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:

• 

  DO NOT BUY - 2007 Chevrolet Impala
  By jasonm78 - November 29 - 5:28 pm

  Nothing but problems out of this car. Bought it when it has 45k miles and already had to replace Water Pump Transmission Numerous Sensors Muffler AC hoses Power Steering Unit I never will buy another GM car, have to get this car repaired every other week and I cant trade because I have so much negative equity.

• 

  GUESS WERE NOT THE ONLY ONES DUMPING GM / CHEVY - 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By dyer33704 - November 12 - 9:26 am

  My parents have been GM/Chevy people ever since I can remember. I think their first was a 1962 Impala Station Wagon. Anyway, I was with them when they purchased their Trailblazer. What [non-permissible content removed]! All the same issues as everyone else has been stating. Stalling at lights & pulling into and out of the driveway and intermittent rough idle and high rapid idle for no reason at at 32,000 miles. 40,000 miles brought about incorrect inside/outside temperature readings & inability use climate control which was supposedly unrepairable. Seatbelts that dont release & just keep getting tighter and tighter ever since purchase and they cant seem to repair it or didnt want to.

• 

  Transmission should be recalled - 2013 Chevrolet Cruze
  By klderme - November 11 - 9:08 am

  The Chevy Cruze is a disaster. Do not buy this car. It had been recalled twice, but not recalled for known faulty transmission. The car surges and jerks. My 2 year old car needed a NEW transient, but to top it off, I have been back three times Ina week, because the new one isnt installed correctly. Stick with Honda or Nissan.

• 

  2005 Trailblazer - 2005 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By pissedoff16 - November 5 - 7:48 am

  Purchased my Trailblazer in 2006. It was a Pre-Certified car with only 13,000 miles. It carried the full 100,000 or 5 year warranly. At 104,000 miles (2011) the transmission went out. I purchased a New Chevy transmission to put back in it. Cost over $2500. Since then I have had nothing but problems with this car!!!! I have replaced air pump, 4 air injection pumps, 2 years my gas gauge hardly reads any gas in my car. I did not recieve a letter in 2011 about gas gauage. Now I am over the 120,000 limit. If you figure that, you can drive 1500 a year or 24 miles a day. Who can do that. I am pissed.

• 

  Disappointing Quality - 2013 Chevrolet Cruze
  By davidsk - November 3 - 7:53 pm

  We developed spots on the hood where the paint peeled away. Weve been to the Chevy dealer and spoke to Chevy corporate. They concluded it was bird poop that caused the paint chips but refused to fix the problem, informing us it will cost $500 to fix. Our actual 25 MPG is also very disappointing and not what we expected. In the year weve had the car, there have been 2 recalls on safety issues. If I had known about these issues, I would not have purchased the car and I warn others to be careful. Its extremely disappointing that Chevy wont stand behind the quality of its cars. Will never purchase another Chevy.

• 

  GM "What Quality Control" ? - 2013 Chevrolet Camaro
  By buuud - October 25 - 4:33 pm

  Problem 1: When I first picked up the car it exhibited a loud creaking noise from bad front end bushings. Problem 2: Driver side weather-stripping kept falling down out of its channel. Problem 3: After 5 months of ownership was a slight shuddering I thought was something with the motor. It would start at about 1400 rpms during acceleration. Mechanic test drove the car saying it feels like its misfiring. BS, it had a bad tranny and four attempts later I got it back. Problem 4: Metallic sound from driver side rear. Lug nuts loose. Tightened myself. Sound gone.

• 

  My bad experience - 2007 Chevrolet Impala
  By celestial - October 21 - 8:01 pm

  We paid 17,000 for this car at only 2 yrs old. It had great performance at first, the lost all its gusto. We were going through tires in the back like crazy and found out later there was a recall. We got into a head on car accident at 70km/hr and NOT 1 airbag went off. We had curtain and front airbags and nothing. Thankfully we walked away. The car was totaled. The other car had all airbags deployed. Contacted chev, got the run around. After research found out some of these cars were sold without air bags. We wanted it investigated but our car was mysteriously crushed 3 days after the accident. Prior to the accident, the whole exhaust system needed replacing, the electrical was going $.

• 

  Clunking and rattling everywhere...beware - 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By edgexpro - October 9 - 8:07 pm

  I have a 2005 Cobalt with only 67,000 miles on it. Since 40,000 miles there has been a horrible clunking in the front and rear suspension as well as a rattle from the steering column. I have taken it to a GM dealer and told to replace the struts, which I did with an independent shop, as well as sway bar links and bushings. This did not help anything and since then it has gotten significantly worse. Today, I replaced the lower control arms and that didnt help either. The moral of the story is this shouldnt happen on a car with lower miles.

• 

  Dont Waste Your Money - 2009 Chevrolet Aveo
  By porterfield_a - October 7 - 10:06 pm

  Overall the 09 Chevy Aveo5 LT is an "okay" economy vehicle. Plus side is safety, Eco-Friendly, gas mileage and some what dependable. This car would be a great car for a high school/ college student. Not a family vehicle!!! If you decided to purchase this vehicle, please get all warranties and extended warranties. Please take the car to your nearest Chevy Dealer and have all recalls changed immediately. This will save your life (trust me). There isnt much room in the vehicle and there are several problems with the A/C of the vehicle. If you live in Alaska or a cold climate, then youre good. Sucks in FL.

• 

  Stalling at red lights, reaks of gas, service stabilitrak - 2010 Chevrolet Equinox
  By iusbsoccer3 - October 4 - 6:56 pm

  Same problem as many others. First and last Chevy, miss my Camry. Have had Equinox for only couple months and have had in it shops three times and nothing has been solved. First issues weeks after purchase was rough idle at red lights that felt like vehicle would stall and it smelled like a Ford Pinto. After complaining numerous times Chevy finally sent a letter describing the same issues and to take care to chevy dealer. I did and they replaced the entire high pressure fuel pump. Problem solved right? Days after check engine light comes on and stays on. Take vehicle to different chevy dealer they state other dealer screwed up. They fix issue. Weeks after same issues. Giving up and selling!