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:

• 

  Sub-par-bun - 1997 Chevrolet Suburban
  By Sub-par-bun - April 14 - 2:00 am

  6 "extended shop visits" in six years. Major transmission work - twice. Head gasket. FUEL PUMP - WIRES SHORTED OUT AND MELTED (fuel pump is IN the gas tank), lucky to be alive. Water pump replaced. Rear end diff work. Glad I didnt buy a 4x4 (twice the repairs?) and glad I did buy the extended warranty (wish it was still in force). Still interested? Good, mine is for sale.

• 

  Not So Hot - 2001 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By Ralf Suater - April 13 - 2:00 am

  Very poor quality for the price.

• 

  THIS VAN SUCKS - 2003 Chevrolet Venture
  By CHILLER - April 8 - 2:00 am

  THIS VENTURE SUCK ITS THE FULLY EQUIPED VAN AND EVERYTHING IS NOT WORKING. THE POWER DOOR LOCKS OPEN AND CLOSE, THE WINDOWS GET STUCK THE REAR PARKING AID DOES NOT WORK THE DVD SYSTEM DOES NOT WORK THE POWER SLIDING DOORS DOESNT WORK ITS HAS ONLY HALF LEATHER HAVE CLOTH SEATS CHEAP LOOKING DASHBOARD AND UGLY 16 WHEELS YOU GET RIPED OF BECAUSE MINE HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP 13 TIMES AND IT IS GOING BACK CAUSE ITS DOESNT EVEN TURN ON. WHATS THE USE OF HAVING A FULLY EQUIPED CAR IF NOTHING WORKS!!!

• 

  Piece of junk - 1997 Chevrolet Astro
  By Steve Ritchey - April 6 - 3:00 am

  Replaced power window motor three time,windshield wiper motor,intake gasket,rear air conditioning hose,fuel gauge sender,cruise control cable and its had a steady miss in overdrive that they never could fix.

• 

  BEWARE OF ELECTRICAL CIRCUITRY - 1999 Chevrolet Malibu
  By robnetzero - April 6 - 3:00 am

  Overall this car was a pretty good car. My wife bought it was a year old. Most of the problems have been brake issues. That is one aspect to the car that needs work. My wife drove this car for work (real estate), and enjoyed it overall, but yesterday, her dashboard caught on fire and she was able to pull over and get out of the car, but the car went up in flames on the side of the road. If considering buying this car, get the electrical cicuitry checked.

• 

  Reliable powerful engine, but no comfort - 1991 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By OMD - April 5 - 2:00 am

  Got mine in 1995 at 52,000 miles and have since put 40,000 miles on it. AC worked great in TX. Starts on even the coldest days in MI. Control dome for wipers and alternator need changing in first 60K. Interior panels cheap and rattle like hell, keep coming off. But engine is reliable and has lot of low end torque. Steering fairly responsive, but lots of body roll. Excessive road and wind noise - especially on highway. Body of car still free of rust after 90K. Repairs to date: $3000 - changed alternator once, all brakes twice, shocks & struts once, battery twice and other small repairs. Radio quite powerful and has lot of bass.

• 

  No Thanks on Blazers - 1995 Chevrolet Blazer
  By swick - April 1 - 2:00 am

  The quality and reliability issues make them not worth the price paid. Very bad value.

• 

  car sucks - 1999 Chevrolet Malibu
  By ag - April 1 - 2:00 am

  -it is not fast -problems after problems after problems with the care - we used the warrantly to the limits -I had the whole engine just stop working one day and the guy from warranty asked me if I had gas in my car

• 

  97 Astro AWD - 1997 Chevrolet Astro
  By rpoling - March 31 - 2:00 am

  Purchased new, performed all recommended maintenance. No major problems until it hit 100,000 miles last year. In the past year, the following problems developed: Head gasket, transmission lines, coil, water pump, tensioner, wiper motor, both power window motors, door locks, rear hatch lifters, vacuum leaks, oil leaks, and more.

• 

  Very uncomfortable seats, auto stop is terrible! - 2018 Chevrolet Equinox
  By nick - March 27 - 5:49 am

  I really want to like this car, 3 things that I hate. the auto stop is really annoying and actually I have found it almost unsafe at moments, at least make an option to turn it on and off. The seats are really uncomfortable, like very. Oh and the seatbelt is terrible and strangles your waist because it gets wayyyyy too tight as you drive, sadly i might have to put a clothes pin at the top.