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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  horrible car - 2006 Chevrolet Malibu
  By adam1987 - December 10 - 12:09 pm

  literally two weeks after buying the car the air conditioner went out, i live in Texas and bought the car in July rolling with out an AC was not an option. i also had the same problem as everyone else with the tie rods and the power steering cutting out. but the worst was when i started feeling my brakes locking up. i later found out it was due to the rubber in the caliper rotting and allowing break dust into my breaking system. i didnt have the money for a whole new brake system. so for the last year or so i owned the car i couldnt drive on the freeway. having your brakes lock up at 70mph is EFFING SCARY. im so much happier with my suzuki econo car. not as roomy but way more fun to drive.

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  2013 Malibu ECO 2SA - 2013 Chevrolet Malibu
  By ticner58 - December 10 - 9:36 am

  I cant understand all of the negative reviews about this car that are out there from certain publications. I now have 3000 miles and simply love this car. I just did a 880 mile one way trip on all interstate driving and averaged 34.3 mpg. This is while driving between 70 & 77 mph all of the way. Under regular driving, 55-60, I have attained over 40 mpg while commuting to work (18 miles one way). Some publications say to purchase the Camry, Pris or Sonota hybrids over this car. Go ahead and price them out using 2SA option, add a sunroof and see what price you get. I found that I was able to get exactly what I wanted, without getting other options that I didnt want or need with the Malibu.

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  Love my Sonic! - 2012 Chevrolet Sonic
  By krystalhoffman - December 9 - 10:41 pm

  I absolutely love my Chevy Sonic Hatchback. Its extremely fun to drive, has great MPG (35-40 for me), has great handling, and is comfortable. Its an inexpensive car that has some great features like Bluetooth and such. The main problems Ive had with this car are the tires. I have had 11 flat tires in 10 months. They seem to go flat for no reason, so Im hoping its just the stock tires on it. Ive also had a few other problems with parts breaking. I drive my car pretty hard though (being a teenager in Wyoming), so its not surprising. Luckily, my warranty covered nearly everything.

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  Best SUV Ive ever owned!!! - 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By metalbourne - December 9 - 9:08 pm

  Ive had around 28 cars and suvs and this one is my favorite (the only one that comes close was my 2002 Tahoe LT). I purchased my TB with 72,000 miles on it 3 years ago and now have 115,000 on it and have only done normal things (tune up, tires, brakes, fluids, belts, lights). The only major thing that I had to do was the flex plate on the transmission was cracked. My TB is used every day for work and I do a lot of city driving and it turns better then most sub-compact cars do and can fit in most if not all parking garages in Philly, New York, Washington DC, and so on. The ride is great, the truck is easy to work on and tows my pop up with ease couldnt be happier with this pack-mule.

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  I didnt expect a Chevy to be this good - 2013 Chevrolet Equinox
  By virginiacarguy - December 8 - 7:17 pm

  I bought a 2013 6 cylinder AWD 2LT Equinox with leather as a winter/extra vehicle to keep miles off my more expensive cars. I didnt expect a Chevy to be this comfortable, well designed, and almost "elegant" inside. I cross shopped a 2013 Escape SEL, which is sportier but lost points in every other category. The Chevy won with roomier interior, huge backseat room, more comfortable seats, better organized dash, intuitive controls, 301 hp V-6 for the price of a Ford 4 cyl, more refined drive train, quieter ride, classier interior. The Escape had a disjointed "chaotic" non-intuitive dash and controls, uncomfortable back seat with tight leg room, narrow front seats, awkward driving position.

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  Good Car, Poor Assembly Quality... - 2013 Chevrolet Malibu
  By ocker - December 7 - 10:24 am

  This is the third Malibu we have purchased since 2004 (from the same dealer and the same sales representative) and each model has been better than its predecessor. The 2013 model has an excellent power train – the 2.0 liter turbo charged 4-cylinder engine, coupled with the new 6-speed automatic transmission, performs better than the 3.0 liter V6 engine in our previous 2008 model. The interior and exterior are both well designed, the interior is comfortable, and the car drives and rides well. I have only driven the vehicle 200 miles to date so can’t comment on fuel economy yet, although my first top-up suggests that it will meet the EPA city mileage estimate.

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  I love this car - 2012 Chevrolet Volt
  By minyung - December 7 - 12:58 am

  I was a Chevy Suburban guy for the last 16 years until last May when my truck of 8 years needed some major work, I decided to buy the Volt. My gas bill every month went down very substantially in the last 6 months. My average gas bill with the suburban was about $1000 a month ans so far, I have spent about $1000 in the last 6 months. I have driven 17,593 miles since 5/28/2012 of which 8280 miles was EV miles (47% of the total miles). Every day when the Volt take me for a ride, I tried to squeeze out as much miles as I could in a single charge and the most that I was able to squeeze out was 51 miles before the gas kicked in. I just love this car.

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  Great car! - 2011 Chevrolet Impala
  By chachel_02 - December 6 - 11:21 am

  I bought my 2011 Impala used in the beginning of 2012. I got the LTZ which has all the features you could want in a car. It drives great, gas mileage is good, its comfortable for long trips. While the Camaro is still my dream car I feel that the Impala is more practical and comfortable. Back seat has a lot of space for passengers as well. Great trunk space too!

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  "Nice Car" - 2012 Chevrolet Camaro
  By camaro2012guy - December 5 - 5:57 pm

  I hear "Nice Car". At the gas station or store or even a neighbor walking by, they all say something. I just smile and say thanks. I drove the car from Florida to Durham NC. I filled up at South of the Boarder in South Carolina after driving from Bradenton. The fuel range was 522 miles after the fill up! Thats because I was averaging 32 miles a gallon going 76 - 79 mph. The gas from BP works better than other any other gas I have tried. Not one creek or squeak or oil leak and I have had the car for 9 months and 10,000 miles. My Camaro is black automatic 2LS. My 39 month lease payment is under $300.00. I had the gm card that was good for 2k and put 1k down. Lease the car!

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  My first cardefinitely a good choice - 2012 Chevrolet Cruze
  By jlm14 - December 5 - 11:52 am

  My family had always been all about Hondas (and my dad a BMW person). This car has impressed me. 13,000 miles, no issues. The six speed manual is fun. My drives from Chicago to Champaign get me ~43 MPG at 75 mph cruise ctrl. I have seen as best as 46 MPG (65mph hwy) and worst 36 MPG (city). I see mixed 39-40 avg. These numbers are from my own calcs. Solid drive for a 1.4, turbo picks up, the interior isnt great but looks decent. Good lines looks elegant for a compact sedan. Bluetooth works all the time for me, good sound, very quite ride, and smooth. Takes awhile to learn how to use the gears properly, 4-6th are all O/D gears so I use 3rd to pass a lot. Overall, good, I recommend.