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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  happy camper - 2017 Chevrolet Spark
  By ed z - June 25 - 7:10 am

  Im retired 72 car is perfect for me i have plenty visibility driver passenger leg and head room great on gas milage handles and responses well 3yr bumper to bumper 2 free oil changes roadside assistance 5 yrs

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  Wish I could of tried it out for a month - 2004 Chevrolet TrailBlazer EXT
  By wigglebritches - June 24 - 11:10 pm

  The test drive was fine, but actually using the vehicle was another story. Gas mileage is poor; we get about 9 mpg pulling our camper and about 14 mpg avg. highway & city. The suspension is soupy; it wobbles a lot around corners & over bumps. The storage is appalling; I cant carry passengers, a stroller and groceries; there just isnt enough room. The stroller also falls out when I open the back hatch since it is crammed in. Having two car seats means the seat which allows access to the back hooks the car seat when you try to fold it down. Folding the back seats down is no easy feat. Not enough storage for little stuff. Little to no leg room when purse, back packs & diaper bags are stowed.

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  2005 Red Chevy Colorado Z-71 - 2005 Chevrolet Colorado
  By redchevycolorado - June 24 - 7:49 am

  Its a great truck if you want to have decent fuel mileage, but still have the ability to tow or haul. I regularly tow a 200 pound trailer with an 1100 pound generator on it, and I cant tell its behind me (max tow weight is 4000 pounds). When hauling bags of sand or concrete blocks, the stock suspension does exceptionally well, with only a 3 - 3.5 inch drop. (An upgrade to load adjusting shocks though keeps this around 1 - 1.5 inches).

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  Whats Everyone Complaining About? - 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By JimCity Commuter - June 24 - 7:40 am

  I hear so many people talk this car down, but this is literally the best car Ive owned so far. Fuel economy is great, and theres a never ending supply of get-up-and-go. I got the base model, which I suppose means fewer things to go wrong, but this car has only been in the shop for 8 hours (would have been less if the guys would have let me show them what was wrong when I first drove it in the shop). Had a bad coil pack. Not GMs fault their supplier gave em a junk part. Fixed it 9000 miles ago and still driving strong! I put 100 miles a day or more on this car and it loves every minute of it. Ill have this car for a very long time. You go GM!

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  Amazing Interior Space and a Fun SUV! - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Rachelle Watkins - June 23 - 7:50 pm

  I have had my Equinox since Sept 04 and it has exceeded my expectations for an SUV! It isnt too big to drive and doesnt feel like you are driving a bus. It drives like a car and get gas mileage like a car also. I love it.

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  Dont buy a 2005 - you will regret it - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Brandy Duffield - June 23 - 6:50 pm

  The car looks great, however, I have had nothing but problems, I owned the car a month and the rear differential had to be completely replaced. The AWD still doesnt work correctly and is always engaged, so if its raining its like driving on ice, literally! The gas mileage was supposed be 25+ mpg, its more like 16 or 17 mpg. I will not even put my daughters in the car with me anymore because I feel so unsafe when driving it, I should just sell it but I worry about a person safety that would buy it. I have contacted GMC with no response on their end.

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  Loved it, hated to get rid of it - 1997 Chevrolet Astro
  By Chase Franklin - June 23 - 5:31 pm

  We have put more trips and miles into this van than any other weve ever owned. Being a travel hockey family whose player is a goalie, this van has held all four of us and on more than one occaision three additional players, all our gear and clothes. Fantastic room. It has performed equally well in summer travel as well as traveling the snow storms and rain in the upper midwest. We never felt that we had to pull over and sit a night somewhere due to a winter storm. If you are looking for a quality used vehicle - this it!

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  Getting Disgusted - 2003 Chevrolet Blazer
  By Christine - June 23 - 5:29 pm

  I bought my Blazer new. I liked the 4x4 look to it, and wanted another SUV. I have had to warranty replace the CD player. Also warranty work on stabilizer bar. My exhaust also kept running after I shut vehicle off. Dealer finally fixed. Water leakage in rear side windows, repaired once, just started leaking again now in"07. Water runs all across header and drips all over inside rear. Oil cooler lines also were leaking, water pump too, and ball joints. Luckily this was all repaired under warranty. The carpet wore through just after one year by the gas pedal. I have driven two Jeep Cherokee Sports before this purchase, never had any problems. Will probably not buy another Chevy SUV.

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  Trailblazer LT - 2006 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By :] - June 23 - 12:25 pm

  This SUV is fun to drive and handles great. The mileage stinks. It gets around 15 mpg so it seems like I am always at the gas pump. The interior design is cheap looking.iI would be nice to have the wood trim like GMC and the new 2007 Chevy Tahoes and Suburbans have. The build quality is poor. It sounds like the windows are down when they are all up and about a month ago the it got stuck in drive and would not move to R or P(park)so that wasn’t good. The sound system is good but it makes everything shake/rattle when the bass is on. Other than that this SUV is a good buy!

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  Cobalt Supercharged Power - 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By Jdogg - June 23 - 8:20 am

  The car has been very fun to drive and a head-turner on the road. Excellent handling and overall performance for the price. Much better than driving an embarrassing Dodge or Ford