In this article, we introduce the Kavya–Manoharan generalized inverse Kumaraswamy (KM-GIKw) distribution, which can be presented as an improved version of the generalized inverse Kumaraswamy distribution with three parameters. It contains numerous referenced lifetime distributions of the literature and a large panel of new ones. Among the essential features and attributes covered in our research are quantiles, moments, and information measures. In particular, various entropy measures (Rényi, Tsallis, etc.) are derived and discussed numerically. The adaptability of the KM-GIKw distribution in terms of the shapes of the probability density and hazard rate functions demonstrates how well it is able to fit different types of data. Based on it, an acceptance sampling plan is created when the life test is truncated at a predefined time. More precisely, the truncation time is intended to represent the median of the KM-GIKw distribution with preset factors. In a separate part, the focus is put on the inference of the KM-GIKw distribution. The related parameters are estimated using the Bayesian, maximum likelihood, and maximum product of spacings methods. For the Bayesian method, both symmetric and asymmetric loss functions are employed. To examine the behaviors of various estimates based on criterion measurements, a Monte Carlo simulation research is carried out. Finally, with the aim of demonstrating the applicability of our findings, three real datasets are used. The results show that the KM-GIKw distribution offers superior fits when compared to other well-known distributions.