Overview & Reviews

The Chevy Aveo was one of the first representatives of a new generation of inexpensive small cars that dawned in the 2000s as car shoppers began changing their buying habits to reflect rising gas prices and tough financial times. Unlike the penalty boxes of old, these small cars would sacrifice little in terms of reliability, features or comfort.

Having said that, the Aveo paled in comparison to later competitors. Built in Korea by GM-owned Daewoo, the Aveo was uninspiring to drive and saddled with subpar interior quality. A penalty box it was not, but it wasn't an object of desire, either. Eventually, Chevrolet discontinued the Aveo and replaced it with the vastly superior Sonic.

Most Recent Chevrolet Aveo
The Chevy Aveo was available as a subcompact sedan or four-door hatchback called the Aveo5. Both debuted in 2004 and, apart from the subsequent minor face-lifts that occurred for the sedan in '07 and the hatchback in '09, didn't significantly change throughout its run.

From 2004-'08, every Aveo was powered by a 1.6-liter inline-4 that made 103 horsepower and 107 pound-feet of torque. For '09, it was bumped up to 107 hp and 106 lb-ft, while for 2010 those figures were revised to 108 hp and 104 lb-ft. Transmission choices were always a standard five-speed manual or optional four-speed automatic. Manual transmission gear ratios were altered for 2010 for improved fuel economy.

The Aveo's tall profile wasn't the most aesthetically pleasing when viewed from the outside, but it certainly paid dividends in terms of providing useful amounts of headroom and legroom. The Aveo's interior also provided a commanding view for all passengers, and a fully reclining front passenger seat and a 60/40-split-folding rear seat expanded cargo capacity. The sedan's trunk offered 12.4 cubic feet of storage space. The Aveo5 also had a fold-down rear seat, and it could carry up to 42 cubic feet of cargo.

In Chevrolet Aveo reviews, our editors found it to be the least appealing of contemporary subcompacts, particularly toward the end of its life. But as a used car purchase, the Aveo represents a pretty affordable way to get acceptable transportation. Strengths included a low price, ample headroom and logical control layout. Downsides included mediocre acceleration, an unrefined driving experience, subpar cabin quality and a sloppy gearshifter (this was the rare instance in the subcompact class where we would recommend the automatic). Shoppers will want to consider 2006 and later Aveos, as they have additional features such as side airbags, alloy wheels and cruise control.

User Reviews:

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  Already want to trade in after only 3 months. - 2009 Chevrolet Aveo
  By bkm89 - April 2 - 6:12 pm

  Three months ago I traded in my truck to find a car with better gas mileage. We found an aveo. My parents really liked it, and the dealer(my fathers cousin) also told us it was a very good car. Not the case. I have no good things to say. The gas mileage is nowhere near the expected I get no better than 25, and all my driving is highway or back roads. Not good in the snow even with studded directionals. The heater makes a ticking noise, very loud especially on highway. Radio cuts out when you turn on the rear window defrost. Whistling noise if you hit 60mph sometimes lower than that. Looks and feels cheaply made inside. Doesnt meet my expectations worst car Ive owned.

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  2005, automatic - 65,000 Miles - 2005 Chevrolet Aveo
  By jdubsnow - March 10 - 8:06 pm

  Ive had this car for 2.5 years, I got it because I needed a car and it was a great deal. For city and in town driving, this car is perfect...however - if you drive on the freeways a lot, it is terrible at high speeds/with wind - due to how light the car is in weight. It also is not great in snow...so if you live in the Midwest, or anywhere with a lot of snow in the winters, I would not recommend this little go-kart. It gets stressful in the snow with how light it is - and you cannot get great tires, especially over 14" - so that doesnt help. If you go too fast, you will slide, and if you go too slow, you will get stuck. It is great for nice weathered places though, and in town driving.

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  What a mess!! - 2009 Chevrolet Aveo
  By markg13 - January 4 - 11:52 am

  Always drove Chevys, this may be my last! Going back to dealer again for same reason within 2 mnths, do I blame the dealer or the crappy car? Creaks and groans from the frame/bodywork within first week of purchase, mileage nowhere near advertised levels, rides like a covered wagon on the Oregon Trail, about as peppy as a lawn mower (and as quiet as one!) nice interior, though. Is this GMs idea of a joke? Is this how you re-build trust in a company that almost went belly-up? I realize this car came from subsidiary in S. Korea, that doesnt excuse shoddy execution/quality. Beware!!

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  Good First Car - 2005 Chevrolet Aveo
  By kwizzle14 - December 28 - 9:25 am

  It was my first car I got in High School and owned it for two years. I live in the city so it was PERFECT. Never had any major problems either. I even got rear ended by a pickup truck and I had little to no damage and the pickups whole front bumper was destroyed. I took this car with me to my first semester in college (6 hour drive) Didnt last very long after that. On my way home for thanksgiving the Aveo broke down in the middle of nowhere about two hours away from home. It cost me around 2000 to fix. I just sold the car to my little sister though who still lives at home. So all in all, great car for commuting around the area, but not so great for long 6 hour drives.

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  Unbearable Engine Noise on Highway - 2006 Chevrolet Aveo
  By Anonymous - December 6 - 2:00 am

  My biggest complaint on this car is: it desperatly needs another gear. I believe it was built for roads in its home country of Korea because it is comfortable and quite until you hit 70MPH+ Then it is tough to control in all but ideal wind conditions and extremely noisey. It stands at about 3500 RPM when driving 72MPH. This generates unacceptable cabin engine noise. Another factor begging for another trans. gear is the only mediocre gas mileage on the highway. I usually get 35-36 on the highway. When I drive 60 on back roads I can get 40MPG, so I know the car is built for a lower operating speed. Look for an escort, fusion, or malibu they are designed better for highway driving.

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  Disappointing but... - 2009 Chevrolet Aveo
  By ScootsG8 - November 26 - 2:00 am

  I bought my Aveo5LT in August of 09 after getting a job an hour from home. I drive rural highways nearly all the way. A 15mph wind makes it unnerving and a 25 mph wind makes it downright scary. Being in MN, its difficult to get around in snow with the small tires and short clearance. Im averaging 31 mpg on the highway and thats not enough. Its loud, not really well-built and to be honest, its easy to imagine heavy damage meeting anything larger than a mailbox, should you get in an accident. The oil filters are spendy. Suzuki builds the for Chevrolet. The only saving grace of the Aveo is the room. Im 63" and have no issues with headroom in the car. Value is so-so.

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  What a deal! - 2010 Chevrolet Aveo
  By SoCalMarine - November 25 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car in Los Angeles for $8795 brand new. $9600 out the door. You just cant beat the value. As for the gas mileage, I drove round trip from San Diego to Lake Tahoe and got a consistent 34-35 mpg. I have noticed a sharp decline when city driving more like 25-29. People need to rate this car by its VALUE. If you are paying $10k for a new car you cant expect it to look or preform like a $30k. But for the price this car has far exceeded my expectations. Perfect eco car or commuter.

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  Same problem, 4 times in 3 weeks - 2009 Chevrolet Aveo
  By sunshine - November 21 - 2:00 am

  the acceleration is not very good however,the good fuel economy makes up for it. i have owned this car just under a year now and recently have been having problems with the car. They keep fixing it but 2 days later it breaks again. tomorrow will be the fourth time in less than three weeks that i will be taking it into the dealership. other than this, i love the car, but i guess you get what you pay for! Cheap price means cheap quality

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  Unsafe for passenger safety - 2008 Chevrolet Aveo
  By Tom - November 6 - 2:00 am

  Despite good safety rating, these cars consistently do not provide passenger airbag protection for passengers less than 120 lbs. If you are less than 100 lbs on the passenger side, you can guarantee that the airbag will be off. We took the car back to the dealer 3 times, averaging 4 days each time - and they claimed nothing is wrong. They DO KNOW that these seat sensors were set too high, and there is nothing they can do to fix it. Not only have we experienced this in our car, weve driven rentals of 2009 and 2010 heritage, and the same problem exists in these other years. The service manager said "No problem exists because the computer did not register any faults". Ha, ha, ha. Stupid!

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  I like it! - 2006 Chevrolet Aveo
  By happy camper - November 2 - 2:00 am

  Ive owned the car exactly 4 years and like it. Aveo LT was sold out, so I had after-factory door locks, car alarm, & windows put onto car. The car runs great, is fairly low maintenance. Ive not had my key stick, or any of the other issues that I see written about. I know when things go wrong, we tend to be more vocal about it, but I wanted you to know that others DO mostly like their Aveos.