Citroen Dispatch Review 2024

With a reasonable maximum payload, good driving manners, well equipped cabin and a choice of body lengths, there is a lot to like about the Citroen Dispatch.

It’s also one of the best in its sector when it comes to safety kit, but its load bay is not quite as generous as a Renault Trafic’s.

Citroen offers the expected diesel engines, including a smooth auto with the 2.0-litre model as an option, or you could opt for an all-electric e-Dispatch.

There is a great deal to be said about keeping it simple with the Citroen Dispatch. For that reason, the pick of the diesel line up is the 1.5 BlueHDi 100 with its six-speed manual gearbox.

Whether you choose the Panel or Crew version of the Citroen Dispatch, the model above provides all the power you need for easy driving confidence.

One thing we would upgrade, however, is to move to the Driver trim level that comes with some welcome extra kit included. This encompasses automatic wipers, 180-degree parking camera, more flexible front seating, and a full steel bulkhead in the Panel model.

If you’d prefer the e-Dispatch, the 50kWh model in Enterprise trim can carry more than the 75kWh version. ON top of this, the 50kWh model is around £5000 less when it comes to comparable list prices with the more powerful EV e-Dispatch.

The Citroen Dispatch is a joint venture with Peugeot, Toyota and Vauxhall, which off the Expert, Proace and Vivaro, respectively. Both of these close cousins offer the same strengths and appeal of the Citroen.

If you’d rather look to completely different van, there is the Renault Trafic that has excellent load carrying capacity. Or you might look to the Ford Transit Custom or Connect models that are great to drive and very well thought out.

For EV fans, there is the Nissan Townstar and Mercedes has its eVito that is easy to drive but has a limited driving range.

The Dispatch shares its base platform with a large number of other Citroen models and they are proving to be decently durable.

Citroen scored a lowly 26th place out of 29 car makers in the most recent HonestJohn Satisfaction Survey. However, Dispatch drivers seem to be a happy bunch, which bodes well for the van’s longterm usability and low wholelife costs.

A 7.0-inch touchscreen is fitted to the Dispatch as standard in all models, which lends the cabin its more car-like feel than many of its rivals.

The system works with Citroen Connect that provides DAB radio, Bluetooth, and it can hook up to your smartphone with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.

As well as the usual infotainment offerings, the Citroen Connect Box has an Emergency and Assistance function to contact help if you are unlucky enough to be in a collision.

Citroen provides shortcut buttons on either side of the infotainment screen, so it’s a doddle to navigate this system and makes you wonder why its passenger car set-up doesn’t follow the Dispatch’s lead.

To further aid connecting tech to the car or for charging devices for work, there is a USB socket.

For those choosing the Driver Edition model, it comes with built-in sat-nav with a three-year subscription to Real Time Traffic updates.

Although the Citroen Dispatch is not quite as big in its load area as some rivals, it can still carry plenty of kit and caboodle.

There are sliding doors on both sides to aid access to the load bay, and the smaller M model can hold up to 5.3 cubic metres of cargo. Go for the XL version and that extends up to 6.3 cubic metres for the panel van model.

For those opting to drive the Crew bus version of the Dispatch, it can hold 3.2 cubic metres in the M and the XL can swallow up to 4.0 cubic metres of goods.

Payloads range from just under 1100kg to just over 1400kg depending on size, number of seats and engine. It’s available in van, crew van and chassis cab variants.

It’s a pity there is not a high roof version of the Dispatch to augment its appeal as a very useful load carrier despite its decently compact exterior dimensions. However, you can have the Moduwork long load as an option that lets you slot lengthy items like wood or pipes through from the back and underneath the passenger seat through a hatch in the bulkhead.

There are the usual tie-downs you expect in any van nowadays, and the Dispatch will carry two Euro pallets in even the M version.

Twin rear doors offer excellent access and they lock into position to prevent them swinging into traffic or pedestrians.

There are two diesel engines to pick from with the Citroen Dispatch, plus the e-Dispatch that has two electric motor power options.

Starting with the diesels that still appeal to most commercial vehicle users, the 1.5-litre 100PS BlueHDi motor may have a smaller capacity than some of its rivals, but it performs perfectly well.

A six-speed manual transmission is the only option for the 1.5 diesel, which works very well in the M version of the Dispatch. It’s smooth, quite and pulls strongly from low revs while also being refined on the motorway.

However, if you are routinely shifting heavier loads or opt for the Crew bus model to cart six of you to a job site, the 145PS 2.0 BlueHDi diesel will be the one to have. This engine is also available with 180PS.

The extra capacity and power of this engine tells when you encounter steeper motorway inclines or as you get up to speed on more open roads. It’s also decently quiet and unflustered.

With the 2.0-litre engine, you can stick with the standard six-speed manual gearbox or go for the optional eight-speed automatic ’box. For those driving in cities, the auto will certainly make life a lot more bearable and it’s an extremely slick shifter.

Then we come to the e-Dispatch with 50- and 75kWh batteries. The obvious difference between this pair is the added range of the 75kWh version. It can cover up to a claimed 267 miles on a charge compared to 205 miles for the 50kWh model.

Which will work best for you depends on your use, but the 75kWh battery definitely gives you more options.

On the road, the 136PS electric motor of the e-Dispatch offers plenty of acceleration from the off, though it tails away beyond 40mph.

With the 75kWh battery, it takes up to seven hours to fully charge the e-Dispatch using an 11kW charger. Hook up to a 100kW quick charger and you can go from 0- to 80% charge in 45 minutes.

The most refined Citroen van here is the e-Dispatch thanks to its electric motor that does away with any of the diesel burr you get with the others in the line-up.

With the diesel motors, you will hear the engine working away, but it’s not rowdy and there’s enough low and mid rev pull to avoid straining the motors.

Some boom can be heard in the cabin from the steel bulkhead when the Dispatch is running with little or nothing in the cargo area, but it’s not enough to put us off choosing the Citroen.

As for wind and tyre noise, the Dispatch is one of the quieter vans in its class, which makes long distance use much more pleasurable than in a few rivals.

Every Dispatch comes from Citroen with twin front airbags, toughened plastic bulkhead with polycarbonate window, and ABS anti-lock brakes. The Dispatch also has ESC traction control with Hill Start.

Move up to the Driver version and you gain front fog lights, automatic headlights, and automatic windscreen wipers. This version also comes with heated door mirrors for rapid defrosting in cold weather and a 180-degree reversing camera.

Citroen languishes at a disappointing 26th place out of 29 makers in the latest HonestJohn Satisfaction survey, though this is predominantly based on passenger car data.

Looking at Dispatch drivers and users, two thirds are very happy with the van according to HonestJohn Van owner reviews. Perhaps more of a concern is a third of owners rate the can poorly at just one star.

The Citroen Dispatch has insurance groups that range from 31 to 42 depending on the model you choose.

Cheapest to insure is the 1.5 BlueHDi 100 Driver Edition panel van, while most expensive is split between the 2.0 BlueHDi 180 crew bus and 75kWh e-Dispatch.

All of the diesel-powered Citroen Dispatch models will cost you £290 for Vehicle Excise Duty. If you opt for the e-Dispatch models, their zero tailpipe emissions mean you will pay nothing for road tax.

The Enterprise Edition is the base model of the two-trim line-up for the Citroen Dispatch. It comes with air conditioning, electric front windows, heated door mirrors, cruise control with speed limiter, 16-inch steel wheels, and rear parking sensors.

As well as this lot, the Enterprise has a 7.0-inch colour infotainment touchscreen, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and driver fatigue alert. As a panel van, it also comes with a full steel bulkhead.

The Panel van model has dual front seats in the cabin and a row of three seats in the back with triple-point seat belts and underseat storage.

For a more generous kit count, the Driver Edition adds front fog lights, automatic wipers and lights, heated door mirrors, and a 180-degreee reversing camera.

The Driver Edition also has sat-nav included with Real Time Traffic updates, and LED daytime running lights in the front bumper. The Look pack brings colour-coded bumpers and 17-inch steel wheels.

Inside the Driver Edition, you have the Moduwork dual passenger front bench.