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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  Buyer beware - 2003 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By wheelerspm - April 22 - 2:00 am

  This truck died with 800 miles on the odometer in the middle of my vacation. GM support and road service was pathetic and insulting. took them 4 days to fix the blown engine coil. On the drive home,the power seat switch stuck and forced my body into the steering wheel at 70mph. Last week during a trip to northern New York in a snow storm the 4wd switching system developed a mind of its own switching in and out of AWD,2WD,and 4WD, 3 times my rear end kicked out and almost put me in the ditch. There also was a burning wire smell filling the truck.( I AM GETTING 12 MPG IN MIXED CITY/COUNTRY DRIVING IN 2WD AND 16 MPG AT A STEADY STATE 65MPH (EPA IS 15/20)

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  Yuk - 2002 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By ScottLeavell - April 22 - 2:00 am

  All I can say is that anyone thinking about this "truck" should honestly reconsiter. The thing is unusually bumpy, doesnt handle good at all, is horrible on gas mileage--even on the highway, Speakers rattle at the instant of bass and the walls rattle also...its amazing that I kept this thing as long as I did.

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  Do not buy! - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By JMoore - April 21 - 5:30 pm

  I am so disappointed with this car. This was my first "brand new" car and its just awful. The road noise is horrible, check engine light came on a week after owning. The seats are horrible. I have the basic LS gray and they hold every spec of dirt possible. So I now have to use seat covers. The radio guages have lost all of their paint. So I can no longer see what channel I am turning to 1-5 etc. The doors are cloth and also get dirty very easily. The paint is scratching off the inside of the car near the door handles and such. My muffler is already completely rusted and the bumpers and molding are black and very faded. I have only owned for 10 months and would strongly advise against this! I will never buy a car from Chevy again. Even though this is the LS edition so its not top of the line, for the price I paid I deserved better lasting material.

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  run (dont walk) - 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By lastgm - April 14 - 11:03 am

  I decided to "come back" to GM and give them another try. My brand new truck which is not my main vehicle and barely used emerged from the winter only a couple of months old and both sides of the chrome rear bumper is rusted through and has to be replaced. Not thats quality. At least in the 70s it took 2-3 years for a car to rust out. Im done with GM. No wonder they went bankrupt.

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  BUYER BEWARE - 2003 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By William642 - April 11 - 10:00 am

  DONT BUY THIS TRUCK. For 30 Grand plus you can get a heck of a lot more quality than a Trailblazer. The front seats are more uncomfortable than my 95 Cavalier; the front bumper is nothing more than a cheap piece of plastic that my 3 year old son can move up and down so that it looks like its about to fall off. The brake system failed at 1300 miles, and I had to beg a Chevy dealer to look at it. My impression after 4 months? CHEAP. I dont believe Ill ever buy another GM vehicle again. Id sell this piece of crap if I didnt owe more than its worth, which is not much.

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  Mini Gas Guzzler - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Jim Rhoda Sr - April 8 - 5:33 am

  My Equinox has been back to the dealership 5 times in its short 3 months of ownership. The mileage is terrible, as low as 13.5 miles per gallon and an average of 15-16 miles per gallon. If this is the best Chevy can do, then Ill be driving over to the competition soon. Also GM was a bit cheap on the assembly line, in an LT model they couldnt even put lights in the vanity mirrors. The list goes on and on.

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  BLAH! - 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By Tahoe is bad - March 18 - 10:00 am

  We bought a brand new white chevy z71. It listed for 47,992 with the options we put in it. It is one of the most horrible cars, seriously. You feel like your driving a 10,000.00 car from the inside. EVERYTHING on the dash and center console is plastic, and to top it all off there is horendiously cheap looking vinyl on the backs of the seat. It cruises well on the highway at aroud 70 but taking turns at 30 off exits is scary. Lately i have been hearing a esterior wistle and i dont know what it is...but i cant wait for a month to replace it with the new range rover.

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  Going to Toyota - 2007 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By Matt - March 4 - 8:06 am

  74,000 kms and the transmission wont shift gears. I dont tow, I do not beat on it, I take very good care of it and this is how I am repaid. GM needs to put alot more thought into building a reliable truck. My last 2002 silverado was just as big a lemon. And to think I would give Chevy one more chance. I cant wait to see how much this one is going to cost; Im sure GM will try to get out of the so called warranty.

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  Worst SUV ever - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Mario Werner - March 2 - 6:10 am

  My wife bought this car about 2.5 years ago. The first test drive was not too bad and the engine felt pretty good but after driving this vehicle several times and on long distances I came to the conclusion that this is one of the worst one we have ever owned. The only positive thing I personally can say about this car is the interior space in the back. The turning radius is the one of a 18 wheeler, the brakes are bad, the steering is flimpsy, the visibility - especially when you back up - is terrible, the paint on the door panels and on the instrument cluster is chipping, on the outside the windowsgaskets and the Chevy emblem are getting loose, mileage is quite bad etc.

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  engine knock - 2001 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By beaner - February 22 - 10:00 am

  . started to experience a knock in the motor. REMEMBER this truck is still under the 3yr-36,000. mile warranty! called GMC, they said take it to another dealer, they said i had a problem and replaced the lifters. truck was did not make a sound for 2-3 weeks. took it back NOW IT IS A COLD ENGINE KNOCK. and that that is normal. then GMC sends me a 100,000. mile warranty that i didnt except. NOW THEY WON"T FIX THE PROBLEM AND THERE DEALER SAYS " THEY WILL FIX IT WHEN IT BLOWS UP" ALL THEY SAY IS IT IS NORMAL TO MAKE THIS NOISE. I WILL NEVER BUY A GM PRODUCT AGAIN AND I WILL HOPEFULLY STOP SOMEONE FROM MAKING THE SAME MISTAKE AS ME" BUYING A GM PRODUCT"