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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  Fabulous Car - 2004 Chevrolet Impala
  By Mike - August 3 - 10:37 am

  I bought this car used on the last day of 2007 it had 75000 miles on it. In the past 110,000 miles/~8 years of ownership this has been a very reliable car. It consistently gets 28MPG on the highway. It has a smooth ride, and the seats are quite comfortable. The drivers side has adjustable lumbar support. The controls are all easily reachable while driving. Handles in the snow like a dream. I have replaced the battery once. I have just put the second set of brakes on it about a week ago. At 185000 miles it still does not burn any oil. It is quiet when driven down the interstate. The trunk is cavernous. Plenty of room for rear-seat passenger - my 65" son has ridden back there when he has visited. Good visibility. It has started every time I have turned the key - except that one time I had to replace the battery. I only hope that every car I buy is as faithful to me as this car has been. Chevy got this one right!

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  140k miles and it never let me down. - 2006 Chevrolet Impala
  By Mario Alvisi - August 1 - 5:40 pm

  I bought new and have 140k miles so far. I have detected a little slippage in the tranny recently. Other than that, never a problem, just basic maintenance. Fast, comfortable, sedan. Torque steer is evident and annoying at first. Once you get used to it you know how manage it.

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  Love it! My first gm product. - 2015 Chevrolet Cruze
  By TW - August 1 - 12:37 pm

  Just picked up my cruze a couple weeks ago. I always drove Chrysler products all my life. After my dodge Caliber fell apart, I got this cruze. Love the room, comfort and performance. Especially for a car of this size. If gm keeps making cars like this, I doubt Ill be going back to Chrysler again.

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  Fisrt Chevy Great Experience - 2015 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Aref - August 1 - 1:50 am

  I was in market to buy a mid size SUV for couple monthes. Checked specs and did test drive on 4 different cars. I was looking for a fuel economy, comfortable seat (front and rear) and rear seat air ducts. among all cars I drove I got a better feeling in Equinox. the only dissapoinment was no rear air duct, but finally I got it. Eventhough the dealership confirmed there is no rear seat air duct for Equinox, yesterday when I was looking for some lost item in the car, I found a rear seat air duct under the passenger front seat. It works great and supply ice cold air to rear seats. Its better for Chevy to mention this nice feature on the spec. So far about 500 miles on my beautiful Equinox with comfortable interior, smooth ride, and butiful exterior look. I wish Checy offer a simple chrome style fog light insert for the models (L, LS, 1LT) which does not come with factory installed fog light. It would make the look very better. To solve this matter I bought wide reflective sticky tape from Pep Boys, cut it in the size of for light inserts and put them on. from distance it looks like LED fog light installed. Like it and cant wait to see Equinox 2016 in the market.

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  Excellent Car - 2002 Chevrolet Corvette
  By Robert - July 29 - 11:42 pm

  What it is like on a daily basis? I love my Z06. It accelerates like a bat out of hell and handles like excellently. Fun with a special passenger, if you know what I mean. I doesnt have too much bs electrical usb, touch screen gizmoid crap but it has a heads up display that makes you feel like you might be piloting an F16. A/C is terrible, but why would you want to keep the windows rolled up? Very fuel efficient I some how mustered 21 mpg average, same as my v6 Impala. Great car if you like listening to George Thorogood thru its Bose speakers. You are most definitely faster than 95% of the cars on the road, so you will be too cool for street racing. Cops leave you alone, usually, and insurance is cheapish. Maintenance? Change oil, clutch fluid, tranny fluid, coolant, power steering fluid like any other car. Tires can be spendy if your a dingus and "Have to have the originals!" buy some tires like falken and youll be good to go. VALVE SPRINGS. If you buy a 2002 Z06, replace these immediately if you dont know if they have been replaced or your life will suck for a while. I shattered one at 42,000 miles and I had to replace all my valve springs, MAF sensor, o2 sensors, catalytic converters, and spark plugs. It could have possibly been worse, thankfully the valve keeper did not fall. Otherwise it has been very reliable.

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  Save our life - 2014 Chevrolet Traverse
  By Kalleigh - July 29 - 12:21 pm

  We were in a car accident on the passenger side. We have running boards on our car and the other car hooked on our running board causing the other cars front end to be yanked off! We drove home and when we were hit we thought a tire blew! There was little impact!

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  1995 camaro 3.4 5 speed 242k miles - 1995 Chevrolet Camaro
  By Randy - July 29 - 2:08 am

  This a great car the only thing that broke while I own the vehicle was the headlight switch it has 242k miles on it only leaks about half quart every 4k miles. The only other thing that gave me a problem were the spark plugs.

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  Sweet car - with of get and go - 2015 Chevrolet SS
  By Sherman - July 27 - 10:00 pm

  Ride is sweet, more power than you will ever use- But nice 🙊

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  It exceeds the expectations I had. - 2014 Chevrolet Cruze
  By Carl Arellano - July 27 - 1:08 am

  I drive 63 miles one way to work, flat and mostly freeway, in Kern County, CA. 41 miles per gallon average overall at 35000 miles in 11 months. The car gets over 50 mpg on flat freeway at 70 mph. If you drop to 55 mph, you can exceed 60 mpg. The car has been perfect to this date. Fantastic power in acceleration can really move to pass or to accelerate to freeway speed. I have driven it on I 5 over the Grapevine several time, it moves with the air conditioner on high with no problems and holds speed on cruise control going up hill on the Grapevine without any problems. Great looking car. An easy parking car. Only problem. my daughter broke the passenger side vanity mirror cover, otherwise a car that met all of my expectations, especially for fuel mileage since I am putting on about 40 k a year.

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  Best Vehicle I have ever owned - 2010 Chevrolet Camaro
  By Aaron K. - July 24 - 11:29 pm

  This was the first car I ever ordered at a dealership. I picked most options, SS with RS package, black with inferno orange interior and orange racing stripes. Six speed. I have had it 5.5 years now which is the longest I have ever kept a car. It has over 51,000 miles on it so it is not a show car. Virtually no problems with it, only one: the seat heaters quit working after 4 years but now I dont drive it in the winter any more. Those first 4 winters I had a snow tire and wheel package and never got stuck once (I live 50 miles north of Detroit). I have owned about 18 cars and pickup through the years and I can say this one has been my favorite. I have gotten more comments on this car than any other car I have owned combined (and mostly from women) and that includes 2 Corvettes, 2 Escalades and a new Mercedes E55 AMG. My teenage boys both hope they will get this car someday...we will see.