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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  Was a nice Car - 2008 Chevrolet Malibu
  By bcarmichael1 - July 25 - 4:58 pm

  Overall I enjoyed my car when I first bought it in 2008. I have had to take my car in four times in the last three months. Things that have gone wrong in the last 2 years: replace door locks (driver side front and back), keyless remotes, exhaust and cam solenoids, emergency brake, tires, brakes, OnStar system, Intermediate shaft in steering column, and numerous sensors. I am happy that I bought the extended warranty. I recently have had to put new brakes on the car and new tires. The car only has 55,500 miles on it. Will never own another GM product.

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  6 speed manual convertible - 1999 Chevrolet Corvette
  By carguy2021 - July 25 - 2:20 pm

  I loved this car! That being said, I had some serious issues. I bought it with 44k miles, and owned it through 65k miles. Right away, it was popping out of 6th gear. Luckily I had an extended warranty. This required a trans rebuild which was $5-6k. I had an issue with the steering column lock motor -- it failed, requiring the car to be towed to the dealership. The welds on the exhaust break over time, requiring repair or replacement. Other than the problems, the car is smooth, insanely fast, and gets great gas mileage - I got as high as 33 mpg at 70mph. The stereo is amazing - Bose.

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  Great Truck - 2012 Chevrolet Colorado
  By timemant223 - July 24 - 10:05 pm

  After owning a 1999 Chevy S10 Blazer for 13yrs this is a great truck to upgrade to. My parents gave me their 99 and I loved it but traded it in for a truck and my blazer had more kick to it but it hated it. I really like how simple the Colorado is, nothing fancy just the basic features and with Crew cab and Z71 package I got more than I ever wanted with it. Like my blazer im gonna keep it for a long time. If you are looking for a simple cheep reliable truck this would be a good one to look at. I havent yet done much with it but I can drive from base to my parents house (200miles) in about half a tank which is great!

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  Chevy dont FAIL me now!! - 2008 Chevrolet Impala
  By iluvchevys - July 24 - 2:26 pm

  I have owned my 2008 for a little over 2 years and at first I loved it but now Im starting to have problems. Feels like my transmission is slipping, if Im at a dead stop when I press on the gas it is kinda hesitant (seems to only do this in the hot weather) When I run my ac it has less power, my back locks dont work. A year ago I had the reduce engine power show up but I let me car sit for the weekend and havent had the message again (knock on wood) I still have 3 years left on my lease and Im starting to get worried. My first car I bought was a complete lemon thought I was doing the smart thing going to a "major dealership" but the warranty that you buy seems to not cover anything.

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  An American Classic redone flawlessly! - 2012 Chevrolet Camaro
  By adamlucchesi - July 24 - 2:48 am

  Just bought my very own 1LT RS last week, and I cant even describe how much I love it. The looks, ride and feel are incredible. It can really kick when you need it to, but it actually gets good mpgs, believe it or not. Where else are you going to find a 323HP V6 that looks this sexy and gets 30mpg highway [and can get up to 34!]. Its really a phenomenal sports car, has tons of character and vibe, and the appointments on the RS package are perfect. My only "complaint" would be that you have to pay the extra RS upcharge to get the really beautiful cosmetics [wheels and lights, mainly]. But its worth every penny. Go test drive one. Youll be hooked.

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  Worth Every Penny - 2013 Chevrolet Cruze
  By 100inchhammer - July 23 - 3:32 pm

  I have 10,126 miles on my Cruze, the car has the RS package and is a 1LT. My avg fuel economy with a mix of driving is 41-43 mpg. My lowest tank yet to date is 38.5 mpg with no highway driving. My best tank ever has been 46 mpg and that was all freeway at 65 mph.

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  First 1,000 Miles in the Volt - 2012 Chevrolet Volt
  By mn_volt - July 23 - 3:02 pm

  After test driving pretty much every comparable hybrid, we traded in our Audi TT Roadster for the 2012 Chevy Volt. After the first 1,000 miles, we both love driving this car!! We were hesitant for a couple of reasons: the price tag was much higher than the hybrids we test drove (including the fully loaded versions of the Lexus CT200h, Prius, and Hyundai Sonata Hybrid) and, we were leary of the "technology" differences of this EV/gas car to that of the traditional hybrid. However, we are way beyond any of those potential buyer remorse feelings...this car is fun to drive, performs really well, and we didnt neccessarily give up any major creature comforts from our loaded Audi TT.

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  2011 Chevy Equinox - kept it only 9 months - 2011 Chevrolet Equinox
  By carrollmdtech - July 22 - 6:41 pm

  sadly, this was an under performing SUV, in no way reached the sticker MPG rate. I was in the low to mid 20s at highway speeds everyday. After 3rd time to the dealer repair for warranty work, for 3 different problems, i.e. ceiling lights did not stay in, grinding sound in rear wheels when turning, poor gas mileage. the lights were fixed satisfactorily, the grinding sound was repaired, but returned. The gas mileage was never what was stated,

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  Great truck-built with low quality components - 1998 Chevrolet Suburban
  By jbaggins - July 22 - 11:23 am

  Granted I did buy this in 2010 with 200,000 miles on it. Interior door handles broke inside. cheap plastic parts throughout break way too easily. Great interior space. Have 4 kids so we all fit comfortably. Rear heat works great, tinted windows and lots of power. It was starting to nickel and dime. Rear end differential parts broke, transmission wouldnt stay in overdrive, lots of electric gremlins left interior lights on randomly due to shorts behind dash. Intake manifold gasket went ($600 repair). Horrible gas mileage. Rusting in bad spots due to poor rust proofing. Water leaks into blower, rusting it out insid. I liked driving it but it was going to bankrupt me keeping it up.

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  Good hauler but nickeled and dimed to death - 1995 Chevrolet Astro
  By jbaggins - July 22 - 11:06 am

  We bought the 95 in 2004 for $4000. It had A/C, AWD and seating for 8. We had just had our 4th child so needed something that could seat 6 so that threw out most of the cars from the equation. I loved this van but it started to cost money and working under the hood was a real pain due to the engine compartment being so small and the "dog house" in the interior having to be removed to work on anything. Mechanics automatically charge more to work on these types of vehicle since there is a lot of effort to gain access to the parts that need to be replaced. Luckily, I could do a lot of the work my self. For the 5 years we owned it, I put about $1000-1500 each year into it.