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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  Its The Best "C" car out there - 2014 Chevrolet Cruze
  By Matthew - November 16 - 11:26 pm

  Totally average, it looks like a Honda or a Toyota but for half the cost. Drives very well, cornering with stock tires is excellent, and getting in and out of the vehicle is a snap. The problem is in the false fuel economy reports for this car. The average is nowhere near 30 miles per gallon, its about 24. In the city, the computer constantly showed about 16.5 miles per gallon. For a four cylinder???? How is this possible! I didnt get on it very much, just your average driver, and I could not get above 17 miles per gallon. The EPA fuel economy estimates are WAY off. On the freeway, its advertised as getting 36 MPG or better, but in REALITY (theres that word again), I was getting about 28 miles per gallon. For a four cylinder car, this is supposed to be an economy car, it is totally inexcusable. What I really disliked about my Cruze was the rapid devaluation; the value was going down by the week much faster than my payments, so that if I would have kept it, I would have paid $32,000 for a car that would be worth only $3,500 at the end of the payments. Totally unacceptable. I had to get rid of it. And being as this is a first car for many new, young car buyers, the insurance costs were much higher than normal--right up there with the Camaro and Ford Mustang. Ownership costs for this average car are ridiculous. But it was fun to drive and had a very quiet ride with a great stereo system.

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  AWESOME! - 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By Luke Hansen - November 16 - 9:10 pm

  Incredible, that explains it! The vehicle is by far the best SUV GM has ever come out with. The Tahoe drives nice, comfortable, and stylish!

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  1994 Z24 Convertible - 1994 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By mike hrabovsky - November 16 - 6:33 pm

  When I first saw the Z24 convertibles in the late 80s I wanted one but did not get one. Bought a beautiful 94 teal z24 convertible in summer of 96. I just love the style and looks of this car. Looks like a muscle car. Hood scoops, rear spoiler, and sporty looking wheels. Car has "guts" can get up to 80-90 mph in a hurry and holds the road real well. Have had now for 8 years and not too much trouble except for a goofy knack for blowing fuses on the power top, horn and door luck fuse (one fuse). Had the car checked by two mechanics and they had no explanation, but recommended I put in a circuit breaker fuse instead of a regular one and it has worked fine since. New top after 7 yrs old.

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  In love with my Impalla SS - 2004 Chevrolet Impala
  By Annette - November 16 - 2:29 pm

  I have owned my Chevy Impalla SS for over a year now and am in love. This car is almost everything I hoped it would be. It handles like a pro on the express way and can pass just about anything out there. The gas mileage could be better, but being supercharged, its ok with me. I would recommend this car for someone who is looking for affordable luxury with a kick. This car is also very accomidating to teens. the back seat is very roomy and the trunk has pleanty of space for travel.

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  Good truck - 2002 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD
  By pete - November 16 - 2:26 pm

  My 02 Duramax has been excelent to me. It is desined to pull around 10,000 lbs with a hitch, but I have pulled 15,000 lbs with no problem. My 18 goose neck is even easier to pull even when it is full of trash about the same weight. I love it.

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  My 2005 Aveo - 2005 Chevrolet Aveo
  By Jason - November 16 - 1:33 pm

  This car has been great! I drove an 03 Impala, which I miss, but the gas mileage is worth the down-grade. Since I bought my Aveo during the GM employee pricing, I got the LT version with all the toys for around $12,600, including a sun roof. Ive been approached by several co-workers, and friends asking me about it. Its a fun car!

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  Great space and ride, poor reliability - 2012 Chevrolet Traverse
  By Kenneth - November 16 - 10:51 am

  Ive had this car since new, and now have about 75k miles on it. Here is a list of issues Ive had with the vehicle: 1) Computer issue forced the car into limp mode repeatedly - this occurred periodically between 20-30k miles. Took three service repairs before they replaced the computer and the problem went away. It once happened while I was on the highway, forcing me onto the shoulder - car would flash all sorts of warnings and then go into limp mode, and on a few occasions I would smell gas. Shutting down and restarting would reset it. 2) A/C line leak - the first time this happened the car was under warranty - probably around 30k miles. There was a hissing noise from the vent followed by the A/C stopping working. Warranty replacement of the lines (the whole line) fixed the problem. Now at 73k miles the problem has occurred again - same exact issue; 3) Radio stopped working - AM stations come in, but FM does not indicating that its likely a problem with the tuner. Its hard to beat this car for cargo space, and its a great hauler of people and things, but the maintenance issues have been horrendous.

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  Nice Car - 1996 Chevrolet Lumina
  By ShawnInWA - November 16 - 5:09 am

  I bought this car in Sept. 05, nice clean car good on reliability. Had to replace rotors, brakes, water pump, accelorator sensor soo far...Over all car drives nice and handles great. Bad idea on cup holder position! But it works....Car currently has 155,400 miles.

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  Love a Chevy Blazer - 2005 Chevrolet Blazer
  By James - November 16 - 5:05 am

  I traded a brand new 500 mile Toyota Celica on a used Blazer... its the xtreme package, I havent ever regreted it, comfortable... very reliable, and honestly very safe. I have been rear ended twice once at around 10 mph the second time at around 25 mph, not significant damage to my Blazer. The motor like all of Chevys are easily fixed, and most people can do it themselves with a good manual (unlike Toyota)... Overall they are not the fastest SUVs but they ride nice, few problems, no recalls on them! I think they are good vehicles for young adults who need something safe that looks nice, and they can dabble with... worked for me!

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  One Great SUV - 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By Bill V - November 16 - 1:51 am

  I have owned a lot of Trucks and several SUVs and this rig is hands down my favorite of all times. It is Fun to drive, very comfortable and pull my camping trailer like its not there. The Tahoe is solid and has a lot of power, Im able to pull my trailer up a steep grade leading to our favorite camp ground at 55 MPH, my old SUV could only go 25 MPH max. The gas mileage is not bad for such a large SUV on a recent trip I was able to get 18 MPG. I didnt want the on- star but it came with it and now I could not live without it, the hands free phone it a great feature and works were my flip phone wont.