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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  Fun SUV - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Sherrie Gerz - February 15 - 10:00 am

  This SUV is absolutely the best! It is fun to drive...the handling & steering are great. Very smooth ride. GREAT value for the money.

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  2005 Chevrolet Equinox - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By specster - February 15 - 10:00 am

  Styling is really great as is the ride. Vehicle was replacement for Chevy Tracker, but it really can also be a great replacement for the old Blazer. If you want to save a couple gallons, it could also be an alternative to the Trailblazer/Envoy. Vehicle looks and performs better than all other vehicles we looked at, Asian and American, and it was roomiest in group.

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  1 test drive did it. - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Urba - February 15 - 10:00 am

  and I trade in a 2003 car I got only two before test driving the Equinox, we were had no intention of buying a new car until we test drove the Equinox, it is great and we enjoy every minute that we are in it, the price was great too.

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  A Well Designed SUV - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Gkm1973 - February 15 - 10:00 am

  After Buying a first year vehicle i was skeptical about it, but once i got behind the wheel it drive those thoughts out the window. The car felt tight and smooth, and interior room was very comfortable. Definately happy with this purchase.

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  Smooth, strong and efficient - 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By floridamadman - February 15 - 7:50 am

  5.3 litre runs with anything on the highway, and on open road have gotten 20 mpg Im not a tire smoker, but at 35mph...hang on! There is no other p/u that cruises as effortlessly or efficiently at highway speeds as this with the 3.42 gears.

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  Far from best - 2007 Chevrolet Colorado
  By ray - February 14 - 9:46 pm

  I choose this truck because the price was right, however I definitely got what I paid for. 4000 miles on it and Ive had it serviced 6 times already. Doors wont close properly when its cold, door strikers had to be replaced. Box rattled and needed parts, 4wheel drive broke and needed to be fixed, wind noise from doors... to name a few problems. Luckily it was all warranteed. Wont buy GM again.

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  1800 miles or less - 2018 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Linda - February 14 - 9:23 pm

  I have a 2018 Equinox with 1800 miles on it. The celanoid box that controls the transmission is having issues. I was told that this is becoming a common problem. The vehicle with groan and will not shift. The next problem is that they do not make replacement parts for this yet! So my vehicle is sitting at the dealership until it can be fixed!!! They did give me a loaner (another Equinox).

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  Chevy Silverado - 2007 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By Darren E. - February 14 - 3:36 pm

  I am a college student and needed a reliable truck that would get decent gas mileage. I traded in my 98 GMC 1/2ton pickup w/4.3L V6 for this 07 Silverado. I thought that since I had good results with gas mileage on the V6 that I thought the new trucks would get good mileage. Wrong! I am getting 12-13 city and 16-17 highway. This really disapoints me. Other than the gas mileage, the truck is good. Overall I am happy with the deal and would recommed Chevy/GMC trucks to anyone.

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  Wonderful car, great ride, best cargo room, 32 mpg - 2008 Chevrolet HHR
  By DDOlson - February 14 - 11:23 am

  For cheap and good this is the real deal. First of all this is my second HHR. I bought the 2006 first off the assembly line. I never had a single problem with it until 200,000 and even then the problem was easy to solve. I must preface this by saying my husband is a great mechanic. We maintain every car we own as a 10 out of 10. Many of the bad reviews I see here I think are caused by people beating their cars into the ground and reselling them as junk. Seriously people, dont buy a used car until youve done your research, test drove it and had a mechanic check it out. And buying from a back lot small time dealer is a real roll of the dice and youll pay much more for a car from a factory type dealer. My 2006 I finally sold at 220,000 just because I didnt want to have anything happen out on the rural roads in Minnesotas winter weather. That said the problem I did have was BATTERY GENERATED. You must replace newer cars batteries every 3 years. If you do not, cars today are so electronically generated from the computerization to lights, sensors etc. you start getting warning lights, sensor lights, power downs etc. as the batteries age because the old battery cannot support the juice needed to run the car. The cargo room in this car is better than any other its size and MPG. My son can get two bass bins and music gear galore in it no problem..I use to get ladders and dressers and beds in mine!!!!Its the best for this. Also I have three family members over 6 feet tall and they fit comfortably in the vehicle..so much we got one for my 6 ft+ son. Also the inside car handles are cheap plastic and wear out. My drivers side simply broke in two but one, You Tube video later and a replacement part at NAPA, and it was fixed at home. Now my son graduated from college. We bought him a 2008 HHR used 91,000 miles on it. Believe me it took weeks and a 7 hour road trip to buy the right one. There were tons out there but over priced, poorly maintained, a real crap shoot if you dont know what you are doing. I was very surprised how people just out and out try to deceive you about vehicles. I am so glad I have a reliable person to check things over before purchase. Our 2008 has the 2.2 engine and does get 32 MPH with the cruise on..my husband claims without the cruise it would be more if you drive it a certain way. The guy we bought it from even did the 100,000 maintenance on it all ready with the high end platinum plugs. New front tires-smooth ride and we really kicked the tires on this HHR before we bought it and drove it 7 hours straight to get it home. And the person who said they could have gotten a VW-good luck with that and buying used. I had VWs for years. If you do not do the routine maintain on them at a rep. certified VW place at thousands of dollars a pop, the vehicle is crap and a money hole. A used one maintained is hard to find. it is now 2017 and we are still very happy to own an HHR. The 2008 had a small flaw in design where they took the fuel line and routed it close to the exhaust and wrapped the fuel line close to the exhaust with heat shielding that absorbed water...so it rusted out. Again another You Tube video later, replaced that length of fuel line with a piece that included a rust preventative( make sure you get compression fittings due to fuel injected vehicle- for some reason O"REILLY employees didnt know this- dont rely on store employees). We did put the heat shielding back on but open so the moisture can escape. Also again, as with the 2006, there seem to be glitchy things with the mother boards and electrically system just randomly deciding to do finicky things. Being a seasoned HHR owner, we pulled the battery which reset the electronics and when we put it back in, trouble free. Got to make sure you have a good newer battery. I can tell you I do not like the computer technology in ANY vehicle I have owned. They stink...you can have nothing wrong with the vehicle itself-just the computer. It also can be an expensive fix. AND mechanics charge you a fortune and rarely get to the real problem-its a crap shoot...Glad it hasnt been on this HHR yet!

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  4 dr sedan LS - 2007 Chevrolet Aveo
  By rochelle - February 13 - 6:11 pm

  I love my new Aveo. I did a lot of research on small cars and pricing due to our budget, and when I test drove my 2007 Aveo it drove as smooth as butter! So quiet and comfy. It felt smoother than other more expensive cars. The gas mileage will save me even more money. Anything after 2006 is great on this model and with the low pricing on this car go for it get the 2007! We are happy campers.