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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  Misleading - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Annette Smith - December 19 - 9:10 pm

  I purchased this vehicle because I needed a car with good gas mileage. I am a teacher and was going back to school for my masters. I went to the dealership where I had bought my other two Chevrolets. They showed me the Equinox, I drove it, and bought it. I did so because the information on the side window said it had a 16.7 gallon gas tank and it got 19 miles in the city and 25 on the highway. After having it 2 weeks I called them and said I didnt think something was right with the gas. They told me to wait and it would get better. It has not! When I talked to them after Christmas they said there was nothing that could be done. They said the stickers can sometimes be misleading!

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  Infotainment system is obsolete technology. - 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By Stephen Brooks - December 15 - 12:02 pm

  After several weeks in and out of the shop and calling GM due to my navigation system being unable to change route and more than 50% extended predicted travel time GM gave ne a service bulletin and response that said the system operates as designed and works from a static base when calculating travel time. It is not an active system. Translation they bought old technology for their new vehicles. you can use any gps capable device today and have more accurate information. Their resolution was to offer me GM dollars to buy junk I dont need from their online store. I asked to either have the GPS ($750 option in a $45,000 truck) repaired to work correctly or give me credit to purchase a truly usable system. The lack of concern demonstrated by the GM team has convinced me to not buy a GM product again. Another recall I have to deal with came today, it appears the seats break lose in a crash?

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  Equinox not what it seems - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Joe of Buffalo - December 12 - 9:26 pm

  At first we thought we had a winner, but after driving it for a while we found it not what it was cracked up to be. My son plays hockey. Hes a goalie and there is not room for his equipment. The seats on trips, long and short, feel like benches at a hockey game. The controls are confusing. When we recieved the car, parts of the car in the interior were loose. There were stains all in the car, probably the dealerss fault. We wish we had purchased another vehicle!!

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  Nice , but has quality issues - 2016 Chevrolet Volt
  By M.Griffith - December 12 - 9:10 pm

  Likes-I like driving my car. Its pretty quiet inside except on freeways. Gas Engine is quiet. Dislikes- Interior door panels creak from touch, heat, road bumps. When driving on rough road they vibrate and rattle . Had to take to dealer to fix leaking coolant. Also, hose from reservoir is routed against a sharp edge on the tranaxle, which cuts into the hose. I notified CHEVY about the defect, no response. For now I wrapped with foam and duct tape.Also, there is a slight coolant smell coming from the coolant reservoir after driving.Its not leaking, but the smell sometimes goes into the fresh air intake which is located right next to the coolant reservoir. Poor design. Also some pulsing when accelerating using gas engine. There is a software update but chevy wont allow the update on cars that have been sold. So we are stuck with this issue on 2016 models. Overall, i like my car, but it does have issues with design,fit and finish, quality. .

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  Decent - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Josh - December 10 - 2:20 pm

  An all around good car. I get horrible gas mileage and I try to drive as conservatively as possible with this car but I still only average 250 to 260 miles to a tank of gas and I have 8,200 miles on it already. There is a wierd clunking feel and noise when I apply my brakes at low speeds. Great sound system though; it is a major step up from my first car. The size is good although it looks like and sometimes feels like you need car seats in the back instead of guitars and equipment like me (it looks like a minivan).

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  Differences between 1999 and 2002 - 2003 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By Longtime ChevyBuyer - December 8 - 2:00 am

  Compared to the 1999 Monte Carlo the new design 2002 drives like a barge. This design is harder to steer and the cruise control looses up to 5 miles per hours attempting to maintian the current speed. The whole car seems to be under powered.

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  After Warranty Problems - 2006 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By Jim Williams - December 7 - 9:31 am

  Although my TrailBlazer is excellent for the transporting of my family, 7 of us in all. I have 59,000 miles on my vehicle. In one month the camshaft sensor went bad, the fuel guage does not work, the rear air unit only pumps cold air and I am beginning to feel a transmission stutter. I am scared to death I bought a lemon. Initially, I was well pleased with this car. Warning for families although on the EXT you have a third row. It is extremely difficult to enter and exit the vehicle. I will not buy another Chevy, ever!

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  Disappointed in reliability - 2007 Chevrolet Colorado
  By Arnie - December 2 - 12:54 pm

  At less than 10000 miles reduced power and check engine light kept coming on about every two or three weeks. I called the dealership and waqs told that I would have to drive it in with thr reduced power on for them to find the problem. As I write this the truck is under the garage and will not start. Put in new battery and stil nothing. Will call dealership tomorrow and have it towed to the shop. Very disappointed in a truck thats only a year old. Never know what going to go wrong next.

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  honest review - 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By bandyman - December 2 - 2:00 am

  Ford Explorer vs. Chevy Trailblazer. The exterior styling is really what won me over. And also the 0% financing. I have not been very happy since the purchase. The dealership has been very helpful, but I am making to many trips in for repairs. Problems: --AC worked intermittenly. --Fuel economy avg. 16 mpg. --seatbelts lock up constantly. --Front storage is useless, the gearshift takes away from interior functionality. (you may not notice it on a test drive, but you will in real life) --lots of interior squeaks --loud road noise over 50 plenty of horsepower, but that only goes so far. I would not recommend the Trailblazer

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  2000 Blazer ZR2 - 2000 Chevrolet Blazer
  By Peterbilt03 - November 30 - 4:17 am

  Owned Blazer for a year, proved to be fun to drive and handled snow well, but overall not pleased. The V-6 seemed really thirsty even with my unspirited driving habits and wasnt much for power. I rated low for good reasons. The seat trim on drivers seat trim was ripped off the first time my pant leg caught it, pass seat recliner handle broke off, weak door bushings and seal, interior rattled constantly. Service Engine lamp was almost constatly illuminated after repeated trips to numerous dealers and numerous pricey repairs. 4wheel drive was slow to engauge and even slower to disengauge, when equipped with swinging spare tire mount there is no additional support causing dents if opened to hard