Citroen Dispatch MOT failure rate and common faults
46,108 Citroen Dispatch vans aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 39.6% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 25.5% of the time, which makes the Citroen Dispatch 55% more likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
39.6%
failed first time
46,108 MOT tests in 2025
+55%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 25.5%
23 of 24
age adjusted rank
among vans and pickups; 1 fails least
123.8
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 96.7
What fails on a Citroen Dispatch MOT
Failure items recorded per 1,000 tests, by part of the car, set against an average car with exactly the same spread of ages. A figure well above average is a weak spot worth checking before you buy.
The most common Citroen Dispatch MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Body, chassis, exhaust and drive shafts | 99.2 |
| Position lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 82.7 |
| Stop lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 58.1 |
| Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps | Lights and electrics | 51.2 |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 48.6 |
| Ball joint excessively worn | Suspension | 39.9 |
| Headlamp: not working on dipped beam | Lights and electrics | 39.5 |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | Brakes | 36.7 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 33.6 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction | Engine, emissions and leaks | 22.8 |
Citroen Dispatch MOT failure rate by year
Every car fails more often as it ages, so each registration year is compared with the average for all cars of the same age. Years with fewer than 500 tests are left out.
| First registered | Tests | Failed | Same age average | Average mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 3,972 | 30.2% | 11.4% | 47,600 |
| 2021 | 3,053 | 30.2% | 12.8% | 59,400 |
| 2020 | 2,924 | 24.7% | 14.1% | 70,700 |
| 2019 | 4,080 | 29.9% | 16.5% | 80,600 |
| 2018 | 4,220 | 30.5% | 19.1% | 86,700 |
| 2017 | 4,250 | 32.7% | 21.8% | 95,900 |
| 2016 | 3,547 | 47.5% | 25.1% | 104,100 |
| 2015 | 3,962 | 49.4% | 28.1% | 113,800 |
| 2014 | 3,145 | 49.3% | 31.4% | 119,800 |
| 2013 | 2,345 | 46.8% | 34.3% | 125,900 |
| 2012 | 1,633 | 48.7% | 36.6% | 132,900 |
| 2011 | 1,734 | 49.4% | 38.8% | 140,000 |
| 2010 | 1,790 | 49.0% | 40.7% | 147,900 |
| 2009 | 1,328 | 50.1% | 41.8% | 141,800 |
| 2008 | 1,536 | 49.7% | 42.9% | 148,100 |
| 2007 | 1,294 | 47.8% | 42.7% | 151,600 |
| 2006 | 744 | 51.1% | 43.0% | 135,400 |
| 2005 | 551 | 51.5% | 42.4% | 127,000 |
Advisories to look for in a Citroen Dispatch's MOT history
An advisory is a tester's warning that something is wearing but has not failed yet. These are the ones written most often on the Citroen Dispatch, per 1,000 tests. If the car you are looking at has one of these, ask whether it has been fixed since.
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge242.2
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened166.5
- Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive141.6
- Brake pads: wearing thin130.7
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing106.2
- Brake discs: worn, but not excessively45.2
Checking a used Citroen Dispatch before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the Citroen Dispatch fails more often than average on lights and electrics, body, chassis, exhaust and drive shafts and brakes. Start there.
Lights and electrics
Walk round the car with every light on: headlights on dip and main beam, indicators, brake lights, fog lights and the number plate lamp. A pattern of electrical faults costs more than a bulb.
Body, chassis, exhaust and drive shafts
Turn the steering to full lock and look behind each front wheel: the rubber boots on the drive shafts should be whole, with no grease sprayed around. Then get down with a torch and check the exhaust hangers, sills, floor and subframes for rust.
Brakes
Look through the wheel spokes at the discs for a deep lip or scoring, check the handbrake holds the car on a slope, and feel for a pull to one side when braking hard.
Averages only take you so far. The specific car's MOT history shows whether it has already failed on any of these, how often advisories were ignored, and whether the mileage climbs steadily from test to test. Read our guide to reading a car's MOT history before you go to view it.
Citroen Dispatch MOT questions
What is the Citroen Dispatch MOT failure rate?
39.6% of Citroen Dispatch vans failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 46,108 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 25.5% of the time, so the Citroen Dispatch was 55% more likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Citroen Dispatch MOT?
Lights and electrics caused the most failure items, at 383 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt", recorded 99.2 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Citroen Dispatch year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2007 registrations did best: 47.8% failed against an average of 42.7% for cars that age. Older cars always fail more often, so compare a year with its age group rather than with newer cars.
Does this tell me whether a particular Citroen Dispatch will pass?
No. These are averages across every Citroen Dispatch tested in 2025. The car in front of you has its own record: its full MOT history shows every pass, failure and advisory it has had, and it is free to view by registration.
Other Citroen models
- Citroen C334.5% failed
- Citroen Berlingo40.6% failed
- Citroen C131.1% failed
- Citroen C439.6% failed
- Citroen DS348.2% failed
- Citroen C3 Aircross15.4% failed
Ranked close to the Citroen Dispatch
- Nissan NV200rank 21
- Ford Transit Customrank 22
- Ford Transit Courierrank 24
How these figures are calculated
Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2025 release. We count first tests of cars and small vans (class 4) aged 3 to 20, so a car that fails and is retested is counted once. A failure includes faults fixed and passed within the same visit. The same age average weights the national failure rate for each age by how many Citroen Dispatch vans of that age were tested, so a model is never penalised for having an older fleet. Make and model are as recorded at the test; trim levels are combined. Full method and rankings.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.