New Citroën Relay review

Everybody knows Citroën for its quirky hatchbacks and comfortable saloons, but it’s just as likely that you’ve seen the double chevron logo on a van – including its biggest model, the Citroën Relay.

Stretching beyond 6.3m in its longest guise, the Relay is at the top of a line-up that also includes the compact Citroën Berlingo Van and the mid-sized Citroën Dispatch.

As part of the Stellantis behemoth, the Relay shares its production line with a few other large van models. There’s the Fiat Ducato, Peugeot Boxer and Vauxhall Movano, plus the Toyota Proace Max (thanks to Stellantis' tie-up with the Japanese firm).

A recent facelift aims to keep the Relay up to date, shoehorning a new grille and bumper on to a van that, for the most part, hasn’t changed visually since 2006. Yes, it has the latest Citroën logo and gets improvements to the interior, but it does little to hide the van’s ageing design.

The Citroën Relay also faces tough competition from the Ford Transit, Maxus Deliver 9, Mercedes Sprinter, Renault Master (our Van of the Year) and Volkswagen Crafter. So is the refresh enough to challenge the best large vans? Read on to find out...

Read more: How we test vans

The Citroën Relay's new 2.2-litre diesel engine, inherited from Fiat, offers 138bhp in its standard guise. Heavy duty models (beyond 3.5 tonnes) are available with a 177bhp version, but that means entering the world of upgraded licences, tachographs and more frequent MoTs.

The Relay is also available as an electric van – to read about that see our Citroën ë-Relay review.

Back to the diesel, and power delivery from the new engine is smooth, with 258lb-ft of torque enough to get the lightweight van moving sharply, even when carrying a 400kg load.

Handling is predictable but unremarkable. The steering is light, which helps in urban environments but limits feedback on the open road, making high-speed stability a little vague.

The suspension set-up, more-or-less unchanged for years, does a decent job of absorbing larger bumps and undulations but transmits sharper road imperfections straight into the cab. Compared with the composed ride of the Ford Transit and Renault Master, the Relay feels noticeably less refined.

In urban areas, the Relay is easy enough to drive, although its 12.6-metre turning circle, which is wider than competitors including the Transit (11.9m), makes it less manoeuvrable in tight spaces.

The cab is noisier than many competitors, which could make long days on the road tiring. Wind and road noise become intrusive at motorway speeds, while the diesel engine – though improved – is still noisier than the latest Mercedes Sprinter and Renault Master units.

An optional eight-speed automatic gearbox makes progress smoother, although the standard six-speed manual gearbox is perfectly serviceable. Opting for a self-shifter does hit economy though, with a drop of around 10%.

“It seems a shame to me that the more powerful engine isn’t available in the 3.5t van because the extra power and torque make quite a difference.” – Phil Huff, Van Reviewer

While the Citroën Relay's exterior updates are limited to a lightly refreshed nose, the interior gets a more significant makeover.

The revised dashboard featuring a new fascia, steering wheel and updated infotainment system helps modernise the Relay’s cab but it still lags behind most rival large vans. It remains functional but uninspiring, especially compared with the Renault Master.

Worse, Citroën is making the Relay available in entry-level Enterprise trim only, which means much of the good stuff isn’t fitted as standard. So while the official photos all show a shiny new 10in infotainment screen and digital driver's display, you’ll find just a dated 5in unit and analogue dials in the Relay.

Why is that? Well, the electric Citroën ë-Relay gets the best upgraded digital tech, leaving diesel models lacking. At least there’s DAB radio, USB connectivity and Bluetooth, but usability remains poor.

The Relay sticks to physical controls for climate and volume settings, which is welcome because they're easier to use than adjusters on a touchscreen. However, some switchgear is oddly placed – the volume knob is awkwardly positioned low on the dashboard, for example.

Fortunately, the steering wheel has extra controls to compensate, and there’s voice control if you want to gamble with it understanding what you’re saying.

Like most large vans the Relay has a three-seat layout, with a driver’s seat and a two-passenger bench. The driver gets lumbar adjustment and an armrest, but the passengers do without. Still, space is generous, even for three occupants, and the dash-mounted gear lever is tucked away neatly enough to not interfere with middle-passenger comfort.

Storage is a strong point, with 10 compartments catering for everyday clutter. The vast glovebox, dashboard storage and overhead shelf provide plenty of room for paperwork and essentials.

“With other Stellantis brands offering higher-spec large van models, I think Citroën is aiming squarely at fleet buyers.” – Phil Huff, Van Reviewer

There are three body lengths and three roof heights available for the Citroën Relay, al though not all combinations are available together. Shorter L2 vans get H1 and H2 roof heights, while L3 and L4 vans get H3 and H4 roof choices.

Cargo capacity ranges from 10m³ to 17m³, which is helpfully larger than the Ford Transit (15.1m³ maximum). While the Renault Master outperforms the Relay at smaller sizes, the Citroën edges ahead in larger configurations. Trailing further behind is the value choice, the Maxus Deliver 9, with up to 12.9m³.

Surprisingly, the Mercedes Sprinter maxes out at 15.5m³ despite being much longer than the Relay. That pays dividends in load lengths, where the Sprinter’s 4410mm makes the 3920mm available in the Relay look quite disappointing.

Payload capacities reach up to 1,500kg, surpassing the Transit (1,472kg) and Sprinter (1,200kg) but falling well short of the Master’s class-leading 1,971kg.

Access to the Relay's cargo area is practical if predictable, with twin rear doors that swing open to 180 degrees and a standard passenger-side sliding door. Optional extras include a second sliding door and rear doors that fold back against the sides of the van, improving accessibility for tight loading areas.

If you go beyond 3.5 tonnes to a 4.25-tonne van, the Relay provides payloads of up to 2030kg, although there are significant licensing and operating regulations to contend with. That’s only 59kg ahead of our Van of the Year – the Master – which does that within the car-licence-friendly 3.5-tonne limit.

“New arrivals have made the Relay’s limits look last-generation. It is huge though, so if you need volume rather than weight, I think it’s worth a look.” – Phil Huff, Van Reviewer

With Stellantis producing identical vans under different brands for close to two decades, development costs have long since been paid off, making the Citroën Relay cheap to build.

The result is a competitive price point, undercutting the likes of the Ford Transit, Mercedes Sprinter and Renault Master – sometimes by five-figure margins. Only the Maxus Deliver 9 can better the Relay on list prices, saving buyers around £4,000.

In terms of efficiency, the Relay has an official WLTP economy figure of 44.0mpg for the L3H2 model with a manual gearbox, dropping to 40.6mpg with the automatic. In real-world conditions, those numbers are optimistic, particularly when carrying heavier loads.

A three-year, 100,000-mile warranty is standard across all Stellantis vans, including the Relay. While Mercedes offers unlimited mileage for three years on its Sprinter, Maxus provides a five-year warranty limited to 100,000 miles.

Toyota has gone its own way. Despite being mechanically identical to the Relay, its Proace Max can be covered by a manufacturer’s warranty for up to 10 years, with few hoops to jump through, although it’s still limited to 100,000 miles. The Proace Max costs more than the Relay but is also packed with more tech, including a 10in infotainment touchscreen.

“A low price tag will attract the attention of those looking at value beyond all else, but I'd point out that other vans offer more for similar money.” – Phil Huff, Van Reviewer

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