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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  2011 traverse - 2011 Chevrolet Traverse
  By marv17 - April 21 - 11:23 am

  I have had for 8 months and put 20K miles in it. When I drive out of town for trips sometimes I have problems with the stability track light going off and it will say engine power reduced. I have to pull over and let it sit for awhile then I can drive again, but it continues to come back on, I have to pull over numerous times. Have had it looked at, which it was not under warranty for this problem, computer was reset. And yes it keeps happening. Also, second row seating is not comfortable for adults. I am a previous owner of a Dodge Durango and never had any problems. I am currently looking for a Dodge. Good luck with the Traverse. I will never own one again!

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  Best Truck Ever Owned - 1996 Chevrolet Suburban
  By gunther39 - April 20 - 8:47 pm

  I purchased my 96 used w/140K NINE years ago, it now has 205K and I simply love it more then ever. Sadly rust is winning the battle of this beloved vehicle. It has been the greatest vehicle Ive ever owned and Ive owned them all. Also sadly is the insane sticker price for a new one.

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  Safety - 2012 Chevrolet Cruze
  By nickie3 - April 20 - 7:04 am

  I have been rear ended twice now and I have to say this is the best car so far on safety, hardly no damage on the bumper at all this last wreck I was in and I was hit hard all it did was scratch the paint, more damage was to the vehicle that hit me. So five stars on the safety/ build of this car! My cruze is the ECO model automatic not manual it wouldnt pull the correct one up.

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  Love this car! - 2013 Chevrolet Camaro
  By themrchen - April 19 - 9:05 am

  I bought a 2001 1LS in April 11 from Terry Cullen Chevy in Morrow Georgia, and I just traded for a 2LS in April 13. Great remake of a classic Chevy muscle car. Rock solid no rattle body and chassis, stiff and taught, really good road car. LFX 323 horse power V6 gets the job done for me, brisk acceleration, strong pull from 55 mph till..........well, whatever. Comfy seats, Bluetooth, Sirius radio, CD, aux port, power locks windows trunk release, it has all the standard goodies you would want...........and this is a base model. Never had a problem in 61,520 miles with my 2011, I am sure the 2013 is going to be the same!

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  Mission Accomplished !!! - 2013 Chevrolet Spark
  By iammilitaryman - April 19 - 8:43 am

  In my mind Chevrolet has accomplished the mission it set out to complete with this car. There are always compromises and the Chevrolet team seems to have balance those well with this car. First are looks inside and out -- There is no reason a car should be ugly or have non-functional design features and here the Spark is terrific-- I hear "cute" often until the person sits or rides in car and then they go on about the surprising room and features that are in the car. Second is performance, People that buy this car want good MPG and realize that it is not a sports car. The fact the it is pretty slow is "ok" because this car lives up to and surpasses MPG ratings the EPA gave it.

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  Worst Vehicle I ever bought! Avoid at all costs! - 2008 Chevrolet Colorado
  By runnscore - April 18 - 8:00 pm

  I bought my 2008 Chevrolet Colorado used from the dealer with 36,000 miles. Unfortunately I did not purchase the extended warranty. From day 1 I had problems with cold start hesitations. Spent lots of money at the dealership to fix with no luck. I had the truck for 2 years and every 4 months the battery would just die. The dealership could not figure out this problem either. I also had two seperate problems with the a/c just stop working. The last straw was when the trucks battery died when my pregnant wife was driving the truck and I was out of town. Avoid this truck. I am so much happier with my Toyota.

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  Not horrible, but not great - 2004 Chevrolet Aveo
  By lovethepudge - April 18 - 2:19 pm

  Lets just say that thankfully my dad knows his way around cars or this review could be much worse. I bought my 2004 Chevy Aveo in 2008 with 95,000 miles, it’s now at 116,000 miles. In the 4.5 years that I have owned it, we have replaced the gas cap, the catalytic converter, one of the pulleys just broke and the serpentine belt came off. (thankfully it wasn’t the timing belt) I had the timing belt replaced right after I bought it in 2008. All new tires, replaced rotors (causing the front end to shake when I hit the brakes, nothing major). New muffler in 2011. The transmission sticks when it gets too cold outside. (It’s been doing that for a few years now).

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  Well, done - 2013 Chevrolet Volt
  By jwarmuth - April 17 - 9:47 am

  This is a commuter vehicle, not a sports car, not a truck, not a travel vehicle... For what this car is designed for, the execution is near perfect. I drive less than 20 miles a day, dont live in SoCal and it does get pretty cold here in the winter. The technology is ahead of the competition. The vehicles instant torque is pretty fun off the line, it is quite, it has all sort of electronic gizmos, a appealing exterior and interior design. The vehicle is smaller, but is not a lightweight, meaning the car is pretty heavy, but if you have to pack batteries, an electic motor and an engine, this adds up. Driving in the snow could be cured with winter/snow tires

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  Cobalt 2008 - 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By cobalt_08 - April 16 - 12:25 am

  Bought an 08 Lt Sedan (4a) in Sept 2011 with 58000 kms on it, like brand new, and fully equipped! Almost two years and 40000 km later Im still impressed with my Cobalt. The 2.2l engine is very quiet, yet performs flawlessly. I avg around 600km per tank, barely any road noise, sound system is good. Reliable on the highway and good performance during Canadian Winters. The interior is plain, nothing fancy. The info center is great as you can scroll though Oil Life, Gas Mileage, Outdoor temp. etc... all in all, a great car if your looking for something non-fancy but will get you from A-B.

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  Impala 08 - 2008 Chevrolet Impala
  By piercebmng - April 14 - 1:45 pm

  locks, heater, fresh air, design, when back windows are down forget about it. bearings, tire wear, oil consumption, spudders, probably when the cylinders cut off the oil flows out filling the converter.