The Citroen e-Dispatch, a popular electric van model known for its efficiency and reliability, was commonly sold on
Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) and
Hire Purchase (HP) finance agreements during the period under investigation by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), from 6 April 2007 to 1 November 2024. This period saw significant issues with motor finance mis-selling practices, affecting millions of consumers across the UK.
How the Citroen e-Dispatch was Typically Financed
The Citroen e-Dispatch was often financed through PCP and HP agreements, with typical financing amounts ranging from £20,000 to £45,000 (FCA estimate). Common lenders for the Citroen e-Dispatch included
Black Horse,
Lombard,
Close Brothers Motor Finance, and Hitachi Capital Vehicle Solutions. These finance arrangements often involved balloon payments at the end of the agreement term, which could be a significant financial burden if not planned for adequately.
The FCA Motor Finance Investigation
The FCA launched an investigation into motor finance agreements due to widespread concerns over
discretionary commission arrangements between car dealerships and lenders. These arrangements allowed dealers to receive additional commissions based on the type of finance chosen by customers, often leading to higher-cost financing options being pushed at consumers. As a result of this investigation, it was found that 12.1 million eligible agreements (FCA, March 2026), with an estimated total mis-selling amounting to £7.5 billion (FCA, March 2026). On average, each customer lost around £829 (FCA estimate) due to these unfair practices.
How to Check Your Agreement Look for any mention of discretionary commission arrangements or unusually high fees and charges that may not have been fully explained at the time of purchase. ensure that your agreement falls within the relevant dates from 6 April 2007 to 1 November 2024.
Another important indicator is whether your finance contract includes a term like "DCA" (Discretionary
Commission Arrangement). If you find any suspicious terms or conditions in your agreement, you should seek further advice. You can contact the
[Financial Ombudsman](https://mlj.org.uk/guides/financial-ombudsman-service) Service (
FOS) for guidance on how to proceed with a complaint.
How to [[Complain Directly](https://mlj.org.uk/guides/how-to-complain-to-your-lender)](https://mlj.org.uk/guides/how-to-complain-to-your-lender) to Your Lender for Free
If you suspect that your Citroen e-Dispatch finance agreement was affected by mis-selling, you do not need to use a
claims management company. Instead, you can complain directly to the lender responsible for your finance arrangement at no cost to yourself. Common lenders for the Citroen e-Dispatch include Black Horse, Lombard, Close Brothers Motor Finance, and Hitachi Capital Vehicle Solutions.
When making a complaint, ensure that you provide detailed documentation of any issues or discrepancies found in your agreement. It's important to follow the lender’s formal complaints process as outlined on their website or provided in your loan documents. If your initial complaint is not resolved satisfactorily, you can escalate it to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) for further review.
Sources and References
- FCA estimates of affected agreements: 12.1 million (FCA estimate)
- Total mis-selling amount: £7.5 billion (FCA, March 2026)
- FCA-estimated scheme average per eligible agreement: £829 (FCA estimate)
- Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), 2024
- Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS)
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.