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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  Eeks and knocks (its real name) - 2010 Chevrolet Equinox
  By thedetailguy - July 11 - 11:34 pm

  Burned oil from day one. Never saw more than 22.5mpg out of this, Eco mode or not. Timing chain replaced at 20,000 miles along with 8 total (half of the valves). Driver seat lumbar broke not once but twice. Made a weird pop noise when warming up from exhaust area, alternator seemed too weak for the car, high pressure fuel pump, pistons and rings replaced at 38,200 miles, car sold back to dealer after this replacement at 10 miles later. Couldnt be happier to be out of that hell hole. Two engine tear downs at less than 4 years of age and 40,000 miles s. wow! No more Chevy for us!

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  good luck with this truck - 2001 Chevrolet S-10
  By judyh66 - July 11 - 6:36 pm

  This truck was a money pit. Check engine light tortured me daily. I spent so much money (thousands) of dollars trying to get rid of this light. Then the abs light and brake light came on and lit up my dash for 3 yrs. Nobody could fix it. They would turn off the light with their machines and I would drive around the block and theres the lights right back on. After 18k I traded it in for 4k and just got the nightmare out of my life. Will never buy another one.

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  Front end problems - 2010 Chevrolet Camaro
  By rockenroller - July 11 - 4:40 pm

  I have replaced the front 20" Pirellis on warranty due cupping at 30,000KM, everything was done at the time to ensure that this problem was corrected, ie:front & rear alignment, balance etc. All was well for a while but I now have the same issue with cupping at relatively the same mileage interval (60K) I believe the front struts are not heavy enough to handle the force the large wheels exert, I am going to look at upgrading front end components and replacing shocks with top of the line when the tires are in need of replacement. I think GM dropped the ball on adequate design strength on the Camaro, but I guess that can be forgiven, its off warranty now so too bad so sad. Its still a great ca

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  Good and Bad, more Bad than good. - 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By murrieta123 - July 11 - 12:55 pm

  I purchased the car used in 2010 with 104K miles for $1300. It was in great shape, no mechanical issues. I kept really good care of the car. Interior Issues: Dash is made of cheap plastic. It started cracking and falling apart. right now its barely hanging on. im thinking of just taking it off and buying one of those carpet covers that they sell to cover it. Its very ugly and embarrassing to have friends see it. Mechanical Issues: none, thats why i put up with the crappy interior. The car is sluggish, it wont burn rubber so dont try. Not for those who have the need for speed. I drive slow so i dont care about that stuff. I do not recommend this car.

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  no 40 mpg - 2012 Chevrolet Cruze
  By mspeakman - July 10 - 10:17 pm

  I want to report on my trip to The national parks. I put 5400 miles on my cruz on this trip, and thought I would easily get 40 mpg on the interstates, but it never happened. The computer told me I was getting over 40 on many legs of the trip, but I kept actual numbers and gallons used and the best I ever got from fillup to fillup was 39.4. This was on virtually flat highway at speed of 65 mph. On a similar leg I got 39 even. Speeds above that gave results in the 34 to 35 mpg, which I thought was pretty good. My worst leg was when I got hung up in construction traffic for well over an hour, results there were 24.4. Worst leg without problems was 32.1 mpg while driving at 75 plus mph. Later.

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  Nothing but trouble - 2005 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By kmoore2 - July 10 - 11:10 am

  My wife insisted she wanted this car when we bought it in 2008......why did I listen. We are at 112,000 miles and the gas gauge is broke, speedometer broke, voltage meter broke, #6 cylinder has lost compression and now the engine needs replaced. Just replaced the clutch fan on the trans. GM should be embarrassed they produced such a piece of junk that worked great for most people for the first 3 years, just in time for the warranty to run out. Know issues with the gauges but they will on pay half on the gas gauge to fix. Same on them. I will never by another GM product.

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  SaigonPaulie75 - 2012 Chevrolet Malibu
  By saigonpaul75 - July 9 - 7:46 am

  I introduced to my wife 2011 Malibu(Summit white) LT1 model when it was new and she bought it and loves it..So this may 2013 I went and bought my 2012(former lease) with 14000 miles for a great price(same color) but its LT2 model and loaded with heated seats. We laugh about it. Its like driving an expensive car that we only paid $17000 each. Oh yeah! There are cars that cost $50k+ and its all about name brand and status symbol. We cant afford those and so in our own way, this is our Mercedes or Audi lol..But less fortunate people than us only wish they could own this Malibu. So we are very happy and proud to own 2 cars with the same color and park in our driveway at our cozy home lol..

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  Longtime GM customer very disappointed. - 2011 Chevrolet Malibu
  By leftofthenorm - July 8 - 1:55 pm

  I have owned 3 prior new GM vehicles. This one has been trouble from day 1. First it had rail dust, orange rust spots all over the car in which it took the dealer three times to fix. Then the wheels vibrated, which they never could fix. After spending at least 12 different trips to the dealer, I now have two bent rims. This car gets driven MAYBE twice a week by my wife. I will be trading this car in, and I am very disappointed with this car. Very cramped on the inside, trunk is very short, plastic trim comes off all the time. Exterior badging fell off. Horrible wheels. Horrible (20mpg) gas mileage. I will never buy a GM car again.

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  Nice car but a pain in the neck - 2013 Chevrolet Traverse
  By cjq - July 8 - 1:52 pm

  I bought a new Traverse last month and I really like car, except for the headrest. The headrest sticks out so far, it gives me a pain the neck. There is no way to turn it around, or have it go far enough back to not cause the problem. So when you test the drive, be aware of this and make sure you fit into the seat as it is designed.

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  Last Chevy for me - 2013 Chevrolet Equinox
  By rondh - July 7 - 9:10 pm

  Chevy sold me a car with a known & unresolved problem with the torque converter clutch. Not mentioned before the sale or the sale would not have occurred. I wont go into all the drama, but Chevy and the dealer sold a new car that needs the transmission dropped and would not replace a chipped chrome wheel, valued at over $700, that I did not cause. I have since traded this very poor example of Chevy quality, and yes, I took a real beating on the trade.