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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  GUESS WERE NOT THE ONLY ONES DUMPING GM / CHEVY - 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By dyer33704 - November 12 - 9:26 am

  My parents have been GM/Chevy people ever since I can remember. I think their first was a 1962 Impala Station Wagon. Anyway, I was with them when they purchased their Trailblazer. What [non-permissible content removed]! All the same issues as everyone else has been stating. Stalling at lights & pulling into and out of the driveway and intermittent rough idle and high rapid idle for no reason at at 32,000 miles. 40,000 miles brought about incorrect inside/outside temperature readings & inability use climate control which was supposedly unrepairable. Seatbelts that dont release & just keep getting tighter and tighter ever since purchase and they cant seem to repair it or didnt want to.

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  Transmission should be recalled - 2013 Chevrolet Cruze
  By klderme - November 11 - 9:08 am

  The Chevy Cruze is a disaster. Do not buy this car. It had been recalled twice, but not recalled for known faulty transmission. The car surges and jerks. My 2 year old car needed a NEW transient, but to top it off, I have been back three times Ina week, because the new one isnt installed correctly. Stick with Honda or Nissan.

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  Malibu Outshines the Others - 2013 Chevrolet Malibu
  By karenandcarl - November 7 - 8:21 pm

  Edmunds was not all positive about the 2013 Malibu, but we looked at and drove all the other brands and Malibu comfort and quality outshine them all. The only other one close is Fusion. We love our car and hope anyone in the market takes a close look at this car that is an American car, and has a high [HTML removed] rating.

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  Very Fast Car - 2013 Chevrolet Camaro
  By jose_l - November 7 - 12:18 pm

  I use to own a 2011 Camaro SS before I bought my 2013 Camaro ZL1 earlier this year and man there is a huge difference in performance, power wise and handling. Every time I get in and drive this car I feel like Im like the king of the road because I can accelerate an pass the majority of cars or brake quickly to avoid accidents. The reviews say it is has a small trunk opening and small back seats and hard to see out of. I think its like everything you just have to get use to it, I took care of that when i drove my 2011 camaro SS. I give this car in a rating of 1 to 5. Let me see I would give it a 7+

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  Surging problems - 2013 Chevrolet Cruze
  By northerncruzer - November 7 - 10:53 am

  hmmmm....I see I am not the only one with this problem...stopped at lights brake applied and car starts surging, scared the crap outta me lol sometimes its worse than other times and happens intermittently, its booked next week so hopefully the problem gets resolved.....

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  Built American at its Best! - 2013 Chevrolet Malibu
  By usmretired - November 6 - 5:21 am

  I can only find a couple things I would do differently with this car which are include a full size spare with the same alloy wheel thats on the car, and include fog lights on all the models. Now let me start by expressing how much I love this car. I love this car! Chevrolet hit the ball out of the park on the 2013 Malibu. This car looks really great, I get compliments all the time. The car is so quiet inside when being driven, he handles very well, pretty good acceleration too. The fit and finish in this car with the blue accent lighting allows me to really relax at night and enjoy the ride!

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  2005 Trailblazer - 2005 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By pissedoff16 - November 5 - 7:48 am

  Purchased my Trailblazer in 2006. It was a Pre-Certified car with only 13,000 miles. It carried the full 100,000 or 5 year warranly. At 104,000 miles (2011) the transmission went out. I purchased a New Chevy transmission to put back in it. Cost over $2500. Since then I have had nothing but problems with this car!!!! I have replaced air pump, 4 air injection pumps, 2 years my gas gauge hardly reads any gas in my car. I did not recieve a letter in 2011 about gas gauage. Now I am over the 120,000 limit. If you figure that, you can drive 1500 a year or 24 miles a day. Who can do that. I am pissed.

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  Custom hobby builder mechanic. - 1999 Chevrolet Malibu
  By unicorngm - November 5 - 2:39 am

  What can i say the 1999 chevy malibu is a great car for the guy who knows what hes doing. Never had a problem i could not fix, if any! i have had it now for 10 years now and am going to keep it. A little fine tuning and you feel like your driving indy. Its V6 engine is perfect spec. To go in and beef it up, iv added a twin turbo pac, engine mods, tuned the suspension added extra trac-bars. OK not everyone can do this but for me GM is a greatly made car, i know i take them apart and see the quality thats there. iv taking other cars apart and brother there not what they seem..at least the ones that come from the dealers, cheap metal, plastic, sometimes the guys that make them are lost.

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  Disappointing Quality - 2013 Chevrolet Cruze
  By davidsk - November 3 - 7:53 pm

  We developed spots on the hood where the paint peeled away. Weve been to the Chevy dealer and spoke to Chevy corporate. They concluded it was bird poop that caused the paint chips but refused to fix the problem, informing us it will cost $500 to fix. Our actual 25 MPG is also very disappointing and not what we expected. In the year weve had the car, there have been 2 recalls on safety issues. If I had known about these issues, I would not have purchased the car and I warn others to be careful. Its extremely disappointing that Chevy wont stand behind the quality of its cars. Will never purchase another Chevy.

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  Great Compact Car! - 2014 Chevrolet Cruze
  By cruze2014 - November 2 - 3:21 pm

  I recently traded my 2011 Camaro in for a 2014 Cruze. I was trying to find a car that could save me on gas. The Cruze was an easy pick for me, compared to other cars in its class. I got the black granite metallic color, it really shines in the sun light. I was looking at the Mazda 3 also when buying a new car. I preferred the drive quality on the Cruze, the Mazda 3 had a lot of road noise for my taste. I am actually liking the Cruze more than my Camaro.