Towing capacity of Citroen Dispatch

When it comes to medium-sized vans, the Stellantis-made Citroen Dispatch has one of the best towing capacity ratings in the sector.

The Citroen Dispatch towing capacity is up to 2.5-tonnes or 2,500kg which is the total towing capacity for a braked trailer on the latest van.

For towing an unbraked trailer the Citroen Dispatch has a towing capacity of up to 750kg.

The key question is:

Is the Citroen Dispatch any good for towing?

There’s no doubt that the Dispatch towing capacity is better than many other mid-sized vans. The older versions limited to towing up to 2000kg, but the new Dispatch van can pull an even more impressive 2,500kg.

As a result, the towing capacity of the Citroen Dispatch is better than some of the competition. However, it is still well below the highest towing vans which are even greater on large vans. The towing capacity of a Sprinter van is even greater, comparable to the ratings of a pick-up truck.

Just how good the Dispatch is for towing will also depend on which model you decide to buy. That’s because all Dispatch vans have the same towing capacity of 2.5-tonnes. Irrespective of which engine you buy, the highest powered and the lowest horsepower versions all get the same towing rating.

There are both 125hp and 145hp versions to choose from, but of course towing a full trailer requires power, so our advice would be to opt for the Dispatch with the largest engine rating if you intended to make a habit out of towing something like a mini digger, fully loaded trailer or even a caravan with the Dispatch.

What is the Citroen Dispatch towing limit?

Unfortunately, there’s no catch-all solution to saying that the Dispatch can simply tow 2.5-tonnes. It’s not as simple as that because you need to consider the vehicles entire weight. That’s because the gross combination weight (GCW) or gross train weight (GTW) will have an impact on what you can pull with the Dispatch.

Essentially, the GCW or GTW is the weight of the van, plus any payload in the cargo area, and the weight of the trailer or whatever you are towing.

This is how you can determine the complete towing limit for the Citroen Dispatch and if it was an equation it would be: Kerbweight + Payload + Trailer Weight = GCW.

What is the Dispatch gross combination weight?

The gross combination weight of the Dispatch is a mercifully simple thing, that’s because all the models have the same figure, except for the double cab variants.

Double cab variants of the Citroen Dispatch have a gross combination weight (GCW) of 5.6-tonnes or 5600kg.

As the GVW (gross vehicle weight) – the weight of the van plus the maximum payload – is limited to 3100kg for the largest versions of the Citroen Dispatch, when you factor in the maximum 2500kg that is permitted for the weight of the trailer plus its payload, it means that it is impossible to exceed GCW (gross combination weight) even if you have a full payload.

That’s the general rule. Of course, there’s always an exception to the rule as that was the Citroen Dispatch 2.0 HDI towing capacity. So, if you have the 1.5-litre engine then be aware that it has a lower gross vehicle weight of 2830kg.

What that means is that you’ll just have to be more aware of the overall Citroen dispatch payload that you can have in the rear loadspace of the van.

As always, our advice is to check plates for the vehicle which can often be found either inside the door frames – most often on the passenger side – or under the bonnet of the van.

Is there a Dispatch towbar as standard?

The Citroen Dispatch van does not come with a towbar as standard. There is, however, an option for one to be added as a factory option.

There’s a ball and hook tow bar option available on the Dispatch for all models which gives you a 13-pin connector plug to allow you to wire up the tow bar. It’s available (at the time of writing) for the princely £700 price tag for the Dispatch towbar.

How to tow a Citroen Dispatch van

So, you want to know how to tow a Dispatch, well, you’ll need to find the van’s towing eye.

That’s the circular loop you’ll attach a towing rope of bar to. The towing eye location on the Dispatch can be found under the front bumper, off to the side of the main chassis arm. But you need to go under the front of the van in order to find the towing eye, and then you will also have to be considerate of the rope or bar pressing against the bumper itself when you are towing.