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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  LEASE IT, DONT BUY IT - 2015 Chevrolet Traverse
  By yangk - April 7 - 1:57 pm

  2nd and 3rd row seats are not adult friendly as theyre not comfortable and not large enough to accommodate. MPG not all that great, averaging 19 MPG for my recent 2000 mi round trip with family of 3 and gear. Mix city/hwy MPG average 15 mpg. At 3K, transmission had to get work done to it as it lost 3.5 qt of oil (where it went was not known). Doesnt haul my 18 aluminum boat well but does the job, MPG is worse or similar to a 3/4 ton truck, 10 mpg. Dont like the covers for sunroof and wished the 2nd sunroof would open but they dont. Dont like the radio unit, could use real buttons that go down when pushed. Rides decent and quiet on hwy. 3.5L V6 is under power for as big as it is.

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  Enjoyable and Simple Sedan - 2006 Chevrolet Impala
  By joe_bob - April 4 - 9:56 am

  I have driven this impala for almost 37,000 miles now it had about 35,000 on it when I started driving this car. It completely changed what I expected from a car. I had previously thought that all cars where like the honda pilot aka: uncomfortable however this car with the seat warmers is absolutely wonderful. I regularly commute about 2 hours a day and have very little back pain the whole time. I also took this car on a road trip from Ohio to Alabama and experienced only a small amount of discomfort. This car is surprisingly reliable considering it is the first model of its generation. Some people may think that the stereo is outdated. However, I find it works fine for my needs.

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  love the ole cav - 1997 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By Nick LaQuerre - April 4 - 5:47 am

  the 97 cav drives well and it treats me well :)

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  Valve Noise - 2015 Chevrolet Colorado
  By Marshall Ortiz - March 30 - 8:53 pm

  My valves rattle when shifting like I have bad gas, when I run chevron 87 or 91 octaine. Its the v6 3.6

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  Reliable, ugly little beast - 2003 Chevrolet Tracker
  By tompaine1 - March 24 - 7:50 pm

  This is my third Tracker, and first V-6. They are kinda ugly, but they always get you home. Mine serves two purposes: toad behind my motorhome and deeep boondocks transportation for hunting, fishing, and birding. I would much prefer it to a Jeep to cross the continental divide. Wife doesnt like the seats, as they are cloth covered cinder blocks, but....hey. Ice, snow, mud, sand....never been stopped.

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  Decent kind of Chevy Car but avoid the Cloth Seats - 2012 Chevrolet Equinox
  By smashmouth99 - March 21 - 6:55 pm

  This car already has 60,000 miles and we bought it brand new in January 2012. Although i got to say dont get the jet black cloth seats because they are not comfortable at all its like sitting on a desk. Although this car gets me from point A to point B without any problems the gas gets good mileage and it really stands out for a compact SUV.

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  First Car At 168,000 Miles... - 2003 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Ethyn Dirmeyer - March 17 - 3:48 pm

  Well, got my first car about a month ago. The Chevy Malibu LS. Got it used for a heck of a deal. Love the power this thing has got, and the interior design is AMAZING! The Radio is alright, ended up replacing every single speaker (4x6 and 6x9) for Rocksfords. The original speakers arent bad though, the bass isnt half bad but not any wear NEAR what you can get. I love the inside of this car. 2 Cigarette Lighters, Easy to open door panels. All im getting from now until i die is a Malibu (:

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  2007 Cheney Tahoe LT - 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By rolland93 - March 13 - 2:32 pm

  Bought this truck about six months ago it has been reliable safe and fun to have and its more fuel-efficient than our old expedition. Its plenty a room but beware if you buy one make sure you get the bang for your buck I have an LT but I also have a customer that has the same year LT as I do and he has features unlike mine , sunroof GPS , 4X4 an automatic footboards.

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  over-engineered cockpit, but a joy to drive - 2015 Chevrolet Volt
  By bugmanpat - March 13 - 9:43 am

  Driving my 2015 Volt has been a learning experience. Some of that learning is figuring out the climate control system, which is unnecessarily complicated (the 2016 corrects that). However, the other learning is about owning and driving an electric vehicle, and that has been a lot of fun. I was drawn to the Volt to stop buying gas (I havent bought any since I left the dealership months ago) but also just to adopt the new technology. Ive learned how important external temperature is to battery range (cold days subtract at least 10 miles), and how to charge at work and at home. Driving has been really enjoyable - super quiet, smooth, really impressive and, dare I say, fun.

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  Chevy Volt - Infotainment System Issues - 2015 Chevrolet Volt
  By mgoblue19 - March 10 - 9:03 pm

  I love my Volt - biggest issue is the Infotainment system. I cannot plug in an Apple iPhone into the USB port and have it play music through the car. I get an "indexing..." error message. Called support, they said they do not support iPhones over 30GB, which is not mentioned by any sales person and not in the infotainment system literature and manual. Their support people would not escalate it to get a fix. The phone works fine through Bluetooth, but heaven help you if its the end of the day and your phone is out of juice. Ask your salesperson to fix it before you commit to buy a new Volt. In addition, every night, I have to specify I want 12 amp charging. Forget? Car not charged.