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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  A great car! - 2006 Chevrolet Corvette
  By Bob - July 18 - 9:31 pm

  I had a 2002 before purchasing the 2006. And while I liked the old one, there were a few little things that really annoyed me with it. The new one is really a great car! It has better quality interior, better ride/handling, nicer instrument panel, nicer closing doors, better fit and finish, less road noise, faster, the list goes on! Also, the new xenon headlights are great. I noticed the handling difference in the car (better) immediately leaving the dealer. I have the 6 spd manual. I took it on a 600 mile trip and got 31.4 MPG. I dont think theres another car made where youll get this type of performance/mileage combination. Im extremely happy with this one:)

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  Not Bad - 1999 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By Not bad - July 18 - 5:34 pm

  I got my 1999 cavalier April first 2002 and Ive had the car 4 years now. I got it with 12000 miles and now it has 80000 and I havent had one problem out of this car except for the ABS system failed, but its run smooth since I got it. Be careful how you drive it because it can be easy to mess it up. If you want a fast car or a sports car, buy somthing else because this wont last. Take care of it regular maintainace and it can last you a long while. With a few simple parts such as a supercharger and a backcat exhaust system you could get 218hp out of it

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  1990 Chevy Beretta - 1990 Chevrolet Beretta
  By Rachel - July 18 - 5:14 pm

  Its a good car, but I got mine in bad shape. My 90 Beretta right now takes $180 in gas a week., and that shouldnt happen. I think thats just because it needs a lot of work.

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  Better in the long run - 2001 Chevrolet Express
  By Yak - July 18 - 3:46 pm

  We have now owned this vehicle for more than 4 years. We are having the same experiences with the seat levers breaking but other than that it is a real workhorse. We are now towing a 4400 lb camper with it and it is doing marvelously. Sure the gas mileage stinks but its solid mechanically. The driver side sun visor has been replaced 4 times and its still falling apart. The kids love the van and for long trips, thats really important. We even use it to transport half of my sons basketball team to games.

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  Worst car I ever owned. - 2005 Chevrolet Uplander
  By Jim - July 18 - 2:42 pm

  This car is the biggest piece of junk GM ever made. In the 1.5 years I owned it it has had 8 things wrong with it. The dealer had to turn 3 rotors because they were warped. Then the had to replace the front rotors again because they warped again. They had to replace the rear hatch struts since the door would not stay open. They had to replace the radio since the volume control on the steering wheel would jump two to three positions up or down. The dealer had to replace the altenator because the lights would randomly get brighter and darker. The car randomly stalls, dealer doesnt find anything wrong. The DVD player skips on any DVD, new or old. Dealer cant find out what is wrong.

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  Decent car for the price - 1999 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By Jason - July 18 - 10:01 am

  I have owned this car for at least 4 months, put about 3k miles on it, and already Ive had to get it into the shop, once for an oil leak, another for the timing-chain valve cover, and guess what? I just found out I have to take it in for repairs that will run me about $915-950. My power window motors are also showing signs of the motor dying. Id strongly advise any Cavalier Z24 buyers to keep an eye on the engine repeatedly after the purchase.

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  Chevy Traverses are unsafe at any speed. - 2012 Chevrolet Traverse
  By Motso - July 18 - 6:01 am

  This is a dangerous car, heres why. The transmission wont down shift after a stop. Here is a typical scenario, you pull up to a stop sign on a 55 mph road. You see a vehicle coming, its 1/4 to 3/8 mile away, in most cars its safe to pull out and accelerate smartly (dont doddle). Not in a Chevy Traverse car should you do this because the transmission never down shifted while you sat at the stop sign. Heres what will happen, the higher gear will put you out in front of traffic but you wont have torque (power) to go fast/er. You sit and wait to get splatted. What you can do with your children in the back seat or the other couple youre going out to dinner with is FLOOR IT and over-ride the computer. Now youre peeling rubber and driving like a maniac 16 YO who snuck some of Dads beer while he tries to impress the girls on the corner. This lack of transmission down shifting scenario is a known problem that GM refuses to fix. Better to buy another brand vehicle and live. Another problem, the AC can only be run when the computer says it can. I had all my windows fog up on Rt. 95 at 65 mph with another couple in the car! I could not see to drive! The other guy quickly undid his seat belt and hand wiped the windshield in front of me so I could see out (like we used to do with 1950s & 1960s vehicles). After the excitement everyone commented on what an unsafe POS the Traverse is. Most Traverse problems including the 2 mentioned can be easily fixed "IF" GM would change the computer programming. Then again, they sell more cars if the ones already sold get destroyed in car crashes dont they? There will never be another GM car in our driveway. I dont know how many or what other GM models have similar problems. Im going back to buying foreign cars because they are safe at every speed. Update: I have since successfully sued GM under the lemon law. I took the money and purchased a GM extended warranty. I did this because the trade in value was so horrendously low that I refused to allow GM to screw me twice. GM will now have the pleasure of paying for repairs my POS Traverse incurs :-).

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  Excellence with exception - 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By Debi - July 18 - 1:54 am

  Smooth, comfortable ride with many ammenities. Gas mileage 12 city, <18 hwy. Some recalls on wipers and seatbelt safety (but did not occur in my vehicle after inspection by dealership). Seems to be problem with rear lights - have replaced bulbs several times. I would buy another but this was the "first year" for the model. Just had to work out the bugs.

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  Love the truck, hate the reliabilty - 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By waterville new york - July 17 - 6:43 am

  I really do like the truck, its the reliabilty have the problem with. I have had many, many brake issues. The driver front wheel kept locking up and over heating to the point that you could smell it and if you spit on the wheel it would sizzle. Back and forth and out of the shop and until they finally figured out it was a caliper puck heating up and not releasing. I also had the rear differential go, both universal joints, the 4WD always clunked when going in and out and now the electric 4WD shift has issues, the front tie rods. To summarize everything. When it was new it was great but as the miles started adding up it the truck just began to feel loose. Would not buy another Chevy.

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  Not your Fathers Impala - 2016 Chevrolet Impala
  By Terrence Carpenter - July 17 - 2:25 am

  Excellent ride and handling. Gas mileage around 23MPG. Go with the V6. the power is greater, and the MPG is about the same as the four cylinder. This vehicle rides like a luxury car. without the high price tag and need for premium fuel.