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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  best veh I have ever had - 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By Lew Wilson - October 24 - 10:00 am

  Very quiet on the road like driving a luxury car. Interior quality is great. Moved my daughter from michigan to florida last summer. Rented a U-haul tandam trailer in fla and pulled up and back. Veh pulled trailer like nothing behind and I averaged 18.3 mpg and didnt baby the veh.

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  Love my new 07 Av - 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche
  By Zooks - October 23 - 9:06 pm

  Hadnt even planned to look at Chevy in my quest for a new SUV. Drove by a dealer and figured "what the heck Ill take a quick look". Drove out in a new 2007 Avalanche :-)! Packed with options inside, love the 20" factory rims and new body style outside. Very quiet and smooth ride. Great towing capacity!

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  15 years of happiness - 2002 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD
  By Larry Marina - October 23 - 3:24 am

  I bought mine new in 2002.It was stolen last week. I feel like I lost a member of my family. Of course I am being screwed by my insurance company.

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  Treated me well - 1999 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By Chimike - October 22 - 10:00 am

  The A/C got noisy around 30,000 miles, but it was fixed under the warranty. A few other minor problems, but I was pretty happy with the purchase overall.

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  A great 2 door coupe - 2003 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By LoriG - October 22 - 10:00 am

  I love my Monte Carlo. Its fun, fast and it gets great gas mileage. Im glad that its sporty yet safe enough that I bought it as a "family" car. Although it has one of the ugliest "butts" on the road, its still a hot looking car.

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  Exceeded all expectations - 2003 Chevrolet Corvette
  By chris p - October 22 - 10:00 am

  Having never owned a corvette before, I expected all of the stereotypes to be true, such as a cramped interior, lousy build quality and so forth. None of these having proven to be true. The performance is truly exceptional, it is easy to drive long distances, and nothing has broken or begun to rattle, even with trips to the drag strip and a few road courses. In fact, I frequently choose this over my mercedes sl to drive to work, which surprised even me.

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  Best SUV on the planet bar none - 2003 Chevrolet Suburban
  By Snooty357 - October 22 - 10:00 am

  For comfort,room and ride not much comes close. Blows Ford SUVs right out the water. Chevy Burb LT w/autoride suspension drives as good as most cars never mind trucks.If you dont believe me just test drive one yourself. P.S. Built to last a life time I highly recommend "the Burb"

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  Chevy Impala - Quite the surprise! - 2003 Chevrolet Impala
  By Ray Cannefax - October 22 - 10:00 am

  Affter looking at a number of European sedans, I was astonished what the Impala offered for the money. Ive not owned an American sedan since the early 70s and have driven SUVs (GMC) for the past eight years. I began looking at the 5 series and E class when a friend suggested the Impala. Its not quite as tight or zippy and the doors dont sound as solid when I close them, but in respect to value for the dollar it was a no-brainer. I could buy two for the price of one 5 series or E class. So I bought an Impala and have been very satisfied with the product.

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  Chevy Cobalt, a true value - 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By Nick - October 21 - 10:30 pm

  For the money, the power, build, and fuel economy it is just as good if not better than any import. Kudos to GM for this vehicle. And as a former Honda, BMW, Mercedes owner Im not just saying that. GM is again an entry level leader.

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  Really happy we went for the Volt - 2013 Chevrolet Volt
  By Yolanda - October 21 - 5:03 pm

  I bought a used 2013 Volt 3 months ago and drive it every day for errands, running the kids around, etc. Im super happy with how it works as far as the electric charging, hybrid engine etc. The way it charges is just as advertised. The time to charge is spot-on for the different amperages. At a full charge it shows a 38 mile range on electric (EDIT: that was in the winter; in summer its 48-50 miles). When its cold out (30s) it shows about 33 miles. It also runs the engine for about the first 5 minutes "due to temperature," so it does use a little gas when its cold out (< a gallon). Also when its cold I have to run the heater to be comfortable, which decreases the electric range even more. Thats no big deal though, just sharing my experiences with cold weather in case anyones curious. As far as driving it, I test-drove a Prius and a Leaf to compare, and enjoyed driving the Volt the most. The visibility is fine. The pickup is totally sufficient. The switchover from electric to gas is unnoticeable. The only thing that bugs me about this car is the design of the center stack, which has the climate, music, and other controls. I find it to be unnecessarily involved and not intuitive. After 3 months I still have to look kind of closely in order to do what I want, and it seems to take too many button presses to accomplish what I need, which is too bad when youre also driving the car. The only problem Ive had with it so far is on one drive, the screen wouldnt turn on (so no climate or music). Looking online, I see this is an occasional problem with the Volt, and can often be solved by turning the car off and on again, though thats the one and only time it has happened to me so far (Edit: after 10 months, this has never happened again). Anyway, in summary, Id highly recommend the car for someone who wants to use electricity to power their car but also wants the flexibility of having a backup engine, and a compact car. EDIT Aug 2017: Weve now owned the car for 10 months. Still love using/driving it. We had to take it in to the shop because of a brake fluid leak, to the tune of $1,600, which was annoying. According to the internet its something that happens to Volts here and there. Id owned Hondas for years before the Volt and almost never had to take them in to be repaired. I was expecting/dreading something like this with an American car. Anyway, hopefully we dont get repair bills like this too often.