2026 Citroen Dispatch: Everything You Need To Know

17/02/2026 12:07 Share

2026 Citroen Dispatch: Everything You Need To Know

Citroen needs little introduction when it comes to its hugely successful commercial vehicle range and the current generation Citroen Dispatch is no exception.

The French firm has already blazed a trail in the small van sector with the Citroen Berlingo – the UK’s most popular model in that class – and its larger brothers, the Dispatch and Relay are similarly well-regarded across the UK and Europe.

First introduced in 1994, the Dispatch – along with its FIAT Scudo and Peugeot Expert siblings – have become a familiar sight across Europe, though it has never been more accomplished than it is right now.

Now in its third generation introduced in 2016, the Dispatch nonetheless underwent a major mid-life cycle overhaul in 2023 to bring it up to the class standard – so now seems a good time to take a closer look at the model.

Why Buy a Citroen Dispatch Over Other Medium Vans?

The medium van segment is filled to the brim with talented options and while the Citroen Dispatch can certainly claim to be among the class-leaders, it has some stiff opposition to contend with.

And we’re not just talking about the current best-seller, the Ford Transit Custom, the Dispatch has competition from within its own ranks on the strength of it sharing the same platform and production with four other medium vans.

These are the Peugeot Expert, FIAT Scudo, Vauxhall Vivaro and Toyota Proace, while there will be a fifth – the Iveco eJolly – added to the mix later this year.

So why choose a Dispatch over one of its siblings? Well, truthfully there isn’t much to tell them apart visually, with exception of different front-end treatments. In fact, dimensions, payload capacities, engines and trims are identical across the brands.

Which means choosing the Dispatch might well come down to value-for-money. As one of our most popular models, Vansdirect has the Citroen Dispatch in stock and ready to be delivered straight-away. Forget costly downtime, Vansdirect will get you back on the road in no time.

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2026 Citroen Dispatch: Dimensions, Loads & Body Styles

The Citroen Dispatch is available in two lengths – M and XL, otherwise known as L1 and L2 – with just a single height designed to sneak under barriers at the multi-storey car park. There is also a Crew Van variant.

In M guise, the Dispatch measures 4981mm with a 3275mm wheelbase. The length rises to 5331mm by selecting the XL trim, but the wheelbase remains the same.

It means the extended length of the XL model occurs behind the rear axle, unlike other L2 vans, where most place the extra inches between the axles in the wheelbase. By doing this, the Dispatch XL allows for easier, wider aperture access at the rear doors, rather than the side door.

To counter this, the Dispatch is available with sliding doors on both sides, a feature not mirrored by many other vans.

While the Dispatch doesn’t have the longest load bay in standard guide (2512mm), there is the option to include a load-through bulkhead hatch on the passenger side.

By folding the two-seat passenger bench to the floor, the load-through hatch can extend the load length to 3674mm (M) or 4026mm (XL), making it ideal for those who regularly carry long items, such as timber or poles.

Overall load capacity without the bulkhead hatch is 5.3 cubic metres (M) or 6.1 cubic metres (XL), though with the feature installed it rises to a competitive 5.8 cubic metres or 6.6 cubic metres respectively.

Payload capacity will ultimately depend on which body size and engine combination is selected, but there isn’t much disparity between the different configurations.

Indeed, all versions of the Dispatch offer over 1000kg of payload at least, rising to the most generous of 1326kg on the Dispatch M 2.2-litre diesel 150hp Automatic model.

2026 Citroen Dispatch: Engine, Performance & Powertrains

The Citroen Dispatch offers one of the more comprehensive engine and battery ranges in the medium van class with three variations on the conventional diesel option and an efficient electric choice too.

Two diesel engines – a 1.5-litre and 2.2-litre unit – is available, though the latter is split into 150hp or 180hp options.

The base 1.5-litre turbodiesel generating 120hp and delivering 44mpg is designed primarily for urban drivers, such as last-mile delivery operatives.

The more popular 2.2-litre BlueHDi engine is available with the choice of either 150hp or 180hp, providing strong pulling power with a torquey 370Nm and 400Nm respectively. These are the preferred choices for those hauling particularly large payloads.

There is also the Citroen e-Dispatch, which gets Stellantis’ well-proven 75kWh battery, which is capable of up to 230-miles of range on a combined cycle.

This ranks the e-Dispatch as one of the most electrically frugal in the medium van class versus models like the Ford E-Transit Custom and Renault Trafic E-Tech.

2026 Citroen Dispatch: Specification, Features & Safety

The Citroen Dispatch and Citroen e-Dispatch is available across three trim levels – Enterprise, Driver and the recently-added flagship, VTR.

Standard equipment on the Citroen Dispatch Enterprise trim, includes:

- Air-conditioning
- Electric windows
- Power steering
- 10-inch digital cluster
- USB socket
- Height adjustable seat
- My Citroen Drive Plus
- ESC
- Remote central locking
- Advanced emergency braking system
- Driver & Passenger airbags
- Cruise control
- Automatic lights
- Automatic windscreen wipers
- Electric door mirrors

Standard equipment on the Citroen Dispatch Driver trim, includes:

- EXTENSO load-through bulkhead
- 10-inch colour touchscreen
- 17-inch wheels
- Body-coloured bumpers
- Dynamic surround view
- Fog lights
- LED daytime running lights

Standard equipment on the Citroen Dispatch VTR trim, includes:

- Hand-crafter eco-leather seats
- Driver’s Sport Comfort Pack included
- 18-inch diamond cut alloy wheels
- Dual-zone climate control
- Keyless entry/go
- Wireless charging
- Heated leather steering wheel
- Heated driver’s seat
- Side airbags
- VTR branding
- Surround rear view (not Dynamic)

The Citroen Dispatch is available with a standard 3-year/100,000-mile warranty, plus an 8-year warranty covering the battery.

In terms of safety, the Citroen Dispatch has earned a four-star rating from EuroNCAP, which assesses the effectiveness of its features for crash avoidance. EuroNCAP gave it an 80% for post-crash safety, 52% for crash avoidance and 75% for safe driving.

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Lease A Citroen Van With Vansdirect

Leasing a van with Vansdirect has never been easier and better value.

Get the right van at the right deal, fast and hassle-free with the best Citroen van leasing deals available across the Citroen Berlingo, Citroen Dispatch and Citroen Relay vans.

Speak to our expert team today and you could be driving a new Citroen van to power your business.

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