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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  2005 Trailblazer - 2005 Chevrolet TrailBlazer EXT
  By robert - December 6 - 11:50 pm

  The gas mileage is not very good. I get around 11 to 12 mpg around town. The ride is pretty good. The 3rd row seats hard to get to. Cant get the drivers seat in a comfortable position, maybe because I was used to my 2004 Silverado crew cab. Should have used those seats. Hard to get a hold of the seat belts.

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  Trailblazer LS 4WD is quite bland - 2003 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By Brian - December 4 - 2:33 am

  Weve had ours for nearly 2 years now. We have put 17K miles on it and havent had any mechanical issues as of yet. I did not know about the "marinal" crash offset score when we bought it. However, the side impact (front and rear) ratings are excellent. Folks are saying they are getting 14-16MPG with this SUV...we average right at 20MPG (cautious driving technique). The vehicle doesnt handle very well on curvy roads. The steering response is very lack luster. The transmission doesnt seem to know what gear it wants. The interior looks as cheap as they come. The stereo is decent for a base factory model. Rear comfort is like a 2 door sports coupe.

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  Chevy Express - 2000 Chevrolet Express
  By Castiglia - December 3 - 8:16 am

  The Chevy Express has been a very reliable vehicle. The quality of the vehicle is lacking in certain areas. For example, almost every interior light has failed. The dash, radio, window/lock buttons, control panel lights are mostly burned out. Engine performance and fuel economy is nothing to brag about. I expected low milage but not 15mpg on the highway unloaded. About 11 or 12 in the city.

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  g ms junk - 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By jim j - November 30 - 6:48 pm

  Tailgate shows open when closed. Dealer has had it 3 times. Not fixed. Certified letter went to gm a few days ago. No answer yet. When car is shut off after heating up, the shield above the muffler BANGS for several minutes after. Dealer 3 times, not fixed. Signal seeker radio only stops on 1/2 of the stations available. Dealer 3 times, not fixed. No control of lights when opening doors without them coming on. I like control. NO door, except drivers, can be opened with key. Drivers seat back cannot be tilted when back seat is down. Poor gas mileage. My Cadillac get twice as good mileage as tahoe.

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  Bad, bad Car - 2004 Chevrolet Malibu
  By aresma - November 30 - 11:59 am

  Where do I start? I bought the car back in Apr 04 and nothing more than problems. The engine was originally very quiet and now is worst every day sounding like an old VW. I have taken the car to the dealer at least 10 times due to problems with strange noises in the Steering wheel drive and the suspension, the problem has been fixed and the car working normally for a week.

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  Disappointed for many reasons - 2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By mw - November 30 - 11:30 am

  This was my first brand new car ever! and I have some doubts if I will ever buy a Chevy product again. At 6000 miles the belts had to be replaced. At 12000 miles the steering shaft cracked and had to be replaced. by 16000 miles the water pump along with rotors/calipers had to be replaced. Around 22,000 miles it was the rotors again. 28,000 miles it was rotors/calipers and the A.B.S modules again. The car has 40,000 miles on it and rotors again. i live in chicago and im sure some it has to be city driving, but i really dont abuse this car at all. The interior design has improved over the previous model but mechanical it much worse.

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  A Pretty Good Car - 1998 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Mitch45 - November 29 - 7:21 pm

  I like my 98 Malibu LS. Its pretty peppy, handles decently, is comfortable for four adults and has a lot of amenities. I got the car in September of 2003 with 21,000 miles and it now has 26,000. In that time, the car has gone through a starter and a set of brakes. Sometimes the car has trouble starting when hot.

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  Like a knock, it was loud as it could be - 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By The knocker - November 28 - 9:38 am

  Ive been bitten by the piston slap GM engine at less than 25k miles. The dealership is hesitant to do anything other than give me the "carbon-top runaround." Id be wary to ever own another GM product. The warranty isnt worth the paper it was written on. At this point the dealers refuse to look at the truck when I tell them that the engine is making noise. Sadly, my next vehicle purchase (Jan 05) will be affected by this unfortunate situation.

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  One of the WORST vehicles I ever owned - 2015 Chevrolet Colorado
  By Joe - November 21 - 10:57 am

  As I write this, the truck is back in the repair shop AGAIN. Problem with the air conditioner freezing up...and in Georgia, the AC is a MUST. Have had the truck for 8 months. AC froze up last year and they replaced parts and thought it was repaired. But, this season we are back to the same problems as last year. We are also experiencing the same problems as others with the vehicle shuddering as you try to accelerate while already moving. Of course this is after you press down on the accelerator and nothing happens...until it downshifts and throws you back in your seat. Really not impressed with the gas mileage either. Small truck with 6 cyl should do better. Thought about trading it in on a full sized truck...Best offer is $6,000 less than we paid. If you really want a small truck, the interior and features are nice...but if you want performance GO BIG. We are extremely unhappy with the reliability of this vehicle.......UPDATE: We dumped this vehicle. Totally UNRELIABLE.

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  Okay, but my Metro is way better!!! - 2004 Chevrolet Aveo
  By Matthew L - November 19 - 2:00 am

  I own a 97 Geo Metro and my wife has the Aveo. At first she loved it, but after a time, she noticed some instability during windy conditions due to the twist beam axle that was not apparent with the fully independant suspension in the Metro. Secondly, the build quality, not material quality, is greatly superior in the Metro. Overall, fuel economy is better with the three speed auto in the Metro than with the four speed O/D auto in the Aveo. I am not impressed with the Aveo, and am now regretting it.