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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  Worst Car EVER!!! - 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By ihatecobalts - January 30 - 3:05 pm

  Bought the car new and has been nothing but a headache. New gear shifter (It locked down and wouldnt shut off or let me put in park), had the get the gas tank fixed twice, oil pan cracked, pulley snapped off, and at a whopping 89000 it blew up. This car is JUNK off the charts LEMON. Money pit no dealership even wants to mess with it. Its past the warranty but the 100000 power train warranty doesnt hold up. Never buy this car..EVER it will leave you stranded several times for hours with kids. NO ONE ever stops anymore. It also over heats for NO reason got it checked by the dealership.

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  Cherry runs like new. easily a steal - 1999 Chevrolet Corvette
  By vestedvette - January 28 - 2:17 am

  I traded a much more expensive 2012 car to get the Vette I always wanted. Cant believe I found a 14 year old car with only 60k in mileage. Its not even broken in yet.still handles like every vette if not better than all pre - 2000s Im having a blast. Instant Classic. .. love it

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  TIMING BELT BROKE - 2004 Chevrolet Aveo
  By rich200 - January 27 - 3:45 pm

  Many reviews of this car featured a broken timing belt. I have the same story, but it happened on the highway. Thankfully I was in the slow lane -- had I been in the fast lane I would have been killed. Standing on the side of a busy highway waiting for AAA is scary enough. Needed a new belt and top part of the engine. Total repair $2500, but four visits to the repair shop later I decided to junk the car and got $2500 from a dealer using figures from autotrader.com. No harm, no foul and now I have a brand new Honda Fit and vow never, ever to buy a Chevrolet product again.

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  performance - 2013 Chevrolet Equinox
  By rsarin - January 27 - 10:36 am

  very poor rear visibility, wish I had known!

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  Disappointed with Impala AGAIN . . . - 2009 Chevrolet Impala
  By drvmn - January 27 - 7:33 am

  Purchased my 09 Implala new in February 2009. At around 50,000 miles, the head gaskets started leaking (fixed under GMs 100,000 mile warranty - faulty gaskets used by GM). Had to replace a transmission cooler line, Im now on my third pair of front brake rotors, and even after a front-end allignment at the dealership, the front tires continue to wear out along the outer edge. I thought GM was better than this. Now at 66,000 miles, Check Engine light comes on due to a "gunked up" fuel injection system. Why put the fuel filter inside the tank where it cant be serviced on a regular basis??? This is my second Impala (my 05 had intake manifold gasket issues). Im done with Impalas.

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  Trans Went - 1995 Chevrolet Caprice
  By joes12 - January 26 - 6:47 pm

  Born 1995 Died 2011...not too bad considering the mileage was in the upper 100s. Biggest problem was electrical and tuneups,there were oil leaks but what killed it was actually the transmission gears went from trying to maneuver around in the snow up here. Not good in snow either btw,that wheel drive was not cut out for it.

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  2013 Cruze Eco Manual - 2013 Chevrolet Cruze
  By main1462 - January 26 - 1:15 pm

  I had a Cruze LS we loved, but traded for a larger Malibu. After a year of poor Malibu mpg, we went back to a Cruze this time an Eco. LOVE this car! After a month in mostly below-freezing weather, Im averaging 36 mpg around town! On three days in the 50s, it got in the low 40s. Highway is 45-50 mpg at 65-70 mph. My fill-ups so far actually show slightly better mpg than the computer reading. The car handles great and is very quiet. The stick is smooth. I have owned GM cars for 25 years, and the Cruze is my favorite. I got this Eco for $17,300 after $3,500 in rebates (mostly from GM card incentives). A friend who rode in my car last week said, "Wow. This is a REALLY nice car!"

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  Like the cruze, hate the MPG - 2011 Chevrolet Cruze
  By easyep - January 26 - 12:05 pm

  I traded in an impala for the advertised gas mileage of the cruze, I took it on a road trip to Myrtle Beach SC and averaged 31 mpg, the impala averaged 32 on the same trip on the open road. I contacted GM a number of times and was old there was nothing that could be done, took it in to a local dealership, the computer scan was normal, tried to get GM to trade it back in for another impala, no luck on that either, during this time my wife bought a new nissan versa because she drives around 150 miles per day the versa averages 38 MPG on te open road and if you use cruise control it will average 42/43 MPG. I feel GM pulled the wool over everyones eyes with the MPG on the cruze

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  Love this car - 1994 Chevrolet Corvette
  By cooper1994 - January 26 - 11:16 am

  Just recently purchased my 94 vette with a little over a 125,000 miles and I have to say, I love this car. The performance, styling, handling, everything. Wish I would have bought one years ago/

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  Volt is a No-Brainer over Prius - 2012 Chevrolet Volt
  By ntvolt - January 26 - 1:56 am

  Its like a game driving this car, to see how far I can go. I average 45-53 miles on a single charge. 3 year lease is Cheaper than a regular Prius BEFORE the $1,500 CA rebate. Volt = $329 MO vs. Prius at $299 MO. Volt is $1,080 more over 36 mos. But you get a $1,500 rebate on the volt, bringing the 3 year cost from the time you walk in the dealer till the time you turn it in to $420 less than a Prius. 36,000 miles each, Prius will use 720 gallons of gas no matter what at $4 per gal. = $2,880. If you drive less than 40 miles a day, Volt will cost you $0 in gas and about $1.50 per full charge for 40 miles. $1,350 for 36,000 miles. 3 year savings = $1,950