Citroën Relay Leasing

Your Citroën Relay leasing decision

Intelligent Vehicle Finance helps businesses specify Citroën Relay leasing for bulky loads and specialist working bodies. Choose the body and completed weight before comparing powertrains or contracts. Diesel and electric references need matching to the vehicle offered, while heavier versions require separate checks on drivers, operating rules and road tax.

Relay business leasing: order the working body, not an empty description

Relay is a large-van choice for a business that needs substantial enclosed space or a specifically built body. The starting question is what the vehicle must do once it arrives at work. A panel van protecting bulky products, a dropside carrying materials and a tipper clearing a site are different tools, even when they begin with the same model family.

Ask for a complete specification covering the base vehicle, body supplier, equipment and final carrying allowance. If more than one organisation is involved, establish who coordinates the finished vehicle and its paperwork. A quotation that describes only the chassis does not establish the dimensions or payload of the body your business will operate.

Compare Dispatch if the job needs a medium-sized enclosed load carrier rather than a large body. Relay can be unnecessary where height and volume are rarely used, especially at restricted premises. Conversely, do not force an oversized installation into a smaller vehicle merely because the catalogue offers a familiar trim.

Citroën Relay leasing: key facts

• Relay is Citroën’s large commercial van; Dispatch is the smaller medium-van alternative.
• The manufacturer-linked guide captured on 28 September is effective 1 October 2026, MY26 (14); treat its figures as forward-dated references.
• Named L2, L3 and L4 panel floors are 3,120mm, 3,705mm and 4,070mm.
• L3H2 electric references differ sharply: 730kg indicative payload at 3.5 tonnes and 1,480kg at 4.25 tonnes, before allocating people and equipment.
• The guide includes panel, glazed, chassis and conversion formats; their dimensions and weights are not interchangeable.
• Over-3,500kg versions require a separate check of licence entitlement, operator rules, tachographs and VED classification.

Tell us whether you need an enclosed Relay or a completed working body, together with its load and installed equipment.

Compare the Citroën Relay options

Compare the completed large van or conversion

A base chassis and a finished working vehicle are different quotation scopes. Compare like-for-like body, weight category and service obligations.

Choose length and height as separate requirements

Citroën’s linked Relay guide is effective from 1 October 2026 and labelled MY26 (14). It was available at the 28 September check, so the measurements here are forward-dated manufacturer benchmarks. Confirm that the vehicle and conversion quoted match the edition before designing around them.

Its panel-van floor lengths are 3,120mm for L2, 3,705mm for L3 and 4,070mm for L4. The maximum internal width is 1,870mm, narrowing to 1,422mm between the wheel arches. H2 provides 1,932mm maximum internal height and H3 2,172mm. The useful dimensions after lining, insulation or a raised floor will be smaller; obtain a finished drawing for fitted work.

The guide gives both L3H3 and L4H2 a 15m³ volume, but they have different shapes. One provides the taller roof and the other the longer floor. A tall cabinet and a long packaged item can therefore lead to different choices despite an identical volume. Check door clearance and the method of lifting or rolling the load inside, not just whether it occupies less than the total cubic space.

Panel, dropside and tipper need different acceptance checks

The September IVF catalogue includes Enterprise and Driver descriptions, panel vans, chassis-based entries and converted body types. Confirm the exact scope of any conversion quotation. Ask whether the body, lining, restraint system and electrical equipment are already included or are separate work that still needs specifying and funding consent.

For a dropside, usable deck dimensions, access to the load and restraint arrangements matter. For a tipper, establish the body maker, operating instructions and the payload after the tipping equipment is installed. A panel-van capacity cannot be applied to either. The finished vehicle must be assessed for its own approval, gross and axle limits and working environment.

Citroën’s guide describes the Stellantis CustomFit conversion process and says the project should be discussed with the converter before the base vehicle is ordered. That is a practical sequencing point: confirm the build first, then the suitable base. It is not evidence that every proposed body is approved. Agree warranty responsibility and a repair route for faults involving both the Citroën vehicle and added equipment.

ë-Relay: compare weight categories before comparing range

Citroën UK lists ë-Relay in the commercial range. The forward-dated guide gives a 110kWh gross, 97.8kWh net battery and a 205kW motor. For the named L3H2 electric body, the indicative payload is 730kg at 3.5 tonnes or 1,480kg at 4.25 tonnes. These are different weight categories, not interchangeable allowances for one van. Occupants and installed equipment must still be included on the correct basis.

The same technical section gives 235 miles for L3H2 3.5T and 263 miles for L3H2 4.25T. The source qualifies heavy-vehicle range as calculated using WLTP methodology. Treat these as named guide references requiring confirmation of the exact IVF derivative, body, model year and equipment. Do not choose the higher number independently of its vehicle category and operating implications.

Charging capability is stated up to 150kW DC, with a 5-80% reference of approximately 55 minutes. Confirm this for the offered battery and charging hardware; temperature, charger power and starting charge affect the session. For a working conversion, include auxiliary demand in the energy assessment. Plan the real route and recharge window with a reserve for load, weather and unscheduled work.

A heavier Relay needs an operating decision as well as a quotation

Crossing 3,500kg can change more than payload. Driver entitlement, goods vehicle operator licensing, drivers’ hours, tachograph requirements and road-tax class require consideration for the intended vehicle and work. Do not rely on the van-shaped body or assume that permission under one set of rules settles the others.

The current GOV.UK licence-category page distinguishes petrol and diesel category B limits from zero-emission provisions. Heavier categories and exemptions have their own scope. Check the actual driver’s entitlement and the vehicle details, then use specialist advice for the operation. This page does not give an individual compliance ruling.

Start with GOV.UK driving-licence categories, goods vehicle operator guidance and tachograph rules, checked 28 September 2026. Confirm the position before committing to a heavier version or trailer combination. The person responsible for fleet operation should know what records, maintenance arrangements and driver procedures are required.

Compare Relay’s supplied body and support with its relatives

Relay is related to Fiat Ducato, Peugeot Boxer and Vauxhall Movano in the large-van family. Citroën’s Enterprise and Driver equipment, conversion quotation and workshop support should still be assessed independently. A common architecture does not prove that an alternative body builder, warranty or local service arrangement is equivalent.

Obtain a specification that a workshop can use: vehicle identification, completed dimensions and weights, body instructions and service requirements. Ask whether the intended outlet can accommodate the finished height and weight. For an electric installation, check the division of responsibility between high-voltage systems and auxiliary equipment rather than assuming either supplier covers everything.

The linked guide states electric traction-battery cover of eight years or 100,000 miles with a 70% capacity threshold, subject to conditions. Verify the supplied vehicle’s separate warranty and any converter cover. Plan how essential work continues during servicing, and agree the condition in which fixed equipment must be returned at the end of the lease.

Relay benefit in kind: establish the qualifying vehicle first

For a qualifying van with taxable private use in 2026/27, the standard benefit value is £4,170 and the separate chargeable private-fuel value is £798. The amount taxed and the individual’s tax bill can differ because use, reductions and personal tax circumstances matter.

A qualifying zero-emission commercial van currently has nil van benefit. Other qualifying vans can meet the business-use exemption under HMRC’s conditions. A heavier or unusually converted vehicle needs its classification checked rather than automatically receiving either a panel-van or company-car calculation.

Review the applicable position again for 2027/28, 2028/29 and 2029/30 if the agreement continues across those years. Do not freeze current cash amounts or import the car BiK schedule without establishing that the vehicle falls within it.

HMRC’s van benefit values and exempt-use guidance checked 28 September 2026. Tax is circumstance-dependent and can change; consult your accountant.

Road tax and costs across the term

Vehicle Excise Duty (VED). TC39 light goods vehicles registered from 1 March 2001 and not over 3,500kg revenue weight have a £360 single annual VED payment in 2026/27, including electric vans. A heavier Relay needs its own class and rate check. GOV.UK VED tables checked 28 September 2026; confirm how changes are handled in the lease.

Expensive Car Supplement. A TC39 Relay does not incur the car Expensive Car Supplement merely because a body or options raise its value. A different completed classification needs its own assessment.

Planned eVED. The July 2026 eVED response excludes vans and HGVs at the planned April 2028 introduction. Check the final registered category and any subsequent policy change rather than assuming a universal electric-vehicle charge. Read the government’s scope.

VAT and the business accounts

VAT on the van and any body equipment depends on normal business recovery conditions, use and the actual invoices. Refer to HMRC’s VAT guidance and IVF’s business vehicle VAT guide.

Ask an accountant to assess the agreement, conversion expenditure, rental deductions and any relevant capital allowances separately. The benefit-in-kind rule cannot be used as a general classification for every tax or accounting purpose.

Talk through the vehicle and agreement with IVF. Call 01752 429950 or request a callback with your business requirements.

Build the quotation around the way you will use it

Tell IVF your annual mileage, crew, loads, towing, fitted equipment, charging access where relevant and preferred timing. Ask for the precise model year, derivative, options and registration status to be written into the quotation. The catalogue is a starting point; the offered vehicle and funder terms need confirmation.

Business Contract Hire is taken by the business; Personal Contract Hire is taken by the private individual. Both are subject to status and individual funder criteria. Compare the initial rental, term, mileage, maintenance and applicable fees on the same basis. An initial rental is part of the hire cost, not refundable security or ownership equity.

A manufacturer warranty starts under the supplied vehicle’s warranty terms, normally from first registration. Its time and mileage limits may finish before your lease does. It is separate from optional servicing and tyre cover. Confirm maintenance inclusions, insurance responsibilities, tax provisions and early-termination terms before signing.

At the end of contract hire, return the vehicle; there is no contractual purchase option. Excess mileage, damage beyond the funder’s fair wear and tear standard, missing equipment or other contractual charges may still be payable. Check the return process before choosing your agreement.

Useful next steps

Use Citroen van leasing, van leasing, large vehicle leasing, VAT on business van leasing, Fiat Ducato leasing, Peugeot Boxer leasing, Vauxhall Movano leasing, Citroën Dispatch leasing, electric van leasing to narrow your choice or discuss a quotation.

Have your load, people, route and annual mileage requirements ready. Let us help you narrow the specification.

Citroën Relay leasing questions

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Bring your load, crew, route and equipment requirements. We can help turn them into a clear vehicle and contract brief.

Intelligent Vehicle Finance is a trading name of XLCR Vehicle Management Ltd. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, FRN 315268. We are a credit broker, not a lender, and we may receive a commission from lenders for introducing you to them. All vehicle finance is subject to status and individual funder criteria.

Company No. 03923327. The Melville Building, 15 Royal William Yard, Plymouth, PL1 3RP.

Editorial responsibility: Stacey Smith, Brand Director, Intelligent Vehicle Finance.

Last updated: September 2026