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:

• 

  DONT BUY ONE! - 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By hannahhhx3 - November 15 - 7:19 am

  I bought my cobalt used about nine months ago. So far, two of the tires have blown up while driving, the brakes are already bad, two speakers have blown out, the whole computer system is shot, all the tire moniters have gone bad, my flex pipe coming from the manifold is bad(costing $925.53 just for the replacement part), all the locks in the car have stopped working, one headlight has cracked and water is all inside of it, and last but not least, the exaust system has gone bad and needs to be replaced. Half of the time my car locks up when you try to cut it on, and the key gets stuck in the ignition. There was already a recall for the power steering, but that is currently not even a problem.

• 

  Commuting and more. - 2013 Chevrolet Volt
  By timlange - November 14 - 1:56 pm

  Our daily commute is 15 miles so we use electric only while in town. Cost for a full charge (30-40 miles) is $0.62. Our last trip out of town was fine, 200+ miles, about 6 hours in the car and did not get uncomfortable. Rarely could tell when the gas engine came on. Edmunds mentions touchy brakes but ours seems fine.

• 

  My Big Baby Boy - 1991 Chevrolet Suburban
  By rhystepesh - November 13 - 12:48 pm

  I bought my 1991 Suburban from a mechanic friend of mine as it was all he had that I could afford... and I have not regretted it since. Sure fuel economy is not the greatest, but then it is a 2+ ton vehicle all steel, and very safe. Im not trading it in for all the cars in the world. Easy to drive, low center of gravity means less likely to roll over, and can take a beating and still keep going. All I need is a kitchen and a bathroom and Id make him my home. Hell probably become a pile of rusted dust before I think of getting another vehicle. Though I will have to replace the radio eventually, its the only thing that doesnt work in him.

• 

  Love my 04 Venture Van - 2004 Chevrolet Venture
  By sakb3947 - November 12 - 10:17 pm

  I have over 180,000 on my van with little troubles. I like the way it drives. I can haul things in it, pull trailers with it and I can haul all my grandchildren in it. Have had very little troubles with it. When it was new a rear wheel bearing went out but was covered under warrenty. I had to repair some window controls but that was easy.

• 

  Regret after regret - 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By rkammer - November 7 - 1:07 pm

  This car was my first brand-new car purchase. The first weekend I had it, I had to take it back to the dealer because it had rained where I live and my entire trunk was soaking wet. The rear windshield had not been sealed and they had to replace the carpeting in my trunk and rear dash board. Since then, my now three year old car has been recalled 4 times. In my opinion, that is excessive. I wish I could get every penny back I spent on this car, and to top it off, customer service with GM has been terrible. This car has convinced me I will never buy any GM product ever again.

• 

  Nice to drive - when it works - 2006 Chevrolet Impala
  By waldo57 - November 7 - 9:50 am

  I just (thankfully) traded in my 2006 Chevrolet Impala LTZ that I had for 3 years. It was a complete nightmare. I replaced the power steering pump twice, and had the power steering service four or five times on top of that. When the weather got cold, the power steering pump would "pressurize" and blow the hose right off, leaking power steering fluid all over the ground. The dealership charged me several hundred dollars to "fix" it, but by the time I traded it in several months later, the power steering pump was making a grinding noise again. Other than these problems, the car was very nice. It handled well, and has plenty of power for passing or moving in traffic.

• 

  My Letter to General Motors Corporation 11/7/2012 - 2007 Chevrolet Impala
  By perplexed2007 - November 7 - 7:58 am

  Bought car new in Nov. 2006, nothing but problems, shouldve know something was wrong when I had to have oil pan gasket reoplaced 2x by 30k mi, after that, window motor, electrical problems, computer that controls windows failed, catalytic con.. before 50k, muffler, trans gears, wire from brakes to shifter 2x, and now the trans at 118k+, the dealersship is willing to cover the cost of the trans repair or replacement all but $500. Yeah to Dealership. I dont feel I should have to pay anything since Ive been knowing there was a problem with the trans bfore warranty expired. I Contacted chevy customer support and they are useless, they are not willing to cover the rest. I will never buy GMC

• 

  Do Not Recommend - 2004 Chevrolet Aveo
  By rachelwww - November 6 - 6:47 pm

  I bought this car at 57000 miles. The timing belt broke at 79000, apparently timing belts in this car like to murder themselves and the cars engine in the process. with a price tag of $1500-2200 to fix. This problem came along with other repairs that should not have had to be done in accordance with annual maintenance on the car, such as the air intake replacement and replacing and fixing various other cheaply made parts, the repair costs for this car have nearly outweighed the cost of it in the first place. Also it took me a week to find the cupholder. NOT a user friendly vehicle.

• 

  2013 Volt - 2013 Chevrolet Volt
  By 11buster - November 6 - 11:18 am

  Traded in a C5 Vette for a 2013 red metallic Volt. Have driven about 400 miles in 10 days. Love the car - used 0.7 gal. Gas. Chevy had a $2,000 rebate, coupled with a $7,500 Fed tax rebate and a $2,000 state tax rebate, takes the cost down to $30,000. Factor in about $2,000 fuel savings per year, and the car makes economic sense. Build quality is excellent, as is integration of car operation, electronics and screen displays. Also right thing to do for the environment to cut emissions. With our local electric rates, cost per gas gal equivalent is about $0.70. Car is smooth and provides a pleasant driving experience, plus you are driving the future, not the past.

• 

  Solid Vehicle - 2002 Chevrolet Impala
  By pacman401 - November 5 - 3:56 pm

  I bought this car from my grandmother with 127,000 miles on it. So far, it has been a solid car. A few issues though. Transmission had to be rebuilt (those GM transaxles were already known to be crap) and I had to fix a wheel hub. But other than that, it has been a solid car. The sensors go bad all the time, but the car runs great and starts smooth everytime. Handles good, very comfortable for a long trip. The 3.8L is a fantastic motor so far, very torque enriched and shows no signs of quitting soon. I expect to put another 100,000 miles on it before its time for a new one, due to rust problems starting (its Michigan, so all cars are like that). Overall, a very solid car.