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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  I HATE THIS VAN - 2006 Chevrolet Uplander
  By MADDOG_53 - March 8 - 1:23 am

  We traded my 2005 Chevy Silverado Z71 for this hunk of junk 2.5 years ago. I have never owned a minivan before and will never own another chevy van. The lights flicker all the time, had the front stabilizer bar replaced, the engine wont start half the time, the brake system is junk replaced the brakes 5x now at $167 just for the pads and only have 47k miles. I have more room in my 07 Ram 1500 quad cab and get about the same gas millage and it is a 4x4, had the steering column replaced, cant list all the problems we have had.

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  Run To The Hills - 2000 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Mot - March 1 - 2:13 pm

  When I bought my 2000 Chevy Malibu in 2003 it had a little over 24000 miles on it.It seemed a good deal for just over 10000. As of 2009 I have probably had over $7000 in repairs. Right now I think the power steering system has passed away. I have had all sort of leaks and wire replacements. I was told by my mechanic that due to the Dexcool coolant that the manual says you are supposed to use it messes up various wires and causes it to overheat. If it wasnt for parental help I would probably be broke and in the gutter. A little after I bought it when I went to use the AC or heater the fan levels periodically stopped working. Drivers side sun visor somehow broke off in my hands. Be wary

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  Equinox Lemon - 2011 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Rachel - February 14 - 2:07 pm

  I bought this vehicle used with 70,000 miles on it. I bought it from the original owner who said they had no issues. Usually two owner vehicles are a pretty safe bet because people take care of them when they have owned them for a while. I brought it home and about 2k miles later, noticed how loud the engine had become. I took it into the dealership and they said it needed a new timing chain. The vehicle was still covered under the factory warranty so that was a relief. After the repair, and after reading reviews, I decided to purchase the extended powertrain warranty costing me $1800. Few thousand miles later, its burning oil. Took it BACK in, dealership replaced pistons, rings, etc. Paid only my deductible for the warranty ($100). TWO MONTHS later, vehicle transmission starts hesitating/slipping. Back to the dealership we go. Get the phone call that it needs a whole new transmission and SURPRISE the warranty only covers up to $3k leaving me with a $1200 bill! This vehicle has been NOTHING BUT HEADACHES and is in the repair shop almost more than I drive it. At this point, it has a whole new engine and transmission so maybe I can get another 30k miles out of it...who knows. This is only the MAJOR repairs, too. I have replaced other things like the throttle body sensor which cause the vehicle to basically shut down and not go over 30 mph which is awesome on a busy 55 mph road. *eye roll* Rant over. DO NOT BUY THIS VEHICLE. Save yourself the money, headache, time, everything. I will be going back to Toyota when I chuck this POS

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  Junk Car - 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By Bill - February 10 - 11:51 pm

  This was a replacement vehicle for a 1989 Mazda B2600I 4x4 pickup. What a terrible trade that was. Right off the lot I could tell there was a transmission issue. Dealership refused to look at it because "It was a new car its just a break in period". After about 7k miles the problem got even worse. After several complaints to the dealer and at 15k miles the transmission was shot. After the mechanic tore it apart found some parts were missing, which caused the syncros to wear out. Even after the rebuild the transmission would still refuse to shift into 1st/reverse at times causing me to have to turn the car off to get it into 1st or reverse.

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  WORST CAR EVER - 2004 Chevrolet Impala
  By NickBell13 - February 4 - 1:37 am

  I bought a 2004 chevy impala with 95,000 for $3,600 within 4 months of owning the car I had to put $1,700 into it to fix it. Worst decision of my life!!!

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  Equinox = Disaster - STAY AWAY - 2012 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Brian - February 1 - 2:46 pm

  Ive driven cars for more than 30 years now, and owned a real variety in that time. Without a doubt, the Chevrolet Equinox is the absolute worst car I have ever owned In 30 days, I have had more than $6,000 in repairs done to the abysmal, wheezy 4 cylinder engine. This included timing chain, valves, heads, pistons, and the ancillary parts that go with those repairs. (Thankfully I have an extended warranty) Even after being essentially "rebuilt", the engine idles roughly, gas mileage is terrible (the only way this thing gets 32 MPG is to be towed by another vehicle getting 32 mpg), it clatters and rattles and sounds like a diesel and now I have had acceleration surge once which nearly caused a crash. The transmission is in another league altogether. Its an automatic that feels like an old manual in terms of shifting. There is a terrible lag between gears that makes you feel like the transmission is hesitating or slipping. Combine that with the raspy, wheezy engine and it sounds like the car has emphysema. Truly an embarrassing. Mine is the LTZ model so it has all of the options, including the Pioneer audio system which is just muddy sounding and no better than the standard sound system. The leather seats are hard and flat but not totally uncomfortable. They are, however, very difficult to get into thanks to the oddly vertical and oversize side bolster. All of that being said, the Equinox does have a very comfortable ride on the open highway but quickly becomes choppy and unsettled on uneven pavement. Its reasonably quiet but not overly so, due in no small part to the poor engine. The instrumentation is great, with large, legible dials and logically placed gauges. A nice touch is the redundant digital speedometer between the analog speedometer and tach. The headlights are powerful and if you have the optional fog lamps, the lighting is superior. The Equinox handles well, with nicely weighted steering and a taut suspension that pushes back when pushed. Cargo space is really poor due to the rake of the back window encroaching over a foot into an already tight cargo space. Back seat ingress and egress is poor also due to the rake of the back door in relation to the seat cushion location. Ive heard this all before too... 2010 was the worst year, buy a 2011 or newer and youll be OK. Then it was 2011s are bad too but they got the bugs worked out in 2012 and newer. The absolutely horrible reliability of this car is its legacy and believe every other review that says "run - dont walk" away from the Equinox. Cars like this are what almost killed GM and are the best advertising for the Japanese and German brands.

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  Clear free of this lemon! - 1996 Chevrolet Astro
  By Heidi - January 13 - 9:57 pm

  This van has been nothing but a money pit from the day we bought it used. We have had to replace the water pump, full transmission, repair AC, CV joints on front end, muffler fell off, battery, alternator and starter (all in the last three years). The driver side door hinge is falling off and the windows does not work. Horribly noisy on the inside. Save your money for a Toyota!

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  la peor compra de mi vida - 2011 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Pedro Martin - January 13 - 4:56 am

  compre un chevy equinox del 2011 y desde el comienso me ha dado problemas de todo tipo alineacion ,las gomas , LA TRANSMISION, el aire acondicionado , todo eso sin contar que en realidad no recorre las millas que dice el consecionario se queda a lo mas en 25 millas por galon no vuelvo a comprar un auto a GMC es lo peor que pude haber comprado . muchos problemas que solucionar y pocas respuestas del consecionario mi calificacion es cero no recomiendo este auto a nadie y menos a familias con niños

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  This van is a horrible waste of money - 2005 Chevrolet Uplander
  By Seashell - December 27 - 12:44 pm

  We purchased this vehicle in Feb 2005 for $29,000. We thought it had everything heated seats, power sliding doors, remote start, leather, etc. However the one thing it doesnt have is reliability. In the first 10,000 miles I had to replace the brakes and rotors twice, then the passenger side sliding door is broken, the glass on the passenger window fell into the door, the alternator needs to be replaced, it handles like absolute garbage. I am so upset that I am still making payments on this vehicle as well as making repairs.

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  Meh - 2010 Chevrolet Aveo
  By Myrissa - December 23 - 8:47 am

  I wish I took the time to search for a better car but I was desperate. It was the cheapest car at the time but it is definitely not worth what you pay. I have a 2010 aveo and if you have a choice I would say DO NOT BUY THIS CAR!!! I got mine used in 2014 with 73,000 miles, it was about six months before something went wrong. Now, the car has a new problem every single month. (that is not an exaggeration) Let me just say that is car was made very poorly and very cheaply. First, it was the tube that connects to the mass airflow sensor. The tube was cracked but you could only buy the tube with the mass airflow sensor and GM was the ONLY place you could buy it. A huge scam if you ask me. They wanted $300 for the piece of plastic. I got it at a junk yard for $20. (Thanks BoBo) I had to replace two wheel baring$$. Had to get a new thermostat The AC no longer works, its a $900 fix Blubs have to be replaced because they are on all day. Had to replace all spark plugs Mechanics tell me the transmission fluid is brown as well as the break fluid. There is problem more that I simply forgot. Granted, the person who had the car before me may not have maintained it but I have come to really regret the purchase of this vehicle. I cannot wait to trade it in but it is going to cost me. I hope this review stops someone from buying this car.