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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  cheap ugly car - 2004 Chevrolet Aveo
  By alastor421 - July 17 - 10:52 pm

  This car is an eyesore i bought it thinking it would be great on gas its not the ride is boring its cheaply made you can get something better in the same price range.The performance is lacking in all aspects of this car.

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  Think twice about GM - 1998 Chevrolet Venture
  By GM...Phoey! - July 17 - 6:19 pm

  This is my first GM model and Im disappointed in its value. After 71k miles, it needed a a new manifold head gasket for $950. Dealer said that they ALL failed around that mileage and the fix only will last 3-5 years until you need a new gasket. Friends 98 Pontiac Grand Prix (same engine) died at 68K with the same problem. Brakes squeal all the time and cant keep it aligned at all. Only put on 5-6K miles a year so no "severe" driving involved. It was a good price when we got it in 2000 used, but not so sure now.

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  Hope youre a mechanic! - 1996 Chevrolet Blazer
  By anonabombga - July 17 - 2:11 pm

  I bought this car four years ago and have had nothing but trouble. The air conditioning system is completly broken and stopped working three months after I bought it. I have replaced the radiator and thermostat twice. The brakes have always been difficult, and the transmission is slipping. The passenger seat recliner no longer works, and the rear door gets jammed all the time. It eats up gas and is constantly running hot.

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  STAY AWAY - 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By JOE A - July 11 - 5:40 pm

  I recently rented a 2005 Cavalier on vacation and can honestly say it was one of the worst cars I have driven. The car itself was in fine condition with approx 22,000 miles so I cant blame the cars problems on the rental company. Where do I start...lumpy, uncomfortable, poorly contoured seats, bathtub seating position, quirky/non intuitive/poorly marked/dated controls, many squeaks and rattles, unattractive dash/interior, poor material quality, jiggly ride, poor stability control on the freeway. However, gas mileage was good. Overall, if I had to live with this car as a daily driver instead of a rental, I would trade it in. Stay away.

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  Disappointing (Borderline LEMON) - 2005 Chevrolet Uplander
  By dandrews - July 11 - 5:08 am

  Just under 4000 miles. Transmission, radiator and converter replaced (three times in the shop, one more and its an official lemon). The transmission started acting up with less than 500 miles on the vehicle. Almost caused 2 accidents. New one works wonderfully so far. PCV valve is whistling on acceleration, needs replacement (per GM service bulletin). DVD player makes clicking sound in speakers when accelerating. Intermittent problems with radio and power sliding door. Rear seats are heavy and awkward to remove. No power liftgate option. Middle windows on side doors do not open. Only ONE built-in child seat on ONE trim level. Without headphones, everyone listens to DVD.

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  Never own another one - 1999 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Lee - July 9 - 2:48 am

  I bought this car new. Constant brake problems. Some electrical problems. Replaced the front wheel bearings. Fuel gauge went crazy at around 80,000 miles. Very uncomfortable for a taller person.

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  Fuel pump failure - 2000 Chevrolet Suburban
  By Noillinator - July 5 - 12:07 pm

  I have 60,000 miles on this truck and the fuel pump failed. The service center said they see this a lot and that you have to keep 1/4 tank of gas to keep the pump cool. That is nonsense if you ask me. I am glad I wasnt driving this vehicle when the pump went out. That could have been bad. This was a potential death trap. The interior isnt as nice as my 1996. They really cheapened the seat. The rear radio contriol cant take abuse. I had to replace this when I bought it. I used to be a supplier to GM and cant believe the abuse they gave me regarding my parts. I guess the best I can do is head a warning to GM that this is my last GM car.

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  Stung by quality issues and serious defects - 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
  By firemark - June 29 - 10:19 am

  Ive had my z51 automatic for 2 months now and just over 800 miles... minus the 10 days it sat at the dealer for replacement of the torque tube and bad bearings. My neighbor called the rattler due to all the noise from under the car. The infotainment system is full of bugs, loudly prompts " Please say a command" at random times. The nav screen goes haywire like a 50s TV set and the temp setting controls are awful and wont maintain a constant temp. GM now acknowledged the system issues but has no fix, stating they "may" have a fix in late February. The steering design is poor where tight turns at low speed are lumpy, yet the GM manual says this is "normal".

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  Worst vehicle I have ever purchased - 1999 Chevrolet Blazer
  By chk8abanan - June 23 - 6:23 am

  This is the worst vehicle I have ever purchased. It has not gone longer than 12 weeks without being in the shop. The plastic seat handle on the driver seat and the rear gate broke off in the first 10,000 miles. I had to have the door lock mechanism replaced, ball joints replaced, and 4WD was serviced for several defective internal parts. I have had numerous electrical problems including the AC staying on when switched to “off” position, lights flickering on and off, losing sight of my dashboard gauges due to lights going off.

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  Would rent, Would not buy. - 2015 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Adam - June 16 - 2:47 am

  I had a 2015 Malibu as a rental for a week. I drove approximately 300 miles during the week I had it. The positives are that the interior is relatively quiet and comfortable considering the price point of this car. There is sufficient power there, but it is difficult to access/control because of the drive by wire throttle (more on that later). The brakes are capable and the car holds the road well on twisty/hilly terrain. It feels confident and easy to control at highway speeds. Gas mileage was OK. The computer informed me that my average was 26.1mpg over the course of my time with the car. Mostly city/suburban and a little highway driving. The most glaring issue I noticed immediately is how hard it is to see out of this car, both front and back. All new cars Ive driven seem to be this way, however. The large A-pillars make it hard to see around a corner and the large C-pillars make it hard to see what is behind you when backing out of a parking space. The windshield mounted rear view mirror may as well not even be there. It is useless unless what you are trying to see is precisely behind the car. Anything to either side is obscured by the C-pillars, which creates huge blind spots. The materials on the interior can be described as "cheap" to be kind. The plastics are hard and the texture is not pleasant to touch. My rental had the worst feeling steering wheel of any car I have ever driven. It felt like petting a crocodile. I understand that this is an entry level economy car and dont expect anything to be wrapped in leather or trimmed with wood, but Ive driven econo-boxes from the late 90s with better interior finish than this car. The worst problem I have saved for last. It is the horrendous throttle feel given by the drive-by-wire system. This is somewhat hard to explain, but it feels like the accelerator pedal is more of a suggestion to the engine rather than a direct translation of what my right foot is doing. The worst is when backing out of a parking space while going uphill. I would push the pedal, nothing happens, push some more, nothing happens...until I have it nearly to the floor and the car suddenly lurches out of the parking space. Instead of an even, predictable gradient of power, its either all or nothing. It is almost as if there is a 1 to 2 second delay between pedal input and engine response. It is most noticeable in city driving in situations when you need a little bit of power instantly, like when making a left hand turn into oncoming traffic. I was nearly involved in an accident due to the delay. Its only about a second or two, but when someone is driving toward you at 40mph, one second makes a lot of difference. This did not inspire confidence and I dreaded any time I had to take this car near a city. Once on the highway, the throttle problem is not so bad, but it is still hard to figure out how much to depress the pedal in order to achieve the desired results. I found myself over accelerating, or accidentally cutting someone off because of the vague feel to the accelerator. At its best the throttle is vague, annoying and unpredictable. At its worst, it is downright dangerous. This car was tolerable as a rental, but I would never buy one. By the end of the week I couldnt wait to get back into my old car.