Citroen Dispatch MOT pass rate & common failures
277,445 MOT tests on the Citroen Dispatch (1996–2025) give it a 74.6% pass rate. That is 2.4 percentage points worse than vans of a similar age, which fail at 23.0%. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, body, structure & corrosion and suspension.
Best and worst Dispatch years
Ranked across Dispatch years with at least 1,000 tests. Older cars fail more simply because they are older — compare years close together in age before drawing conclusions.
What the MOT record shows
Build year matters more than the headline suggests: 2018 cars pass 83.8% of the time while 2005 cars manage 66.3%, a 17.5-point spread.
One area stands out: lighting & signalling, recorded in 18.7% of tests against 11.0% for the next-worst category.
At component level the recurring items are joints, position lamp and headlamp aim — joints alone was recorded 23,897 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 31.1% versus 16.6%.
Fuel type barely separates them — diesel fails 25.4% of the time against 26.4% for petrol.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 24.4% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
How it compares
By model year
Every Dispatch model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 220 | 73.2% | 26.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1998 | 313 | 71.3% | 28.7% | Suspension |
| 1999 | 478 | 70.5% | 29.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2000 | 699 | 66.1% | 33.9% | Suspension |
| 2001 | 989 | 69.9% | 30.1% | Suspension |
| 2002 | 2,125 | 66.9% | 33.1% | Suspension |
| 2003 | 3,312 | 67.6% | 32.4% | Suspension |
| 2004 | 5,112 | 67.4% | 32.6% | Suspension |
| 2005 | 6,799 | 66.3% | 33.7% | Suspension |
| 2006 | 8,740 | 67.7% | 32.3% | Suspension |
| 2007 | 13,513 | 69.7% | 30.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2008 | 14,665 | 70.4% | 29.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2009 | 12,139 | 70.3% | 29.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 15,830 | 71.1% | 28.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 14,806 | 70.5% | 29.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 12,833 | 71.7% | 28.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 17,519 | 72.4% | 27.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 22,677 | 73.2% | 26.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2015 | 28,109 | 73.1% | 26.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2016 | 24,103 | 75.5% | 24.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2017 | 26,930 | 83.4% | 16.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2018 | 26,438 | 83.8% | 16.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2019 | 16,275 | 82.8% | 17.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2020 | 1,951 | 83.5% | 16.5% | Visibility |
| 2021 | 723 | 81.0% | 18.9% | Visibility |
| 2022 | 122 | 83.6% | 16.4% | Visibility |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 18.7% | 51,782 |
| 2 | Body, structure & corrosion | 11.0% | 30,428 |
| 3 | Suspension | 8.8% | 24,345 |
| 4 | Brakes | 7.8% | 21,761 |
| 5 | Visibility | 7.1% | 19,724 |
| 6 | Tyres | 5.3% | 14,737 |
| 7 | Emissions & environmental | 2.9% | 8,190 |
| 8 | Steering | 1.8% | 4,954 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joints | 23,897 |
| 2 | Position lamp | 23,755 |
| 3 | Headlamp aim | 13,805 |
| 4 | Stop lamp | 13,528 |
| 5 | Wipers | 13,261 |
| 6 | Registration plate lamp(s) | 12,360 |
| 7 | Ball joint | 11,766 |
| 8 | Headlamp | 10,845 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 24.4% | 67,743 |
| 2 | Brakes | 24.4% | 67,675 |
| 3 | Emissions & environmental | 16.3% | 45,336 |
| 4 | Lighting & signalling | 14.9% | 41,256 |
| 5 | Suspension | 14.8% | 41,152 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 14.5% | 40,318 |
Failure rate by mileage
Higher-mileage cars tend to fail more — often the most useful guide to real condition.
| Mileage band | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 14,471 | 16.6% |
| 30-60k | 43,383 | 17.7% |
| 60-90k | 61,173 | 23.1% |
| 90-120k | 59,101 | 27.0% |
| 120-150k | 42,296 | 28.7% |
| 150k+ | 49,654 | 31.1% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 275,930 | 25.4% |
| Petrol | 1,484 | 26.4% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 59,379 | 25.4% |
| 2022 | 59,995 | 24.9% |
| 2023 | 57,076 | 25.3% |
| 2024 | 52,777 | 25.7% |
| 2025 | 48,218 | 25.6% |
What to check before buying a Citroen Dispatch
- Lighting & signalling (18.7% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Body, structure & corrosion (11.0% of tests): The one to take seriously on older cars — corrosion to structural areas can be costly and is an MOT failure. Typical repair: £200–£1,500+.
- Suspension (8.8% of tests): Worn drop links, bushes, springs or shocks — listen for knocks over bumps and check for uneven tyre wear. Typical repair: £150–£450 per corner.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for the Citroen Dispatch?
74.6% of the 277,445 Citroen Dispatch MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 25.4% fail rate, across model years 1996–2025.
What does the Citroen Dispatch most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 18.7% of tests, then body, structure & corrosion (11.0%).
Which Dispatch years are best and worst for MOT results?
2018 has the best pass rate at 83.8% and 2005 the weakest at 66.3%, from 26,438 and 6,799 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Dispatch MOT results?
Fail rates run at 16.6% for cars in the 0-30k band and 31.1% for 150k+, a 14.5-point difference.
Is the diesel or petrol Dispatch more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the diesel fails 25.4% of the time against 26.4% for the petrol. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 277,445 MOT tests. Dataset: DVSA MOT testing data (2021,2022,2023,2024,2025). Data last updated 2026-07-27. Figures reflect MOT-testable defects only — read the methodology for how these are calculated and what they don't measure.