MPG, while Chrysler’s Pacifica Hybrid and Kia’s Carnival get 30 and 33 MPG combined ratings, respectively. Drivers of the 2025 Odyssey will feel confident regarding handling, which Honda complements with a dedicated Snow mode for the winter that recalibrates the traction-control system. However, there’s no all-wheel drive (AWD) option for those seeking something more capable than the front-wheel drive (FWD) configuration.

The 2025 Chrysler Pacifica and Toyota Sienna offer an AWD option, but Kia’s Carnival is similarly limited to FWD. Kia’s Carnival and Chysler’s Pacifica have the most horsepower out of their competitors at 287 while remaining on par with the Odyssey’s torque. Toyota’s Sienna finishes last in this category with 245 horsepower and 176 lb.-ft. of torque.

Honda’s redesigned Odyssey contains a 10-speed automatic transmission and a maximum towing capacity of 3,500 lbs. Toyota’s Sienna and Kia’s Carnival match this maximum towing capacity, while the Chrysler Pacifica slightly exceeds its competition by 100 lbs.

Tech overview

The 2025 Odyssey features a 9” touchscreen display and 7” digital instrument cluster up front, while rear passengers have a 12.8” screen. You can connect streaming devices to this rear display via Bluetooth or utilize standard wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Each 2025 Odyssey trim contains a wireless smartphone charger so you can stay connected to features such as wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

However, the standard and available sound systems are fairly limited, with seven speakers and 11 speakers, respectively. Each sound system also has a subwoofer. Honda compensates for these sound systems by including multi-zone audio, allowing you to keep some sections quiet and play audio through others. HDMI and USB ports exist throughout the interior, and a WiFi hotspot furthers connectivity.

This Honda’s navigation uses offline maps, so you don’t have to worry about missing directions when out of a cell signal’s range. The navigation system also features lane guidance for more seamless turns. Honda equips the 2025 Odyssey with a standard auto-dimming mirror, which automatically adjusts to reduce glare from trailing cars’ headlights. When you’re away from your vehicle, the HondaLink app can allow you to perform remote commands like engine starts and check vehicle data like fuel level.

Regarding the competition, Toyota’s 2025 Sienna has one fewer speaker in its base audio system but one more speaker than the Odyssey in its optional configuration. The 2025 Sienna’s rear display is also smaller than its Honda counterpart, at 11.6”.

Chrysler’s 2025 Pacifica similarly has one fewer speaker in its standard audio setup but boasts up to 19 speakers for its available version and a rear entertainment system with dual 10.1” displays. Kia’s Carnival offers six standard or 12 available speakers. The 2025 Carnival has the most impressive rear entertainment system with dual 14.6” monitors.

Safety capabilities

Honda’s 2025 Odyssey has not yet been crash-tested by the IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety). Still, the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) gave the minivan its highest passenger crash protection score of five stars. This NHTSA rating can be attributed to the 2025 Odyssey’s array of standard driver-assist safety features.

These driver-assist safety systems include:

• Collision mitigation braking
• Road departure mitigation
• Adaptive cruise control with low-speed follow
• Lane keeping assist
• Forward collision warning
• Lane departure warning
• Traffic sign recognition
• Driver attention monitor
• Front/rear parking sensors
• Blind spot information system

All of the above features are labeled Honda Sensing Technologies, and we left out auto on/off high beams since we mentioned the feature in our review’s exterior section. Collision mitigation braking will provide automatic emergency braking if a crash is considered unavoidable to avoid or reduce an impact. Both road departure mitigation and lane keeping assist provide subtle automatic steering inputs to get you back on course when necessary, in addition to audible and visual warnings via lane departure warning.

Adaptive cruise control with low-speed follow is significant since some adaptive cruise control systems in the auto market limit their operation to a higher speed threshold. While forward collision warning is an essential feature, this Odyssey’s version can feel overbearing with its detection of threats that don’t seem imminent, such as in heavy traffic. The driver attention monitor can detect signs of distracted or drowsy driving and make a break suggestion through a visual dashboard alert.

Front/rear parking sensors and the blind-spot information system provide helpful alerts, but these systems don’t have automatic braking and steering assistance like other Honda Sensing Technologies. In addition to receiving a standard rearview camera, 2025 Odyssey drivers get dynamic guidelines on their display when backing up to assist during instances like reversing into a parking spot.

Trim guide and owner considerations

Below is a list of the 2025 Honda Odyssey’s four trims and some distinguishing features for each grade.

EX-L – $41,920

The presence of leather-trimmed seats, a wireless phone charger, and wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto shows that the 2025 Odyssey’s base variant boasts plenty of value.

Sport-L – $43,070

A Sport-L represents its name through features such as 19” gloss-black wheels, leather-trimmed seats with red stitching, and red ambient lighting.

Touring – $46,610

The Touring is the first 2025 Odyssey trim to receive the rear entertainment system with a 12.8” display.

Elite – $50,880

A peak Odyssey, the Elite, gets the upgraded sound system, heated and ventilated front seats, and hands-free power tailgate access.

Warranty info

Honda offers 2025 Odyssey purchasers three years or 36,000 miles of basic warranty protection, whichever comes first, and five years or 60,000 miles of powertrain coverage.

Final verdict

The 2025 Odyssey checks all of the boxes that a modern minivan should, minus its fuel economy. While minivans aren’t traditionally the most fuel-efficient vehicles, the development of hybrid technology has changed this notion, and Odyssey drivers won’t be able to join in on the trend. Still, its upsides, like a redesigned exterior, extensive safety features, and a plethora of standard wireless tech features, help the 2025 Odyssey remain competitive amongst its rivals.

Throughout our testing of the 2025 Odyssey and reviewing its competition, it becomes increasingly clear that the US auto market’s primary minivan options have at least one glaring weakness. Aside from the Odyssey’s lack of a hybrid option, Kia’s Carnival has a slightly polarizing crossover minivan/SUV design that’s an acquired taste, less power from Toyota Sienna’s hybrid powertrain, and a slightly boring feel from the Chrysler Pacifica’s front fascia. When considering the 2025 Odyssey’s strengths, it deserves an 8.6/10 rating.