2020 Citroen Dispatch — MOT failures & pass rate
1,951 MOT tests on the 2020 Citroen Dispatch are in this dataset, and 83.5% of them passed. Against vans of a similar age (14.5% fail rate), the 2020 Dispatch comes out 2.0pp worse. Failures cluster in visibility, lighting & signalling and tyres.
What the MOT record shows
No single area dominates — visibility (10.1%) and lighting & signalling (9.1%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are wipers, brake pads and headlamp aim — wipers alone was recorded 211 times.
A 120-150k example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 19.5% versus 9.7%.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 22.5% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is improving — the fail rate fell from 16.9% in 2023 to 13.4% in 2025, as the worst-kept examples leave the fleet.
How it compares
Top failure categories
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Visibility | 10.1% | 196 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 9.1% | 177 |
| 3 | Tyres | 5.7% | 111 |
| 4 | Brakes | 5.4% | 106 |
| 5 | Emissions & environmental | 1.0% | 20 |
| 6 | Suspension | 0.7% | 13 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wipers | 211 |
| 2 | Brake pads | 104 |
| 3 | Headlamp aim | 84 |
| 4 | Tread depth | 68 |
| 5 | Headlamp | 57 |
| 6 | Registration plate lamp(s) | 53 |
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 | 22.5% | 439 |
| 2 | Brakes | 21.5% | 420 |
| 3 | Visibility | 10.5% | 205 |
| 4 | Other defects | 6.5% | 126 |
| 5 | Emissions & environmental | 5.7% | 112 |
| 6 | Lighting & signalling | 5.2% | 101 |
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 | 290 | 9.7% |
| 30-60k | 878 | 18.4% |
| 60-90k | 541 | 18.3% |
| 90-120k | 189 | 13.2% |
| 120-150k | 41 | 19.5% |
Failure rate by age
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 644 | 16.9% |
| 2024 | 709 | 18.8% |
| 2025 | 583 | 13.4% |
What to check before buying a 2020 Dispatch
The failure pattern for this year is specific enough to inspect against: visibility accounted for 10.1% of tests. Start there.
- Visibility (10.1% of tests): Wipers, washers, mirrors and screen damage — usually inexpensive, but check for chips in the driver's line of sight. Typical repair: £15–£150.
- Lighting & signalling (9.1% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Tyres (5.7% of tests): Usually a quick, known-cost fix, but check tread, age and uneven wear (which can hint at alignment or suspension issues). Typical repair: £50–£120 per tyre.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
How many 2020 Citroen Dispatchs pass their MOT?
83.5% of the 1,951 2020 Citroen Dispatch MOT tests in this dataset passed — a 16.5% fail rate.
What is the most common MOT failure on a 2020 Citroen Dispatch?
Visibility, recorded in 10.1% of tests, followed by lighting & signalling (9.1%).
Does the 2020 Dispatch get worse with mileage?
Its MOT fail rate rises from 9.7% in the 0-30k band to 19.5% in the 120-150k band.
Methodology & source. Based on 1,951 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.