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:

• 

  Maybe I should have spent a little more - 2009 Chevrolet Aveo
  By Rob - September 30 - 10:34 am

  I bought my aveo new in 2009, taking advantage of cash for clunkers got it for about 8k new so I really cant complain about the price. Over the years ita has treated me alright. During the warranty period I did have to have a gear in the manual transmission replaced which would have been pretty costly if I had to pay for it. Had a spark plug boot recall also which was apparently causing some vehicles to run poorly...never noticed that but got it fixed nonetheless. This car does go through a set of tires in about 30k miles, even less for the cheap ones that came on it new....think I replaced those at about 20k. I have done all maintenance routinely, havent really had any engine trouble. Did have a phantom check engine light at one point and dealer charged me 100$ to tell me that oxygen sensor was stuck in the open position, quoted me about 500$ to fix but after I reset the light the issue never returned. Had to replace a rear axle bushing to the tune of $300 at about 60k. Front disc breaks have held up well still havent even had to change the pads at 65kk, mechanic says they have plenty of life left. Although the rear drums are currently getting replaced along with shoes for $400 because the shoe came off one locking up my wheel and not allowing me to go home from work last night. This car is 6 years old and has 65k miles. For the most part it has been reliable and I plan on getting another couple years out of it, but I do feel like I have had to fix more than should have been necessary on such a new car that has been well taken care of. Next time I will go with something a little higher end. Forgot to mention I average about 30 mpg or a little over so cant complain about that!

• 

  Least reliable Ive ever owned - 2009 Chevrolet Aveo
  By bandit96 - April 7 - 8:18 pm

  I bought this car new in 2009, knowing full well that I was making a trade off on some of the bells and whistles offered in other models. Thats not an issue if it wasnt for it being an unreliable and expensive piece of junk to run I would still be driving it. I have a mechanical background, and know about driving and maintaining a car to make it last. Unfortunately, in the six years of ownership and only 70k kilometers (43k miles) this heap was in and out of the shop at least a dozen times. The last year of ownership, when it was out of warranty cost me more in repairs then my last GM vehicle did in 10 years and over 350k kms (210k miles). In short, never again a GM for me.

• 

  Major Chevy Aveo failure - 2005 Chevrolet Aveo
  By chevyvictim - September 15 - 1:05 pm

  I bought my Chevy Aveo brand new in late 05, loved, babied and maintained that car very well. 3 days ago the timing belt failed at only 55K miles on the freeway, totally shut the car down including power steering and brakes at 65mph, Im very lucky I was safe. And now I find out that the engine is basically destroyed because of the belt failure, with repair costs of approximately $2500. And to top it all off I find out Chevrolet knew about this particular problem long ago but did nothing to warn owners or recall, totally negligent. Incredibly corrupt company if you ask me, I and many other Aveo owners are very angry, and I feel a class action lawsuit is necessary

• 

  Not too bad for the price - 2009 Chevrolet Aveo
  By misslil - June 11 - 3:34 pm

  Purchased new in 2009 and have put mostly highway miles on it - up to 93,300 now. Get about 33 mpg. Did really great the first 4 years except for having alignment problems. Finally got that worked out. Had problems with AC last summer..fans not blowing much air out of vents. Had to have the rear O2 sensor replaced last month and then the air intake hose this month. Biggest problem is the parts had to come from the dealer and they are outrageously expensive! Approx. $240 for each part. Just read review on another website that the air intake hose was made in 2 parts, but you must buy the whole assembly. Not cool GM. My next car probably wont be a Chevy.

• 

  wont buy a chevy again - 2008 Chevrolet Aveo
  By lcanfield - August 24 - 5:37 pm

  I have my aveo for 4 years now and only have 32, 000 miles on it. I have had nothing put issues with this cars electrical system. First my tire pressure light comes on all the time, now I have my oil light come on and off. I was told by the dealer that it is a sensor problem and they cost 257.00. Now my check engine light is on. Of course this is the same problem. This sensor will cost 357.00. So far I have not fixed them and not sure I will. I will have the car paid off in may of next year, then its so long piece of crap car.

• 

  Not horrible, but not great - 2004 Chevrolet Aveo
  By lovethepudge - April 18 - 2:19 pm

  Lets just say that thankfully my dad knows his way around cars or this review could be much worse. I bought my 2004 Chevy Aveo in 2008 with 95,000 miles, it’s now at 116,000 miles. In the 4.5 years that I have owned it, we have replaced the gas cap, the catalytic converter, one of the pulleys just broke and the serpentine belt came off. (thankfully it wasn’t the timing belt) I had the timing belt replaced right after I bought it in 2008. All new tires, replaced rotors (causing the front end to shake when I hit the brakes, nothing major). New muffler in 2011. The transmission sticks when it gets too cold outside. (It’s been doing that for a few years now).

• 

  TIMING BELT BROKE - 2004 Chevrolet Aveo
  By rich200 - January 27 - 3:45 pm

  Many reviews of this car featured a broken timing belt. I have the same story, but it happened on the highway. Thankfully I was in the slow lane -- had I been in the fast lane I would have been killed. Standing on the side of a busy highway waiting for AAA is scary enough. Needed a new belt and top part of the engine. Total repair $2500, but four visits to the repair shop later I decided to junk the car and got $2500 from a dealer using figures from autotrader.com. No harm, no foul and now I have a brand new Honda Fit and vow never, ever to buy a Chevrolet product again.

• 

  Cheap, and it worked for a while. - 2005 Chevrolet Aveo
  By sssargon - August 1 - 8:44 am

  I bought a used 2005 Aveo automatic in 2007 w/ about 25k miles on it to replace my Toyota Echo. It runs (and the mpg was nice), but has large blindspots in the front corners, so watch for pedestrians while turning & is lightweight so the wind blows it around on the highway. In 2009, w/ 45k mi, while replacing tires, found out there was a bent inner tie rod, which requires replacing this whole chassis ($700-900) it caused tires to wear out faster in the front and the car to wobble between 50-65 mph. 62k mi & the clock broke. After only 64k mi & regular maintenance, the engine died. Better replace the timing belt before 60k mi. Too bad it wouldnt have been worth it anyway. Disappointing.

• 

  A bit Spongey - 2006 Chevrolet Aveo
  By heitro - March 23 - 4:00 am

  I recently bought a used 2006 Aveo LT hatchback at 103025 miles. The carfax stated it had regular service done according to the timetable laid out in the manual. So mostly the car runs excellent. My chief complaint at first were the brakes. Ive driven a assortment of cars of various qualities in my years. And I suspected that since it had scheduled maintenance done it would be in good quality, but the brakes are very weak. It feels as though the car is too heavy for the brakes it came with. I tried replacing the brake pads and rotors with OEM quality replacements, and while it made the braking slightly better, it still feels far too heavy.

• 

  "You get what you pay for" - 2005 Chevrolet Aveo
  By denisenjeff1 - February 2 - 3:01 pm

  I bought my 2005 Aveo LS new...very good value, its always been reliable, have had no repairs to speak of that I have made, just routine maintenance such as oil change, or other wearable items such as tires/brakes. The car was cheap, at the time I believe it was the least expensive car in the market. Well the car is also cheap, no frills bells or whistles came with it other then AC, shortly after owning it, the horn and the clock stopped working, those were the only "extras" that were on it, hey I still have radio, but dont try to turn up the volume, our speaker blew, so two work now. Yep cheap car, cheap price. You get what you pay for. But it has still gotten me from a-b!