Overview & Reviews

Chevrolet sells an impressively wide range of vehicles, from subcompact hatchbacks to huge vans and SUVs. If you're looking for a reasonably priced vehicle, odds are that Chevy will have something to fit your needs.

Chevrolet got its start in 1911. After William C. Durant had been ousted from General Motors, he joined forces with Swiss-born racecar driver Louis Chevrolet to found the Chevrolet Motor Car Company. The company's first offering was the Classic Six. Introduced in 1912, this five-passenger touring sedan could top 65 mph, fast for the time. Chevrolet's storied bowtie logo -- reportedly inspired by the wallpaper of a Paris hotel room that Durant stayed at -- made its first appearance in 1914.

By 1918, Chevrolet's profitability allowed Durant to purchase enough shares in GM to regain control. Chevrolet became another division of GM, and was its largest volume division by the mid-1920s. By 1927, Chevrolet outsold rival Ford, with sales in excess of 1 million units.

In the mid-1930s Chevrolet introduced independent front suspension, which provided a smoother ride over the rough roads of the day. The 1940s saw continued success with affordable coupes, sedans and pickup trucks catering to American families, farmers and businessmen.

By the mid-1950s, Chevrolet, GM's entry-level division, had added a V8 engine, power steering and brakes, power windows and air-conditioning to its list of available features, allowing luxury for those on a tighter budget. Around this time the iconic Bel Air model -- available in coupe, sedan, convertible and wagon body styles -- proved very popular. The company introduced its alluring Corvette in 1953; the vehicle was the first mass-produced car with a fiberglass body.

The 1960s saw the unveiling of the popular, air-cooled Corvair compact, which held the distinction of being the first domestic production car with all-around independent suspension. That decade also witnessed the launch of the compact Nova, the midsize Chevelle and the sporty Camaro, the latter Chevrolet's answer to the wildly successful Ford Mustang. The Camaro proved an instant hit, comprising 10 percent of Chevrolet's total sales in 1967, its first year of production.

In the 1970s, Chevy responded to changing preferences by introducing small cars like the Vega and the Chevette, and by downsizing larger models such as the Caprice and Malibu. The company combated the market domination of foreign nameplates in the 1980s by rolling out the Cavalier. By the end of that decade, trucks and SUVs had started to become increasingly popular with the general consumer, and the brand's mid- and full-size models continue to this day to be some of the most popular on the road.

The '90s and the early 2000s saw the company raising the performance bar with its Corvette (notably the Z06 and, later, ZR1 variants) and reincarnated Impala SS. Chevrolet's Silverado pickup truck and Tahoe/Suburban SUVs continued to be hits as well. By 2010, the Camaro had returned to the lineup after a seven-year hiatus.

Modern times have seen Chevrolet make significant improvements in its small and midsize car models and introduce the Volt plug-in hybrid. The latter provides a nearly 40-mile range on electric power alone, and adds to the company's already well-rounded lineup of cars, trucks and SUVs. Though today's marketplace is very demanding, Chevrolet seems poised to remain a power player through its affordable and innovative vehicles.

User Reviews:

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  Excellent transportation - 2011 Chevrolet Cruze
  By Peter Creary - January 2 - 2:05 pm

  Fun car to drive. Very guiet inside. In my opinion manual transmission is the way to go. Drove Las Vegas to Boston on a three week trip and return very comfortable. Im 6ft. tall.

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  Dont buy it. - 2011 Chevrolet Cruze
  By Marissa - January 2 - 12:11 pm

  Ive had wayyyyy too much trouble with this car in the past year. Im at about 74,000 miles at the moment but its just recall after recall and problem after problem. I feel like Im at the dealer every other month. Im currently at the dealer getting a new turbo charger, last month the hoses were leaking and something was cracked, month before it was something else that I cant even remember. Its all been covered but its also all been a headache.

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  Astro Snow Mobile - 2002 Chevrolet Astro
  By D-Mac - December 31 - 11:53 am

  bought the astro w 130,000 mi. 3yrs ago. 160know. Replaced a jeep cherokee with it and so happy with our choice. More cargo and smoother ride. Mine is not a soccer mom mobil. Its the Toy Box. And I have a long playlist. Take one seat out. still seat 5 comfortably. and put 5 bikes in the back. Or skis or snowboards... climbing gear... windsurf/kitesurf rigs... or a mixture of them all. In the winter move the seat to the back row and you have a nice space to put ski boots on or have lunch between snowkite sessions or sleep in it..rear heat works great. No need for a rocket box. but it has factory racks so easy to do if needed. Hook up a trailer and pull 4 dirt bikes or two snowmobiles no worries. Right now its winter and this van loves it. So stable on ice and snow. Good tires of course do help a lot. We ski little cottonwood cny and chase wind for snowkiting so often driving in blizzards. Its weight is well proportioned to its size and make it a smooth reliable snow mobile. The gears work awesome. Just put it in 1st or 2nd on steep snowy downhills and you barley need to use the brakes. I work on the great salt lake, if its not stormy, and have to commute across a 15 mile dirt road which gets icy, horribly washboarded, and rutted this time of year. Set the cruz control at 45 and let the S-10 chassy do the work. although i have had to replace fuel pump and catalytic converter, normal stuff for its age, affordable parts and minimal labor made it no big deal. I recommend this van to all fun hogs... especially snow lovers.

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  My Cladsic - 2005 Chevrolet Classic
  By A Battle - December 31 - 12:43 am

  It used to run good but I have been having so many electrical problems. My back lights do not work. The lights on the inside dash do not work. This car cannot be driven at night. Fuses burn out fast carpet bunches up in front. I will have to spend a fortune if I want to keep it because no one will offer a good price for trade plus I have bought two fuel pumps. Wish I new about car before I bought it.

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  Dont buy this car!!! - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Cindi Mooney - December 30 - 6:44 pm

  Theyou decided know a different kind of transmission with no dipstick so you cannot add or check the levels, so you have to take it to a tranny shop or dealership which runs you $250 just to change it...but...then the transmission fails anyhow... $3000 to put a new one in...by this time the car is not even worth that much!!! Biggest regret was buying the stupid thing!!

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  "ITS A WINNER" - 2015 Chevrolet Trax
  By Paul R. Rodriguez Jr. - December 30 - 5:06 pm

  Im a musician and this vehicle gives me everything I need and then some. I could not be more surprised at what I got as far as value. I am in love with this vehicle....seriously!!! Great small SUV for the city (FROM PHILLY) I recommend highly. I read somewhere that the vehicle was slow, sluggish, well let me just say that I use to drag race and the Trax is not slow...NOW your not going to win many drag races but lets be real, you have more than enough power. Well enough said, go test drive a Trax!!!

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  2005 POS - 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By Jay P. - December 30 - 3:32 pm

  I bought my cobalt 2 1/2 years ago used from a dealer. Everything worked well and seemed like a decent car for me. Fast forward about 45,000 miles and Ive put almost 3,500 dollars in it just in the past couple months to keep it on the road. Im not beating the car to death and probably take better care of it than most. And just this week it seems I have more problems developing, on top of my already deteriorating trasmission and its problems. I would stay far far away from cobalts. Ive had to deal with multiple recalls - due to chevys incompetence and leading to many people getting in accidents and in some cases, dying. Im in the process of trying to sell this demon child.

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  2008 Trailblazer - 2008 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By Lynn Douglas - December 30 - 2:21 pm

  We bought it new, I now have 160,000 miles on it and are heading for Arizona tomorrow. No problems whatsoever. New bat., new tires, new alt., thats it. I have a 18 camper and traveled around the USA. handled great, could use a little more power, but did nicely in the mountains. I have a 4500 lb. boat and we go to Lake Superior, approximately 350 miles, and it handled the job nicely.

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  outstanding - 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By Ray Ross - December 30 - 1:09 pm

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  Should have kept looking - 2012 Chevrolet Sonic
  By Diane - December 30 - 9:41 am

  There was a recall on this car for the transmission 2 years after I purchased it. It was repaired. The next year, I was driving to work and noticed when I put my foot on the gas, it didnt sound right. About a mile later, the car began making an extremely loud noise then stopped running. Luckily, I had just gotten off the highway (rush hour traffic). The car was towed and the repair shop diagnosed it as the transmission. Again, it was repaired. Im still not pleased with how the car sounds and no longer trust it to go on a long trip. Also, I was told gas mileage was close to 30 miles to a gallon. Its not even close to that, even on highway driving. Ive had problems with the tires regularly needing air, even shortly after purchasing the car. Just too many problems for a new car.