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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  Bought it with 1Mile on it back in 2003 - 2003 Chevrolet Blazer
  By indiabradster - August 12 - 12:40 pm

  I take care of my cars. I can say this one has taken care of me. Comfy ride, in the 10 years that Ive owned it, minus the normal wear and tear items Ive replaced the fuel injection spider ($1000 repair). I needed to replace all the ball joints for inspection, which I did myself this weekend. Add up all the repairs at normal garage costs, $3000 in 10 years. Thats great.

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  Solid Dependable Economy Car-Love it! - 2012 Chevrolet Sonic
  By chevysonicfan - August 11 - 12:03 pm

  I knew that purchasing The 2012 Chevy Sonic was a bit of a gamble as it was the first model year replacing the Aveo that only survived a two year run,and there werent any consumer reports. My two prior cars were the Monte Carlo and the Impala I was tired of getting fleeced at the gas pump with the 6 bangers though. In March I drove all the way from NH to FL and it was a comfortable ride. The car handles very well and has great fuel economy on the highway. It only costs me about $32 to fill up the tank, and I almost made it to PA on a single tank of gas! In retrospect I am happy I took the gamble with My Sonic LT! It is my 9th car and my 6th Chevy I have never had a problem with a Chevy

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  Love my Malibu but do not like the flimsy lip - 2013 Chevrolet Malibu
  By dave_e - August 10 - 11:38 am

  This car is fantastic in so many ways. Just after purchase we took a trip up into the Arizona white mountains and the Malibu handled the climbs with ease. My only complaints are that the car is a little jerky in shifting at lower speeds, the lip under the front bumper is very flimsy and has already fell apart, and the interior roof console where the built in garage door opener was pretty loose when we bought the car. As far as the lip, the dealer refused to cover it under warranty, but, they are replacing the roof console to secure it better. The only thing that secures the lip to the plastic lip bracket is glue. I am going to try pop rivets.

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  Stylish but Disappointing Quality - 2013 Chevrolet Camaro
  By witchknowscars - August 9 - 8:13 pm

  This car is full of flaws. Many of them I noticed immediately on my drive home from the dealership. First thing the next day I took the vehicle back for service and was told the car needed to be broke in. Really ? A clunky front end and steering wheel wobble needs to be broke in ? This car was broke before I even bought it. Is it normal for a car to stall / shut off after a hard left turn ? The people servicing these vehicles are just as incompetent as those designing & building them. I own 7 cars, and this one is by far the poorest quality with the worst service. This vehicle is a typical GM S-Box, the only good things are the engine & transmission, rest is junk. Buyer Beware !

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  Junk - as expected - 2007 Chevrolet Uplander
  By dab6 - August 9 - 11:19 am

  So far (in one year), the sliders dont work right, the amber lights melted the front fascia, it misses at idle, the traction control light comes on all the time, the body electrical harness plug leaks and shorts, rear pull strap broke off, the windshield drain floods the interior of the car when it rains, the front wheel bearings went out, the steering messes up (traction control), the rear quarter panel windows dont open, the rear shocks went bad, leveling air pump doesnt work, stabilizer bushings went bad, and makes clunking at low speed. Oh, and the rear hatch is rusting. I have not had one of these problems with my 2003 Toyota, which has 3x the mileage.

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  Impressed so far... - 2013 Chevrolet Malibu
  By tlimbert65 - August 9 - 9:00 am

  This car has some pretty stiff competition in the Camry, Accord, Altima and Sonata, but I wanted to buy American from a local dealer, if I could. After comparing, I was impressed enough to buy the Malibu. Its roomy, quiet, comfortable, powerful, and pretty nice looking. The electronics features (OnStar, Bluetooth phone integration, XM radio, driver info system) are handy and work great. Fuel economy was a concern for me, based on ratings, but Ive been averaging 31 in my daily commuting (mostly highway) and Ive measured tanks of 34 and 36.

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  6 months in with the Volt - 2013 Chevrolet Volt
  By chris_v - August 8 - 3:14 pm

  6000 miles and I love the car. Have driven it from February and temps under 20 degrees F to August and temps over 100 degrees F. Full charge shows 44-45 miles available on electric, but I rarely go over 30 miles. Hold mode is great for 2013, as it adds the ability to drive to the highway on electric, then switch to hold mode to maintain the charge and get upwards of 50+ mpg with the gas generator running, then switch back to electric when you get off the highway. Sport mode is fun, and I leave it in L all the time, even on the highway, to take advantage of the aggressive regen to gain back range. So far I havent put gas in it in almost 5 months of daily driving.

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  so unhappy - 2010 Chevrolet Equinox
  By 50570 - August 8 - 8:17 am

  I just brought a 2010 equinox and I been having problems with this suv sense day one which is crazy I feel like its not worth me making payments on. When I start it up it shakes until the vehicle idol down on top of that I keep hearing poppin sounds from the rear end sometimes when I go over a bump or just when Im driving. The check engine light came on and the next day it was off. I took this vehicle back to the dealership 5 times and its still not fix they was supposed to pick it up yesterday and they have not pick it up yet, Im so disappointed with the dealership as well as vehicle. I feel they should put me into another car or fix this thing cause Im unhappy with it. What can I do.

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  Great Car, Terrible A/C - 2013 Chevrolet Spark
  By focuser1 - August 7 - 6:00 pm

  Ive got the 2LT, and I really love this little car, for my purposes, it handles well, it is comfortable, and it is full featured. It is not a racing car, but it does what it needs to, it is advertised as a city car, and thats what it is. The mylink radio, fog lights, automatic trans, heated seats, full power, etc.,etc., all wrapped in a 4 dr. sedan, for just a touch over 17K, is a great deal. The deal breaker is the A/C.

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  2012 Traverse - 2012 Chevrolet Traverse
  By jla1466 - August 7 - 3:15 pm

  Overall, I am very pleased with the purchase of this vehicle. However, there are a couple of things that I have found perplexing to say the least. First, the check engine light continues to come on at various times. It does not stay on continuously, but will remain on for a day or so then not come on at all for a day or more. The Chev service department keeps telling me it must be the gas cap since nothing else is showing up when they run the diagnostics. Another issue has been the power steering, which becomes difficult when making the initial turn after backing up. Again, Chev maintenance has been unable to determine why this is happening and attempts to fix have been unsuccessful.