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:

• 

  Happy - 2004 Chevrolet Avalanche
  By jerry111 - September 22 - 10:00 am

  I have owned the truck for 3 months and have enjoyed every minute of it.

• 

  Nice Car - 2004 Chevrolet Impala
  By jrydel - September 22 - 10:00 am

  Nice car. Ride is a little harsh. Good handling and great gas mileage. Fun to drive, but is not all it should be. See suggested improvements. A little pricey for the SS compared to other makes such as Nissan Maxima, etc.

• 

  My 2004 Tahoe Z71 - 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By jlrose - September 22 - 10:00 am

  I ordered this truck March 1st, and received it on March 30, 2004. Pretrty good turn around. Was worth the wait to get what I wanted. VERY NICE!

• 

  BlackJack21 - 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By Blackjack21 - September 22 - 10:00 am

  I enjoy the comfort of the vehicle. The only downfall I see is it lacks passing power, it takes a while to kick down and accelerate.

• 

  Rented 4 pickups bought the Silverado - 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By Jpv - September 22 - 2:37 am

  I was in the market for a new pickup and definitely preferred the Toyota Tundra before driving any of them because I have owned Toyota and Lexus vehicles for the last 20 years. Cant beat the reliability anywhere. Drove the Tundra and liked it but could not average more than 15 mpg, didnt matter that I took a trip to Naples, still 15 mpg. The truck was very nice but that was a problem for me. I rented an F150, not crazy about the looks and the aluminum body, just my opinion, and the Ram, could not get past the rotating knob for a shifter, reminded me of the old push button transmission fad of the old Chrysler and the gas mileage was terrible like the Tundra. Rented a Silverado thinking I have not bought a Chevy in 30 years and to my surprise, I posted 22.9 mpg on the highway, a high of 24.2 and an average of 21.9. I was shocked and amazed at how great it rode and handled. The Apple car play was a bonus and a great addition to the my sync system which sounds surprisingly good. Purchased the crew cab short bed with the all star package and the V8 and so far averaging 22.5 mpg in mixed mostly highway driving. Also, I do not have the Silverado shake I have read about and hope this truck serves me as well as all the Toyota vehicles I bought in the past. Only time will tell but so far, very pleased with the purchase but it has only been the first week

• 

  not happy but stuck - 2005 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By bryan - September 21 - 10:45 pm

  Tranny went out at 30K miles. Gm put band-aids on & would not replace it. I am very disgusted w/GM service. Never again. Trailblazer is worse than most on retaining value. I am in the tank on this one & still bought it 8K under list price.For an LT the stereo sucks.Rear leg room not much. Better to spend the money on a used Tahoe.Mileage is no different. Handles terrible and wind noise is the worse I have ever seen.Not reccomended by me to buy one.

• 

  Tiny space - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By frogger - September 21 - 6:36 pm

  When we purchased the vehicle we only had one child and with baby #2,there is very little truck space even with the seat at my husbands back. We were very unhappy with the durability of the interior (water left a mark) after the stain treatment. I was told when took it back to shop "what do you think would happen with kids? We are already trading it in.

• 

  C5 the Greatest! - 2004 Chevrolet Corvette
  By OStanley - September 21 - 1:02 pm

  My Corvette convertible has been an absolute pleasure to own and drive.We are both 60 and purchased it as a "getaway" vehicle. Boy have we gotton away and in style, reasonable comfort and believe it or not, pretty good gas mileage.The cars trip computer gives us an average of almost 22mpg over the 20K+ miles we have driven since new.Chevy has a grand slam" in the Corvette C5, no doubt.Own one and youll agree! Its performance and build quality is exceptional.The car is tight and rattle free even in the convertible configuration, thanks in large measure to the C5 redesign.Corvette engineering did a great job! Ownership has been a 9.8 experience and I dont anticipate any change in that!

• 

  Glad it was FREE !!!!!! - 1995 Chevrolet Lumina
  By Dusty - September 21 - 11:17 am

  My Mother-in-law gave this car to my wife with 29,000 miles on it. She had already replaced the alternator twice by then. At 30,000 it had to be replaced again. Im getting really nervous because its only a couple of hundred miles below 40,000 now. We just paid over $500 to have new brake pads and shoes replaced as well as 2 new rotors and 1 new drum. So far there have been no motor or transmission problems. But Im sure theyre not far away. I wouldnt have another one of these, even if it was free again. The trunk looses quite a bit of space due to those arms that swing down in the way. All in all its just a BAD car.

• 

  Great truck, bad MPG - 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By Matt - September 20 - 10:20 pm

  2008 LT1 LT 1500 Z71 XCAB long bed. This is a replacement for the same truck but a 2002. I love this truck, plenty of power, very comfortable, nice options. I call it the contractors Cadillac, the ride is awesome for a long bed extended cab truck. So far just a few small gliches at 2800 miles. Fit and finish is very nice.