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:

• 

  This car is a lemon - 1993 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By shilow - October 30 - 2:00 am

  Right from the start there have been problems with this car. The engine has been remounted 3 times due to a design defect that causes the engine to not fit properly into the vehicle. This makes the front end vibate constantly, especially when idling. It is not considered a safety problem by GM. But it can cause other parts to fail or break from the vibrations. Also the coolant system has had constant problems and many replacements. It is now leaking due to a rotted head gasket. Dealer repairs have been unsatisfactory. I would not recommend this car or any other GM vehicle to anyone.

• 

  Thank goodness for Extended Warranty!! - 2000 Chevrolet Malibu
  By charpmind - October 29 - 2:00 am

  This is a fun car but I had so many problems! The main problem was the brakes - I had SEVERAL sets of brakes and rotors put on, and I do all highway driving so it wasnt my fault. Another problem that scared me was when some sensor went bad and the car started accelerating by itself. The proverbial straw was when it refused to start twice in one week and had to be towed. I have since traded it for a new Honda. Im so glad I spent the money on the extended warranty - it more than paid for itself!

• 

  Chevys It! - 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By Rad Tad - October 27 - 2:00 am

  The engine is sluggish, the imterior parts are cheap and break easily. It doesnt have much horsepower. It has more along the lines of grasshopper power. I wish I could trade it, but because it doesnt hold its value well I would be terribly upside down!

• 

  Unhappy Owner - 1999 Chevrolet Venture
  By tonylaura - October 23 - 2:00 am

  Very poor quality. Always something going wrong. Constant SES light. Air bag light intermittent. Rear wiper intermittent. Replaced many parts.

• 

  Buy only for fuel efficiency - 1996 Chevrolet S-10
  By txmx - October 22 - 2:00 am

  I bought this 4cyl truck with 102000 in 1999. It used to be a company truck. The A/C was inop and it had been in an accident prior to selling. I bought it because it was the only thing I could afford. Unless you are only going to use it for work, dont buy it. I already put another engine on it due to highway usage. I also replaced clutch, slave cylinder, master clutch cylinder, driver seat, power brake is going out...I could go on. If you want more reliability, buy a full-size truck, whether it be Chevy or Ford.

• 

  Not good or bad - 1999 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By David3991 - October 16 - 4:46 am

  I bought this truck with 73,000 miles on it. It worked fine when I test drove it, but days later everything went downhill. The brakes need to be replaced and the tranny is now slipping and the power steering is OUT

• 

  Dont buy this car - 1998 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Savannah - October 13 - 2:00 am

  My Malibu is best described as the Mobile Money Pit. I keep having to invest more money into this car. It is a nightmare to own. It is an okay car when it does run properly, which is not often. Save your money and invest in a Honda or Toyota.

• 

  This ones a dud - 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By Jenny Carlson - October 10 - 10:38 pm

  Only 17k miles on this truck after 2 years of ownership. At this point Im even hearing from service people that this year 2014 Double Cabs are trouble. The paint job is the cheapest Ive ever seen and started chipping the first week. The dash came loose and had to be "tightened". Now I have a horrible smell coming from the HVAC vents. TURN RADIUS is awful. Didnt realize how bad until I rented a truck (happened to be Ram - same class as my truck size) and it was like night and day. No problem turning, u-turning, parking, etc in the Ram. Hate all those things in my Chevy. (Im a repeat Chevy owner and never had such low quality) Im actually worried about the value of my vehicle down the road when all the problems become public knowledge and its branded a bad year to buy. The responsiveness is like driving a 50s or 60s vehicle instead of 2014. Sluggish. In addition, Chevy has moved to a new fabric for their interiors. As a result the interior is not nearly as comfortable as older models. They say the new fabric is easier to clean. Well I have found the opposite to be true. Having a dog that I like to take with me, has been a nightmare. The fabric attracts the hair and actually gets stuck in the weave of the material. I have to take a rubber brush as hard as I can to "comb" the hair out of the seat material, while I have a vacuum in the other hand to try and grab the hair as soon as its even partially free from the material. Previous seat fabrics were never a problem to clean and vacuum hair. Service reps actually had the nerve to tell me I just needed to change the setting on my AC/Heat to exterior air before turning off and getting out of the vehicle. That somehow the way I use my HVAC is causing the problem! Every concern I have bought up to service is dismissed immediately as something I must be doing wrong. And that was from the Service department manager! In addition when the dealer "fixed" the dash, they managed to put a dent in the door of my truck. While its now scheduled to be fixed and they took ownership, seems to me maybe they need to look within for who is doing something wrong as relates to these trucks. I have 2 positives for this truck: 1. The stay in place floor mats. 2. The 4-door double cab as an in-between to the crew cab. I have now contact Chevrolet corporate. So far Im being put off in a noncommittal lets get dealer to address issues… Really? Dont really think a dealer can fix an inferior product with design flaws.

• 

  Disappointment - 1998 Chevrolet Malibu
  By maryt - October 9 - 2:00 am

  When first purchased, the Malibu seemed to be an okay car. After 20,000 miles, the brakes went and had to be replaced. The cassette player never worked properly even after being replaced. Then for a while everything was normal, but now with 77,000 miles on the car, the ABS and brake lights have come on. I am told that the problem is in the "modulator" and will take approximately $1,000 to repair -- time to trade but never for another malibu!

• 

  Yeah well - 2003 Chevrolet SSR
  By ably - October 8 - 2:00 am

  Good times served up daily except when motoring about in the revamped el camino which disappoints on what you get for your price which was more than was expected for the good received.