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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  06 Cobalt LT automatic - 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By jflowers1 - August 26 - 2:00 pm

  Very nice car but have had some problems along the way. We bought the car used with about 80k miles a little over a year ago. So far we have had to put an air conditioner compressor, steering stabalizers, and now fuel injectors in it. Little more than expected but still a good car. If your considering buying, try to find a good cheap mechanic bc these problems and more will arise most likely especially when you look at reviews for anyone that has had the car for a bit. There was a recall for the fuel injectors but the recall didnt cover our VIN number which is rediculous, it has all the same signs and symptoms listed, they just dont want to fix it.

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  BUMMER, WE TRADED THE EXPLORER FOR THIS? - 2011 Chevrolet Equinox
  By billg10 - August 25 - 3:47 pm

  After 1.75 years and 28,000 miles. Mileage: With cruise control set and "Eco" on, car averages 24.5 @ 75, 25.5 @ 70, 26.8 @ 62. Local driving about 21. Respectable, but a far cry from the advertised 32 Hwy. Performance: What a Slug! From 45 up, it cant get out of its own way. Handling/ride/brakes are good. Very roomy interior, reasonably comfortable. Exceptional back seat leg room. Lots of road noise at highway speeds. Driving controls are okay, but the big Heat/AC/Radio central display is confusing. We traded a nice 06 Explorer with leather for this, based largely on the advertised mileage. Id rather have the Ford back than the extra 4 mpg we actually got, it was twice the car

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  Proud owner of 2005 Rally Yellow SS/SC Cobalt - 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By jason2012 - August 25 - 10:18 am

  I dont know what the hell you people are talking about, i guess u dont know how to take care of a car. MY COBALT was bought in july 2005, only issue i ever had with it was my 2 gear, gearbox, BECAUSE i was petal to the metal, of course it was under warranty at the time and was fix beautiful. another thing, nothing big was the molding around the sunroof button, came off when racing a crxgsr turbo LOL, was fix and never came off. Thats About it RIGHT NOW i got 140k miles on it and it runs PerfecT! I sugguest u people learn how to warm up ur car and maintain it well. sounds to me u are a bunch of retards. BTW this is GM expect Speed not Need lmao. GREAT car its Paid Off And WIll be kept!!

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  Could be better - 2012 Chevrolet Cruze
  By ihateteeth - August 25 - 7:27 am

  My first foray into US manufacturer territory. So far the Cruze has been good but not without faults. Im not big by any means but the seats just arent wide enough. The air con is poor at best and not up to Florida summers. The bluetooth works when it wants to (rarely), and that old "gas mileage" thing. Not as good as I was lead to believe. In fact its getting worse rather than improving with time as Chevy suggests it should. Like the styling, particularly the front, and the car feels well built. The way the auto shift suddenly moves down when slowing is rather alarming though. Something I could do without. Would I purchase another? Probably not.

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  MPG - 2012 Chevrolet Equinox
  By impala0169 - August 24 - 6:18 pm

  Just a not for some complaining about there MPG. Watch your driving habits. I have corrected mine and it makes a difference. Stopping and starting at stop lights. I watch mine and just got back from a 1000 mile trip.I wrote down my speeds and what the control said I was getting. On the interstate at 69mph I was getting 28.3mpg. On a stretch of road off the interstate where I drove at 58 and got 36.3. Both were flat roads and both were at no stopping for almost a hour on each road. The entire trip gave me 29.3 mpg with 90 % of miles on hwy and the rest city. Now you know you stop and go alot.Thats where you should study your habits. I have the same thing with the transmission jer

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  After 6 months - 308 mpg - 2012 Chevrolet Volt
  By igh - August 23 - 9:36 pm

  Currently at 4500 miles with 14.6 gallons spent. Have not visited the dealer once after buying. Oil life is at 96%. Looks like first maintenance will be after 2-3 years other than the tire rotation. Will buy one more pure EV soon. Bye bye Shell/Chevron/Exxon.

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  chevy lumina - 1997 Chevrolet Lumina
  By mmeder337 - August 23 - 8:46 pm

  the chevy lumina is the best car ever i had mine for 12 years never had any problems with it i wish they still made it i just got the impala i hope it is as good to me as the lumina was

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  Makes my miss my Ford Taurus. - 2002 Chevrolet Malibu
  By ephrata_1992 - August 23 - 5:19 pm

  This car has been in my family for 4 years my mom had it from 08 to 11 I have been driving it since 2011. She got it with 59K on it. I got it with 92K on it, It now has 111K on it. Over the 4 years we have put $2000 into it with repairs and general up keep. The typical Malibu "problems" have happened to it like the Cat, turn signal, 4 way flashers. Have not had any brake problems yet Im mainly thinking some people that have these are hard on their brakes thats why they keep spending on them. The interior is amazingly cheap and uncomfortable. With the right tires the car does to excellent in the snow. Car lets you hear a ton of road noise.

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  HATE THIS CAR!! - 2011 Chevrolet Cruze
  By sshotwell756 - August 22 - 9:15 pm

  Have had nothing but problems from day 1! Transmission, windows, doors, brakes, ac and to top it off it pulls to the right and they cant seen to get it fixed. Every single time it goes into service its there at least a week and the last time 2 weeks. I have never had such a bad experience with a vehicle but this has ruined the excitement of buying a new car. It never even smelled new. The gas mileage sucks. I was told 28 mpg in the city and 42 on the hwy and it doesnt even come close. Its getting 20 - 22 city and 32 on the hwy. I dont know about other owners but I will never buy another Chevrolet.

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  Bad bad car - 2005 Chevrolet Impala
  By kmfresh - August 22 - 2:45 pm

  My Impala is the most worthless hunk of metal I have ever owned. 05 seems like a bad year for most every car company, but this one is just horrible. It dies at random, the transmission is terrible, it dents SO easily and the AC/Heat AND the fans go out constantly, and those are expensive fixes. I want rid of this headache and Ill never own another older impala again.