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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  2014 chevy sonic LS auto - 2014 Chevrolet Sonic
  By steven39 - December 1 - 11:51 am

  For about the last amost 2 years I was driving a 2013 Hyundai elantra gls that I purchased in the summer of 2012.Recently my car was totaled in a accident and the insurance company didnt give me as much for the car as I had hoped so I searched for another car that would be cheap enough for me to purchase with the insurance funds without me having to put in to much of my own money which brought me to this 2014 chevy sonic.this base model sonic blows away my former elantra which was fully loaded.sonic is much better built,quieter,handles better,and is just simply a better built car and surprisingly has more interior room than elantra.All this for under 16 grand.excelent value...

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  DO NOT BUY - 2007 Chevrolet Impala
  By jasonm78 - November 29 - 5:28 pm

  Nothing but problems out of this car. Bought it when it has 45k miles and already had to replace Water Pump Transmission Numerous Sensors Muffler AC hoses Power Steering Unit I never will buy another GM car, have to get this car repaired every other week and I cant trade because I have so much negative equity.

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  nox - 2006 Chevrolet Equinox
  By realjackass - November 27 - 11:38 am

  we purchase this vehicule 1 nov of 2010 with 77 000 km . we are today 27 nov 2013 , 3 years after with 149 000 km . we are very very sastified , we did nothing major in repair to this vehicule , change 3 bearing just missing front passenger side and replace brake ( normal maintenance) and a front end part . I did have to sand and prime and paints the rear wheel weld over the rear plastic , a lot of this model do start to rust a this area , it cost me 10 $ , overall very good suv , pretty basic nothing fancy in it .

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  Waited years for this car to come out!! - 2014 Chevrolet Cruze
  By lee1979 - November 26 - 11:38 am

  I have been waiting years for for an American car company to make the cut, on a small diesel engine for a American can, Rumors have been permeating for the last 5 years in the diesel truck community for to be an American diesel powered car that we can afford to take to a shop if it needs repairs in the future because diesel engines last for a very long time and will out last the transmissions every 300k. You may not be a diesel fan like my self but even still there are many good reasons to go with this car. - Top of the line tech. - Great drivability and acceleration. - less harm to the environment than a gasser. - Seven hundred plus miles per tank. - Awesome (real) leather seats

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  2013 Volt is a Geek Dream - 2013 Chevrolet Volt
  By geekdream - November 23 - 10:40 am

  This car is a great car to drive. I have owned the car for 12 months and have used about 12 gallons of gas! I am currently getting about 550MPG. If you dive less than 35 miles per day on average then you can get significantly higher gas mileage than what is published. The car normally runs on electricity until the batteries run low and then automatically switches to a gas powered generator to power the electric motor. The battery will typically give you between 30-40 miles per charge depending on driving habits and outdoor temperature. My average commute per day is about 27 miles. My car is running on battery 95% of the time and uses gas 5% of the time. My favorite car that I have owned.

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  Choose Wisely... - 2013 Chevrolet Malibu
  By panglossian - November 21 - 3:34 pm

  As others, I compared most of the mid-size vehicles. I wanted to buy American (if that is really possible nowadays). Each car has their own benefits, and despite media comments, none really stand out as a clear leader of the pack. Be careful if you select this model. Its still a fine vehicle, though there are some issues. The 13 Eco is one of a kind, as it appears to be discontinued in 14 (the base 2.5L gets the same mpg). Many of the features advertised in the normal vehicles are not in the Eco. Mine was advertised to have 10 airbags, though only has 7. Nor does it have the MyLink radio, so forget about Pandora and the other neat features. I recommend waiting for a 2014.

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  Everything I was looking for - 2014 Chevrolet Camaro
  By voltz06 - November 17 - 6:11 am

  I picked my 2014 V6 LS manual Camaro in October. after a 5 month search of different vehicles I narrowed the field down to this car. I do a lot of driving for work and previous experiences have shown me that those estimated mpg stickers on cars usually lean on the generous side.I believe the sticker said 28 mpg highway. Now Granted most of my driving is highway Im averaging 25-26 mpg which Im very pleased with since i dont normally have the lightest foot out there. The best parts of my day is the drive to and from work! So fun to drive!!!

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  Loved this truck...sad to have lost it. - 2003 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By mchobbs - November 15 - 4:04 pm

  We had this truck for 11 years, bought it new, put over 150K miles on it. It was our most comfortable vehicle for long road trips, though fuel economy did sometimes cause us to drive the Camry. We lost this hard working truck to a head on collision with a drunk driver in a Dodge Ram and it kept my husband safe in that event (he walked away with bruises and a single broken bone in one hand). In all the time we had it we never had to do any major repairs, it still had original brakes, transmission, etc. From day one it vibrated when idling at 750rpm, never figured out why..but it was never a real problem.

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  Excellent car but beware if you have an accident! - 2012 Chevrolet Volt
  By urbanlegend711 - November 15 - 8:51 am

  I have been really impressed with the car overall. It has great acceleration, handles beautifully and didnt give me a single problem in 1.5 years and 22k miles. I had a minor front-end collision in September and the car still ran when I left it. Apparently because its a hybrid the electronics need to be disconnected for welding. The car went to a dealer to have this done, the body shop then repaired it, but now...2 and a half months later, the dealer cannot get the car to run at all. Repairs appear to be very involved, expensive and risky with this car.

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  One of the best cars i have owned - 2010 Chevrolet Malibu
  By bowls - November 13 - 10:43 am

  I bought the car with 10k on it, and now have almost 60k, not one problem or complaint, it is very dependable, wonderful performance, the appearance is beautiful, Chevrolet has finally figured out how to build like the foreign cars, the mileage is as expected, and is acceptable in town if driven carefully, I have kept up the standard maintenance only, nothing other than that, so it has always had oil changes when needed (3k), I would recommend this car to anyone, and the folks that had all the problems should intact the lemon law, as it was probably built on a Friday or Monday.