The Citroen Dispatch is a popular van model that was commonly sold on
Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) and
Hire Purchase (HP) finance agreements during the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) motor finance investigation period from 6 April 2007 to 1 November 2024. This period saw significant scrutiny over
discretionary commission arrangements in vehicle financing, affecting millions of consumers across the UK.
How the Citroen Dispatch was Typically Financed
Citroen Dispatch vans were typically financed through PCP and HP agreements ranging from £20,000 to £45,000. These finance packages often featured terms of 36 to 60 months, with balloon payments at the end of the term for those opting for a PCP agreement. Common lenders providing finance for Citroen Dispatch models included
Black Horse,
Lombard,
Close Brothers Motor Finance, and Hitachi Capital Vehicle Solutions.
The FCA Motor Finance Investigation
The FCA's investigation into motor finance agreements uncovered widespread issues with discretionary commission arrangements between car dealerships and finance companies. These arrangements allowed dealers to receive additional commissions based on the type of financing a customer chose, often influencing them towards higher-cost products like PCP agreements over lower-cost options such as HP or cash purchases. The investigation found that these practices affected 12.1 million eligible agreements (FCA, March 2026), with an estimated total compensation amounting to £7.5 billion (FCA, March 2026). On average, each consumer was expected to receive around £829 (FCA estimate) in compensation.
If you believe your Citroen Dispatch finance agreement was affected by the issues identified in the FCA investigation, you can complain directly to your lender without needing to involve a
claims management company. Common lenders providing finance for the Citroen Dispatch include Black Horse, Lombard, Close Brothers Motor Finance, and Hitachi Capital Vehicle Solutions. Each of these companies offers a complaints process that allows customers to submit their concerns free of charge.
When preparing your complaint, gather all relevant documents such as your original finance agreement, payment records, and any correspondence with the lender or dealership regarding your financing arrangement. Clearly outline how you believe you were affected by discretionary commission arrangements and request a full review of your case. Remember that you have the right to seek free assistance from organisations like the
Financial Ombudsman Service (
FOS) if your complaint is not resolved satisfactorily.
You do not need a claims management company to handle your complaint; many financial institutions provide full support for customers wishing to lodge complaints directly with them.
Sources and References
- FCA investigation into motor finance agreements: https://www.fca.org.uk/news/motor-finance-discretionary-commission-investigation
- Financial Conduct Authority estimates on affected agreements, total compensation, and average payout (FCA estimate): https://www.fca.org.uk/publication/consultation/cp24-15.pdf
Based on 39,700 MOT tests conducted in 2024 (source: DVSA anonymised test data), the Citroen Dispatch has a pass rate of 72.8%. This is below the national average of 79.6%, meaning the Dispatch has a higher-than-average failure rate in MOT testing.
The Dispatch pass rate is slightly below the overall Citroen average of 75.3%. The average mileage at MOT for this model is 108,962 miles.
- MOT pass rate: 72.8%
- MOT failure rate: 27.2%
- Tests analysed: 39,700 (2024 DVSA data)
- Average mileage at test: 108,962 miles
- Citroen average pass rate: 75.3%
- National average pass rate: 79.6%
Data source: DVSA anonymised MOT test results 2024, published under the Open Government Licence v3.0.