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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  Cant keep it running - 2005 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By R. Breski - January 25 - 8:48 pm

  Currently in shop w/ 46k, at 25k new cylinder head, at 35k new trans, at 45k new cylinder head again, and while they were in there found timing problem. Like everything about the vehicle but it just wont stay away from the service department. Owned GM all my life, never had an experience like this, not sure if Ill buy another. Did I mention they have had this vehicle in and out of service for a total of around 2 months.

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  Engine Problems - 2004 Chevrolet Colorado
  By C Amey - January 24 - 11:08 pm

  I had one of the cylinders worked on after 2 months and now after 2 and a half years need to have the entire cylinder head replaced - $4,000, of course out of warranty and with no help from GM. To be honest thats only the start of all the problems that Ive had with the vehicle. The quality and reliability on this vehicle stinks along with GM customer service. Ill never by another GM.

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  OK Car - 2003 Chevrolet Impala
  By ayadre26 - January 22 - 10:22 am

  I traded in the my 2002 Chevy Tracker in for this car for more room, better performance and less problems for my family. At first I was happy, now Im having all kinds of problems with this car. From replacing all 4 brakes, rear rotors, computer malfunction,bad battery when the indicator said it was good, 2 fuel injector failure, replacing a converter, and now every once in a while the security message come the message display. Tech said to watch, might not be anything. Other than these things the car has been OK. Would have like an armrest for my right arm. I do love the design of the car. Might not buy this car again.

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  Bad sheet metal - 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By Mark - January 20 - 3:43 am

  Bought truck October 06 2009 notice ripples around fender walls.Took back to dealership. Would not do anything said it was GMS fault called them up and they would not do anything also.Just want to let you chevy truck guys or gals know to check out around fender walls for ripples before you buy.

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  My first car - 1995 Chevrolet Lumina
  By Big Al - January 15 - 9:28 pm

  Im an 18 year old kid that just had their Lumina die on them at 169k mi. Ive been driving this car for almost 2.5 years and I have to say I had a lot of memories learning to drive on it. I liked the smooth ride and good snow traction. Some things that went wrong were old brakes, a faulty alternator and its chronic coolant leakage problem, but consider the age (169k miles). Dont get me wrong, overall I would recommend this car to anyone looking for a cheap used car that is roomy and smooth. Watch out for the white ones though, they will always start flaking major amounts of paint after a while (every white Lumina I have seen does this). I havent seen any other color defect like this.

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  No wonder GM went bankrupt! - 2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By 1dtidwell - January 11 - 5:05 pm

  Traction Control/ABS issues, crank position sensor, starts when it wants to (passlock issues)... Its never ending problems with this car with just over 100,000 miles. Last GM product Ill ever buy.

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  A full step backwards from last generation - 2017 Chevrolet Cruze
  By Hunter12 - January 10 - 4:06 pm

  I was given a 17 Cruze LT to use for 5 days while my car was in for service and I was less than impressed. My mom had a 13 Cruze LS that I drove a few thousand miles when she was leasing it, it was in many ways a far better small car. The new Cruze uses a start/stop mode to save fuel, it was terrible. The engine "shudders" when it stops and starts. Very poor execution of this "feature". The transmission also always feels like its trying to find a gear for max fuel economy and when you need to accelerate the car feels "lazy". The seats were also poor, very flat versus the last gen which were not too bad. Overall it seems obvious the entire car was developed on a tight budget and it really felt and looked "cheaper" that the last Cruze. Weak effort GM.

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  Hate this TrailBlazer - 2005 Chevrolet TrailBlazer EXT
  By DJ - January 10 - 6:10 am

  I hate this TrailBlazer that I bought in 2005. I bought it brand new for $32000, and a year later, I hated it. It is slow, with no acceleration, or passing gear, the interior is uncomfortable, and really plain and ugly. I started having problems with it 6 months after I got it, the pully inside the engine had to be replaced, because it sounded like an rc car. Again 2 years later, it is doing the same thing. The plastic along the front and back is getting sun damaged, and it makes it look horrible. I am going to trade it in asap, for one of those new 2009 Tahoes, when they go on sale. Save your money, dont buy the TrailBlazer!

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  Corvette - No Thanks - 1999 Chevrolet Corvette
  By Gary - January 6 - 1:28 pm

  If you have or plan to buy a Corvette, you better have a fat pocket book. I just got rid of my 1999 Corvette because I was tired of putting money into it. Although it turns heads and is fun to drive it all boils down to that this car is junk, especially for a "hand made" car. Mine was not a daily driver and was garage kept. Im even anal about having a spot on it. All scheduled maintenance had been done. Maybe I got a lemon. All I can say is never let your extended warranty expire. My Corvette had 25,500 miles when I got rid of it. Problems? Bald Goodyear tires $1350 for Michelins. Bad window motor $600. Fuel gauge not working $979. New gas tank $715.

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  Could use improvements - 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By workdude - December 27 - 1:30 pm

  This truck has been is the repair shop a lot over the past 5 months I have owned it. Most of the miles are highway. 12,500 miles. I live down a gravel road so I have had some issues with rock chips, behind the back tries and front. Frame is really built cheap on these pickups, fuel pump has been replaced, starter replaced, The tires seem to wear uneven, fuel mileage is horrible, I get better on my 1 ton truck.