Citroen Relay van review (2023)

• Euro 6 engines provide improved power
• Refinement is still poor
• Plenty of in-cab storage

The good news from the Citroen Relay driving experience is that this van has always been fitted with strong engines that perform well on the road and for your wallet.

Citroen Relay engine choice

Originally available with a choice of 2.2-litre HDi turbodiesels for routine work and a big 3.0-litre HDi turbodiesel for more heavy duty operations, in 2016 these were all superseded by a newly developed range of 2.0-litre BlueHDi motors design for the initial round of Euro 6 regulations. These were then replaced just three years later by new 2.2-litre BlueHDi engines in 2019 in order to meet Euro 6.2.

The smaller 2.0-litre models didn't get any reduction in performance on paper - in fact each of them made either more power or more torque than their older equivalent - but you may feel in practice that Relays with these engines don't quite feel as muscular as they did before.

Unfortunately, the move back to 2.2-litres hasn't fully resolved this concern, as instead of the three previous power outputs - 110hp / 300Nm, 130hp / 340Nm and 160hp / 350Nm - the latest Citroen Relay range is limited to just two engine variants.

And the most powerful one of these has just 140hp and 340Nm; the least powerful has 120hp and 310Nm. But while this is a lot less than some rivals can provide if you're prepared to spend all the money, you'll only really think the 140hp Relay under-powered when driving it fully loaded - after all, the Citroen is quite light for a large van.

Unrefined and tiring to drive

The really bad news about the Citroen Relay driving experience is that it can be quite tiring at motorway speeds. The steering is light but lacks precision, which means you have to concentrate hard to keep it pointed in even a straight line.

Ride comfort is also rather jittery - typical for a large van of this age, this will settle once there's some weight in the back - and even with a full bulkhead refinement is poor. A lot of road and engine noise can be heard in the cabin.

On a more positive note, a relatively tight turning circle in combination with that light steering makes it easy to handle at lower speeds around town.

• Good visibility
• Lots of in-cab storage
• Seats aren't the most comfortable

The Relay offers a pleasant driving environment for a van of its age, with good forward visibility and split door mirrors with lower sections that can be angled downwards - useful when parking in tight spots or for spotting vehicles hiding in your blindspots.

Electric windows and electrically adjustable mirrors are standard. The dual passenger seat includes a drop-down desk unit and the Relay also comes with a CD stereo as standard.

Plenty of storage

In-cab storage includes two glove compartments (the central one is lockable and has room for a laptop computer), a dashboard-mounted document clip and a couple of open and lidded compartments elsewhere in the dashboard.

There are also generous door pockets, a storage area under the passenger seat and a 22-litre open overhead compartment.

The driver's seat is comfortable and can be chosen with its own suspension - useful if you spend long hours on the road. The passenger seat isn't as comfortable.

For details of the standard equipment for the current range, see the Costs section of this review.

• Among the best in the large van sector for mpg
• Some cost-saving design features
• Lengthy service intervals on Euro 6 models

There are some clever design features intended to keep your costs down on the Citroen Relay. The front and rear bumpers, for example, are both assembled from three pieces rather than a single part, meaning they can be replaced in sections should a slight bit of damage occur.

Citroen Relay mpg

As with all Euro 6 vans now, the Relay has an AdBlue tank that must be kept topped up in order to keep the emissions down (the engine won't start without it!).

Possibly more confusingly, Citroen now quotes the Relay's fuel economy according to the latest WLTP standard - this is right and proper, but means that the latest models appear to have much lower fuel economy than the models they replaced.

As such the Relay has gone from claiming as much as 47.0mpg to a best of 34.9mpg. This doesn't reflect a dramatic drop in efficiency, rather that WLTP is closer to real life than the NEDC test it replaced.

You should still take the official claims with a pinch of salt, though.

Citroen Relay servicing intervals and warranty

Pre-Euro 6 Relays had 25,000-mile service intervals, but with the introduction of the new 2.0-litre engines in 2016, this was extended to 30,000 miles while the latest 2.2-litre models can go 32,000 miles between dealer visits. In theory.

Technically, you can also go two years between services, but we'd still recommend an annual safety check for peace of mind, and heavily used vans should be serviced every 12,500 miles, regardless (that's according to Citroen, too, not us).

New Relays come with a three-year / 100,000-mile warranty.

Citroen Relay standard equipment

The current Relay range has been consolidated into just the single, well-equipped specification - Enterprise Edition. This wasn't always the case, so if you are looking at a used one then you might well find four different trim levels: X, Worker, Enterprise and Driver.

As things stand, at the start of 2023, this is what you get in that single trim.

Citroen Relay Enterprise Edition highlights:

• Air conditioning
• Cruise control with speed limiter
• Heated, powered windows
• Seven-inch colour touchscreen with satellite navigation
• Apple Carplay and Android Auto
• DAB digital radio, Bluetooth and USB connection
• Steering-wheel mounted controls
• Telematics box

Earlier Relays came in four trims, with the below kit included on each one.

Citroen Relay X equipment highlights:

• DAB radio, Bluetooth and USB connectivity
• Telematics box for Free2Move Connect Fleet Services
• Reach-adjustable steering wheel with audio controls
• Height-adjustable driver's seat
• Electric windows
• Electrically-adjusted twin-lens door mirrors with heated upper lenses
• Rear doors with 180-degree opening
• Sliding side door on the passenger side
• Full steel bulkhead
• Half-height load area protection

Citroen Relay Worker standard equipment highlights (in addition to X):

• Cruise control with variable speed limiter
• Lower central glovebox (instead of cupholders and phone storage)
• Lumbar adjustment and armrest for driver's seat
• Grip Control electronic traction control system with Hill Descent Control
• Underbody protection plate
• Reinforced suspension
• All-season tyres
• Front and rear mudflaps

Citroen Relay Enterprise standard equipment highlights (in addition to X rather than Worker):

• Touchscreen infotainment system with sat-nav
• Air-conditioning
• Cruise control with variable speed limiter
• Touchscreen infotainment system with 5.0-inch screen
• Rear parking sensors
• Lower central glovebox (instead of cupholders and phone storage)
• Lumbar adjustment and armrest for driver's seat

Citroen Relay Driver standard equipment highlights (in addition to Enterprise):

• Rear parking camera
• LED daytime running lights in the headlights
• Automatic lights and wipers
• USB charging socket and tablet holder on dashboard
• Driver Assist Pack for added safety equipment

For more details of safety and security equipment, see the Safety and Security section of this review.

As a van that's been around for such a long time, especially one that's sold by three different brands, you would have to hope that most of the faults and kinks have been ironed out by now.

So, if you're buying new, you shouldn't have too much to worry about. Except, of course, that the 2.0-litre engines were only introduced in 2016.

This still shouldn't be a major concern, as Peugeot-Citroen (like the van, the engine is a joint development) claimed to have done extensive, commercial vehicle-specific testing of the new BlueHDi motors.

They are also re-developments of existing car engines, so again, have plenty of real-world miles under their belts.

There have been reports of starting and running problems with the older 2.2-litre HDi engines, so if you're looking at a used example be sure to check the service history very carefully - just as you would with any other van.

• Immobiliser and alarm as standard
• Limited standard safety kit
• Autonomous emergency braking optional

Citroen's safety offering has improved in recent times, but historical models have been poor in terms of the kit included as standard. It still lags behind more modern rivals though.

When it was assessed by EuroNCAP it managed a Bronze rating, which is the lowest score above being not recommended. Rivals like the Fiat Ducato managed a Platinum rating.

Citroen Relay security

All versions get an immobiliser and remote locking as standard.

Previously, only the Enterprise and Driver models came with an alarm but with the switch to the single Enterprise Edition trim, every model now comes with one.

Citroen Relay safety

When it comes to safety, some earlier entry-level versions of the Relay cover the basics but do little more. So, you get electronic stability control (ESC), but there's only one airbag (for the driver) unless you venture into the options list.

Enterprise Edition now comes with a little more, with emergency brake assist and electronic brake force distribution included. To get some proper modern safety kit you still have to add the Safety Pack, which brings speed limit recognition, smart beam headlights, active safety brake, collision alert and lane departure warning. If  you want more than one airbag then even that will cost you extra, with a passenger 'bag a £300 option.