Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Citroen Dispatch 2018: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 69 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2018 Citroen Dispatch were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Number plate lights.

Summary

The 2018 Citroen Dispatch follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 4,090 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
69 in every 100
Did not pass first time
31 in every 1001,252 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
7 yearsabout 82,116 miles
First tests counted
4,090

What failed most often

  1. Number plate lights12 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Drive shaft joints and boots (front)12 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Brake light8 in every 100 failed tests

How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.

Note:

These are patterns across 2018 Citroen Dispatch vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Brakes

One fault: brake pedal, 8.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 1,252 failed first attempts in 2025 that had a mileage recorded, which allows a like-for-like comparison.

We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.

Brake pedal

Failed on 39 first tests8.1 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A brake pedal rubber worn smooth is not a defect, and nor is a worn design pattern on an aftermarket rubber. A pedal with no rubber is rejected if its grooves or raised grip sections are worn smooth, unless the vehicle was made without them. Insufficient reserve travel is Major, but a vehicle is failed for it only if the pedal or lever is touching the floor or handlebar.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Body and structure

Two faults. The strongest is the exhaust system (front): 5.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Exhaust system (front)

Failed on 32 first tests5.4 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Exhaust fumes causing a danger to health of persons on board are graded Dangerous, and so is a silencer likely to become detached. Fumes entering the cabin are Major. One or more missing or defective mountings does not necessarily make the exhaust insecure, since testers assess the overall security of the system.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 34 first tests, 3.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Drive shaft joints and boots (front)

Failed on 147 first tests3.6 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A constant velocity boot that is only severely deteriorated is Minor. It is Major once it is missing, split or insecure so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt. A transmission joint excessively worn is Major, and graded Dangerous when it is so worn it is likely to fail.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

Seat belts and restraints

One fault: seat belt condition (front), 4.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Seat belt condition (front)

Failed on 27 first tests4.1 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Any sign of overstretching is a deficiency, and so is a cut anywhere on a child seat belt. On other belts the size of a cut decides it, with a stricter limit at the webbing edge than away from it. Webbing significantly stretched or weakened has rows in both Major and Dangerous grades.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 34 first tests, 4.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

Lamps and electrical

Three faults. The strongest is the number plate lights (rear): 3.9 times as often as on similar cars.

Number plate lights (rear)

Failed on 153 first tests3.9 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Registration plate lamps must light up the rear registration plate and operate at the same time as the position lamps. A missing or inoperative lamp is Major when the plate has only one lamp or all its lamps are not working, and Minor when the plate has several lamps or light sources and not all have failed. A lamp throwing direct white light to the rear is also Minor.

Individual sidelight or tail light (rear)

Failed on 60 first tests3.1 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A position lamp showing red light to the front or white light to the rear is Major. Rear lamps must show a steady red light, and front ones can show white, predominantly white with a blue tinge, or yellow if combined in a yellow headlamp. With a multiple light source, up to half not working is Minor and more than half is Major.

Brake light (rear)

Failed on 103 first tests3.0 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

All stop lamps missing or not working is graded Dangerous, and so is a stop lamp that stays on when the brakes are released. A stop lamp that is missing or not working is Major. On some vehicles with LED rear lamps, part of the stop lamp can go out when the rear fog lamp is lit, which is not regarded as a defect.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Advisories

Other things testers noted as worn or close to failing, more often than on similar cars.

An advisory is a note from the tester about something that has not failed yet. It is an early warning, not a fail. Advisories for the faults above are shown with those faults.

Engine oil leaks (front)

Noted on 165 first tests3.2 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Counts cover advisories recorded on failed first tests only, compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

MOT pass rates

How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.

Passed first time
69in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
11in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
20in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 69.4% of 4,090 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 79.6%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 11 fixed and the 20 not fixed make the 31 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

4060801002005201020152018Older carsNewer cars
40608010020102018Older cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 71 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200443 in every 100382
200547 in every 100519
200647 in every 100696
200751 in every 1001,228
200849 in every 1001,451
200949 in every 1001,257
201050 in every 1001,711
201150 in every 1001,659
201251 in every 1001,550
201353 in every 1002,238
201450 in every 1002,979
201550 in every 1003,773
201652 in every 1003,382
201767 in every 1004,102
2018 This car69 in every 1004,090
201970 in every 1003,943
202075 in every 1002,800
202169 in every 1002,931
202269 in every 1003,755

If you are buying one

What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.

Mileage matters most on a 2018 Dispatch.

Of 2018 Dispatch vehicles with under 56,000 miles, 79 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 116,000 miles or more, 64 in every 100 did.

Under 56,000828 tests
79
56,000–73,000807 tests
71
73,000–92,000 Typical car818 tests
69
92,000–116,000813 tests
63
116,000 and over823 tests
64

What to check at your mileage

How often each fault turned up on a failed first test, by the car's mileage. Read it as: what is likely to need looking at on a car like the one in front of you.

Under 56,00073,000–92,000116,000 and over
Number plate lights0.83.24.5
Drive shaft joints and boots (front)1.63.55.1
Brake light0.53.53.8
Headlight aim1.93.42.3
Brake pads (rear)0.82.11.7

Faults per 100 first tests, by the car's mileage at the test.

When a car fails

37in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

36in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

6in every 100

of all first tests had a defect the tester marked dangerous (unsafe to drive away).

Every figure here is a first-attempt MOT rate from DVSA open data for this model line, for cars of this model year tested in 2025. Each mileage band holds a fifth of the tests. MOTs do not test engine or gearbox internals, so this is a pre-purchase checklist, not a full reliability score.

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

The 2018 Citroen Dispatch follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Number plate lights, about 12 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 69.4% of 4,090 first MOTs on the 2018 Citroen Dispatch passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 79.6%. Among 1,252 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Brake pedal appears more often than on similar cars (3.1% of those tests; 39 observed failures; about 8.1× more often than similar cars). There is no single reliability score here; this is a pre-purchase checklist built from DVSA open data, not a guarantee for any individual car.
Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that most often failed a 2018 Citroen Dispatch at the first attempt were Number plate lights (12.2%), Drive shaft joints and boots (front) (11.7%) and Brake light (8.2%), each as a share of the year's failed first attempts. That is what goes wrong most often on the car. The common faults table shows a different measure: faults that are unusual compared with similar cars.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Brake pedal (3.1% of those tests; 39 observed failures; about 8.1× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Brake pedal shows up more often than on similar cars (3.1% of those tests; 39 observed failures; about 8.1× more often than similar cars). That does not prove a design fault. Age, mileage, and how the car was used still matter. Treat it as a pre-purchase checkpoint, not a manufacturer service bulletin.
Common MOT problem areas for the 2018 Citroen Dispatch include Brake pedal, Exhaust system (front), Seat belt condition (front). These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.
Advisories flag issues noted at the test and are not a fail rate. We show advisory patterns that appear more often than on similar cars among failed first-attempt tests, separate from common failure rows. Use them as early-warning checks, not as a pass/fail score.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2018 Citroen Dispatch (registration year) using UK DVSA open data for the selected test year. Patterns are compared with cars of a similar age and mileage. It is a buyer checklist from MOT defect statistics, not a full service history or manufacturer service-bulletin list.
No. MOT tests do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronic modules. Patterns here come from MOT defect statistics only and should not be read as engine or gearbox reliability scores.

About this data

How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.

These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.

2024 2025

What we include

UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.

Same-day repairs

PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.

How we compare

We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.

What this does not cover

  • MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
  • Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
  • Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
  • If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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