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:

• 

  Maybe I had a Lemon - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Price0909 - November 17 - 10:39 am

  The car itself is sporty and the funtionability of the seating and space is great. The quality of material is not good, seat fabric stains when it rains, steering wheel material is ruff, radio back plate or whatever you want to call it is all warn off making the car look very very used. My car broke down since the first 500 miles I pick it up, and still is broken ever since then. Get stuck a lot. One more payment. Cant wait to give it back!

• 

  Huge improvement! - 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By mark - November 17 - 6:26 am

  2008 Tahoe w/ 2LT. Compared to my 05 Yukon SLT, the new Tahoe is a huge improvement. Interior, specifically the dash, is now luxurious as opposed to looking like a cheap truck. Leather is much better quality. 3rd row seats still dont fold flat, have to manually remove. But now the 2nd row doesnt fold flat. They tumble forward to allow access to 3 row. Nice if you need it, but Id rather have the 2nd row fold flat like the older version that made the cargo area cavernous. Yukon was loud, lots of wind noise. This Tahoe is quiet and has a very smooth ride. Expert reviews complain its too soft and unresponsive. Ill take soft any day. Not doing slaloms in a 5500 lb trk. avg 16 mpg

• 

  2014 C7 - 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
  By tigerstl - November 17 - 2:52 am

  Ive had my C7 for 7 weeks. Fit and finish are great & no mechanical issues. Ive owned a C5 & a C6 Z51. The C7 out performs both. The curb appeal is amazing. Going from Touring mode to Sport mode on twisty roads clearly demonstrates the dramatic improvement that GM has built into this car. Straight line performance is scary and amazing at the same time. This is a fun ride.

• 

  Fun and comfort - 2006 Chevrolet Corvette
  By Fred Kraus - November 16 - 5:03 pm

  We traded a 2002 coupe for a low mileage 2006. They are two different cars. The 2002 was fun and fast, but not as smooth as the 2006. The 2006 is blindingly fast and very comfortable on long rides. Two trips from FL to NY, and one trip to Bowling Green. Room for two carryon size bags, one ice chest and one tolietries bag. 28 MPG avg. 85mph=2000RPM. Lots of waves and thumbs up. Cant stop grinning

• 

  Love the Beast - 1999 Chevrolet Suburban
  By Q - November 16 - 5:01 pm

  Great truck. Plenty of power and room. Runs great at 130,000. 4x4 was a must and I was not disappointed. Got a great deal on the beast. Have a slight problem with the power locks. Leather interior is ridiculously comfortable. My favorite truck to date... easy. Did I mention the power?

• 

  Im 47 years old and this is my 77th car! Crazy! - 2016 Chevrolet Volt
  By David Marks - November 16 - 2:38 pm

  Yes. The title of the review is true. Im 47 years old and I have had 77 cars. My wife thinks Im crazy but I just love cars. I usually buy cars with great resale value and have been able to finance at very low rates over the last 10 years. Usually after a few years I owe less than what the car is worth so I can easily get a new car and keep my payment the same. I have had a ton of Hondas and Acuras over the years an I worked for Acura for a few years so I have been biased towards those brands. Mazda and Nissan are also very high on my preference list. I owned domestic vehicles back in the 80s( Mainly GM products) Actually never owned a domestic vehicle that was not GM. From 1990 to 2015 I drove mostly Japanese import cars. They were reliable , they had good resale and they got good gas mileage. Well about a month ago that all changed and I bought a 2016 newly designed Chevy Volt. I am one of the first people in our area to drive one and I think I am one of the first to write a review. This is actually the first review I have ever written but I am extremely excited about the car and I wanted to send this in. I bought the LT model with leather and heated seats. After the $7500 tax rebate my car payment is about the same as the car I traded in( 2015 Subaru XV Crosstrek) My payment is about $390 a month or $13 a day. I used to spend about $8 a day on gas($2400 year) Since I got the Volt I have spent less than $30 on gas. It only costs $15 to fill it up too. I think I am going to save $200 a month on gas plus the annoyance of just going to the gas station. So yes, the car is very economical but that is just the beginning. The car is really fast compared to cars I have had before.( No, not as fast as the Tesla which I drove as well) Zero to 60 is impressive with the Volt but zero to 30 is even more impressive. The car is so much fun to drive and handles beautifully. It is definitely the quietest cat I ever had. I snore louder than this car. The Volt is super sharp too but not snobby. It is a fresh design inside and out and has every option you can ever want. I love Hondas because of their ergonomics but the Chevy Volt was built to fit the likes of the driver. Some cars are just built and then you must adjust to the car. The Volt feels right from the very first mile. I love driving the Volt and actually look for reasons to go out and drive it. I have not had a car that felt cool in a while. I did not think you could be cool and practical at the same time. I think GM has a real winner with this car and I was even thinking of investing in GM stock. A good friend of mine always would poke fun of me for not driving a car made in america. I called him the other day to tell him that I was driving a 2016 Chevy Volt and he was excited for me and a little envious. He wanted to buy one to but has a minivan instead because he has a big family. Ok I know it has only been a month or so but I am beyond impressed and I am looking forward to keeping this car for a while. I love the fact that I hardly ever need to put gas in the car and I also love the fact that I do not have range anxiety like on other plug in cars. After the first 50 or so miles the gas engine kicks in and I can go over 350 more miles. A lot of my friends thought I would get to 100 cars by the time I am 70. I think the Chevy Volt might put the breaks on all my car buying. It will be hard to find a comparable replacement .

• 

  Back Luck again with Chevys - 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By ptrecek - November 16 - 7:41 am

  Love the general look of Chevys however, Ive had back luck with them for some reason. Transmission in this car went out at 65,000 miles. Car stalls at red lights when the A/C is running.

• 

  GM got their act together on this one - 2007 Chevrolet Aveo
  By Bordeaux - November 16 - 12:33 am

  I have owned my little Aveo for almost 8 months. I have over 28K on the car right now, no problems, excellent gas mil, avg 35mpg. Its the little things that make this car really worth buying. Its the lumbar support, the rubber on the knobs on the interior, the power everything, the antenna integrated into the rear window, the easy to work on engine compartment, the well placed cruise control buttons, the mp3 jack, the six disc changer, spacious truck for such a little car, the head room in the interior. This car was made to be the perfect commuter vehicle. It is just one of the best buys you can make, add all the stuff and throw in the rabate and 0% that I got on it and its a steal.

• 

  great vehicle to purchase for family - 2009 Chevrolet Traverse
  By army wife - November 15 - 8:50 pm

  We are a family that does a lot of traveling due to being military and far from home. We looked at many vehicles and this was a great selection for safety and gas mileage. The vehicle is really comfortable and my children love the space and comfort while traveling. We were reluctant to get a minivan so this seemed to be the perfect fit because it looked sleek yet had many nice "minivan" qualities. We seriously considered the Acadia but this was a better price point and very similar to the Acadia. Overall I think it is a great choice for families who are resistant to getting a minivan but still want the safety and decent gas mileage!

• 

  Great car - 1993 Chevrolet Corvette
  By a-cat - November 15 - 7:40 pm

  This car is sweet. I have 92,000 miles and it run like a top. It has some rattle but what are you going to do about it. I have the 40 anv. with the lt5 and it is fast. I just smoked an M3 today. I maxxed out at 183mph. It takes a little bit to drive. When you let off the clucth it will go. Overall this car is fast and fun!