carpeep

TVR Chimaera, Buying guide, MOT record and UK numbers

2,108 TVR Chimaeras are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 86.6% of initial MOT tests, 14.3 points above the 72.3% UK average.

Looking at a specific Chimaera? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.

TVR Chimaera at the MOT

86.6% of 2,411 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Chimaera 96th of 575 models.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • TVR Chimaera86.6%
  • All TVR modelsThe Chimaera is 1.3 pts behind87.9%
  • All cars72.3%

Where Chimaeras fail

Share of all failure items recorded on TVR Chimaera tests in 2025.

  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment33.9%
  • Noise, emissions and leaks19.3%
  • Brakes13.1%
  • Visibility11%
  • Suspension8%

The items testers recorded most often were rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements (5.1%), headlamp aim too high (4.3%) and position lamp not working (4.1%).

The MOT page lists every common Chimaera MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.

Full TVR Chimaera MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The Chimaera's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.

  1. Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

    Walk round with every light on: headlights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights and the number plate lamp. Check no warning lights stay on after starting.33.9% of Chimaera failure items

  2. Noise, emissions and leaks

    Listen for a blowing exhaust, watch for smoke on start-up and look under the car for oil or fluid leaks.19.3% of Chimaera failure items

  3. Brakes

    Make sure the pedal feels firm, the car stops in a straight line, the handbrake holds on a slope and no brake warning light is showing.13.1% of Chimaera failure items

TVR Chimaeras in the UK

2,108 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has fallen 11% since the end of 2014.

Change since 2014
−11%from 2,366 licensed
Declared off the road
1,64044% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed TVR Chimaeras since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 20142,366
End of 20152,359
End of 20162,219
End of 20172,179
End of 20182,103
End of 20192,017
End of 20201,889
End of 20211,902
End of 20221,799
End of 20231,671
End of 20241,640
End of 20251,591
End of June 20262,108

Chimaera engine sizes

4.0 litre engines made up 59% of TVR Chimaera MOT tests in 2025, followed by 4.5 litre at 21%. Petrol accounts for 100% of licensed Chimaeras.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 2,411 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 4.0 litre58.8%
  • 4.5 litre20.9%
  • 5.0 litre13.8%
  • 3.9 litre3.4%
  • 4.3 litre1.5%

TVR Chimaera FAQs

How many TVR Chimaeras are there in the UK?

2,108 TVR Chimaeras were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 1,640 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the TVR Chimaera reliable?

MOT data does not measure reliability. It records whether a car met the roadworthiness standard on the day of its test. What it does show is an 86.6% first-time pass rate for the TVR Chimaera across 2,411 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

What should I check before buying a used TVR Chimaera?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, noise, emissions and leaks and brakes. Then check the individual car's own records. Outstanding finance, insurance write-offs and police stolen markers are not part of the MOT record, so they take a history check.

How do I check a TVR Chimaera's history?

Enter the registration of the specific car. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, mileage history, previous keepers, MOT and tax status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report.

Already found a Chimaera?

Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.

Across the 1,548 vehicles of every make Carpeep has checked since November 2025, 19% had outstanding finance recorded and 13% an insurance write-off. More on the car history check.

  • Outstanding finance
  • Write-off records
  • Stolen markers
  • Mileage history
  • Previous keepers

MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), which also gives the engine sizes. Licensed, SORN, fuel and registration figures are from the Department for Transport vehicle licensing statistics (VEH0120, VEH0124, VEH0160). Government data is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability. History-check findings are anonymous counts from reports bought on Carpeep, each vehicle counted once, and are published only where at least 100 vehicles returned an answer.