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:

• 

  Favorite Hand-Me-Down - 1993 Chevrolet Suburban
  By luke - May 3 - 11:55 pm

  Got my license and wasnt looking forward to driving "the beast". After about 3 weeks, it grew on me. Its been the greatest truck ever! Gas stinks, but its got a 42 gal tank, fill it on Sunday, drive for miles.Took it mudding (2WD) and it did just fine. A slight pain in the snow, but once you get used to it, sandbags arent even needed. Performance is solid, but I could use 15-20 more horses and lb-ft each. Having front and mid bench is awesome, and having the back open is even better. Rides great on long trips so well Ive gone to pick up friends 150 miles away at school just to drive it long distance. Overall Id glad I was given it, and have no plans to get rid of it anytime soon, even with 160k on it!

• 

  2002 Chevrolet Tahoe - 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By Cindy - May 3 - 2:41 pm

  This 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe is the third Tahoe I have owned and the sixth SUV I have owned. Prior to purchasing my first SUV which was a Chevy two door Blazer I drove sports cars. I will never own another car, the Tahoe is the best, most reliable vehicle I have ever owned and I have owned a total of sixteen cars in my life.

• 

  Decent car, but lacking in some areas - 1998 Chevrolet Prizm
  By Joe Broge - May 3 - 1:33 pm

  I bought this car used with 73k miles on it after my old Hyundai got totalled. Since the Prizm/Corolla has a reputation for reliability I thought it was a safe bet. Overall the car has always gotten me where I needed to go and it has never stranded me anywhere. Unfortunately a few aspects of the car bring the whole thing down. Shortly after I bought the car the A/C stopped working. The A/C compressor had gone bad and the whole system needed replacing to the tune of $1800.

• 

  Good First Car for HS or College Student - 2000 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By Chevyowner4 - May 3 - 12:06 pm

  I bought this car used in Oct. 2002. I loved it at first, but it had no features in it at all. I liked the "look" of the car. The first year was great! Then, the problems began, one by one. First, it was the fuel injection...Totally broken and it cost $900 to fix. Then, it was my A/C. Then, my dashboard creaked then cracked. There is a chirp coming from the driver side wheel. All 4 corners if the interior squeak when I drive, especially near the trunk. Now, for the worst part: The brakes are the worst brakes ever. I had the rotars fixed 4 times, each time was $200. I had all the parts of the brakes fixed, to no avail. I assume this model has chronic brake issues. Never buying American again!

• 

  Trailblazer - 2006 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By William S. Frye - May 2 - 11:56 pm

  After five days and only 250 miles of driving my 2006 Trailblazer the left rear tire blew out while driving on the Interstate at 70 MPH. I was able to safely get the vehicle onto the shoulder. When I examined the tire, I noticed the sidewall had seperated from the tire tread. Im an automobile mechanic and have seen this type of damage many times. It is caused from driving on a flat tire. I had not idea that I had a flat tire, the ride, stability and handling of the vehicle did not give any indication of a flat. To cause the sidewall to seperate, I had probably driven several miles with the tire flat. It handled so well in this situation that I feel very safe driving it.

• 

  Good but not Great - 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By The Mow Man - May 2 - 10:34 pm

  Like the truck, but it can be improved.The seat belt location is hard to reach, it eats headlights and tail lights. Good power, lots of room for hockey equip, dogs and kids. Nice looking. Thinking about moving to newer.

• 

  Love this truck - 1994 Chevrolet S-10
  By dude - May 2 - 10:30 pm

  This is the first truck me and my dad has owned. In my opinion this is the best little truck ever. It is very dependable and has a little zip to it. It has a TBI 4.3 V6. It is a 1994 and has held up very well. It is very rusty and is pretty much a work truck. It hauls very well but the only complaint is that the rear is too light, so in the winter is handles very poorly without weight in the bed. And when it comes time to change a starter in it, the manual says to remove the exhaust to get it out, or remove the motor.

• 

  Who Needs a Mini Cooper??? - 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV
  By adamjsanchez - May 2 - 9:20 pm

  After looking around at EVs for a second car (my commuter) we settled on either the LEAF or the Spark EV. Because the Spark EV retails for $5k less than the LEAF we ended up at the Chevy dealer in town. With the Federal incentive and our trade-in we got a lease for less than we spend on gas each month for my 07 Civic we traded in. What really sold me on the Spark was how much fun it is to drive. We got rid of our FJ because of rising gas costs and got a Prius, which is economical, but blah to drive. No oomph, no giddy-up. The Spark blew my mind in terms of what it can do. It flies. No transmission changes and instant torque mean this thing can go. Its the most fun vehicle weve owned.

• 

  Half-way there - 2004 Chevrolet Impala
  By Big T - May 2 - 5:07 pm

  This is a nice ride which has a lot going for it. The 280lb-ft of torque is above average. The car is big, roomy, comfortable, and has a huge frickin trunk. Interior and Exterior styling is OK. (In my opinion the 2006 has a better interior, but worse exterior.) An SS needs to be a V8 rear wheel drive. The 2006 get us SS fans half way there.

• 

  Awesome Car!!! - 2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By DMarchant - May 2 - 10:00 am

  This is the best car I have ever owned. I love my car. If I could change one thing about my car is that I wish I had bought the SS model