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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  Best out of 50 cars - 2014 Chevrolet Equinox
  By LCT - November 30 - 8:24 pm

  I went through 4 junkers the first year I started driving in 1970 and have owned over 50 cars since. The 2014 Equinox was my first new car and I could not be more pleased. I traded in a high end 2007 GMC Envoy that I loved but got terrible gas mileage. My GMC was a powerful 4 wheel drive tank and I was worried about how the Equinox AWD would handle New Englands heavy snowfalls. The winter of 2014-2015 was one of the worst I have dealt with and the Equinox took on the snow, ice and cold without fail. I get around 25 mpg and drive the car pretty hard. For a 4 cylinder it is very quick and I have no complaints.

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  Grape Spark Named Vylette - 2015 Chevrolet Spark
  By Vylettes owner - November 30 - 10:34 am

  I first got the 2013 standard spark in pink almost 3 years ago. When I say standard thats an understatement. The thing didnt have power locks no curse control or usb port. I love the car over all. In the past 2 weeks i upgraded to the grape spark lt and it has all the features I was missing from the pink one. it seems roomier then the 2013. The only problems I have with the 2015 is that the acceleration seems to delay when I press the gas pedel and the usb port keeps changing the settings on my Iphone and when i hit the skip/seek bottle on the stering wheel it changes the radio station that i was on before plugging my phone in. Oh and the bluetooth takes a very long time to sync with my phone. Other then that I love it!

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  Love this car. - 2011 Chevrolet Volt
  By Mark Grabosky - November 30 - 6:04 am

  I purchased one of the first ones made. Drove it almost 5 years only using gas on road trips. Just traded it in for a new 2016, hope its as good. Best car I have ever owned.

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  Just be prepared for the keyless remote going dead - 2012 Chevrolet Volt
  By Dave - November 29 - 6:50 pm

  Bought my 2012 Chevy Volt with 34K miles about 6 weeks ago. As quiet as the 3 Toyota Camrys Ive owned. Great acceleration (considering Ive only owned 4-cylinder cars), and love, love, love the fact I can drive round trip to work on zero gas. LD trips out of State (Atlanta, 280 miles) I can easily get 35+mpg, or 45ish if I drive 70, and use the normal setting for all uphill / mountain, and "mountain" for all downhill/flat. My ONE complaint occurred this weekend, when my keyless remote was suddenly (and without any prior warning) not picked up by the car. Luckily there is a key entry in the driver door, but no way to start the car using that key. Was stuck 10 miles from home with nobody available to get a ride. Bought two replacement batteries, but no change. Finally sat in the car for 15 minutes tapping my remote until suddenly the car recognized the remote and would start. From now on, Ive hidden a second remote with batteries removed (plus 3 batteries) in a small bag inside the car. If this happens again (and it has) and the remote stops working, I can access the second, slap in a battery, and hopefully get this thing started. There really needs to be SOME option for starting the car using the key.

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  It has got to go. - 2015 Chevrolet Camaro
  By Richard OConnor - November 29 - 5:52 pm

  Bulky on the outside and cramped on the inside. It is a shame GM bothers with the back seat. GM should offer a rear seat delete kit. I would rather have a carpeted shelf to put a bag of groceries on than the joke of a back seat thats in it. If you need a back seat it doesnt fill the bill. If you dont need a back seat then buy a real sports car. I could not recommend this car to anyone. I have had mine a week and I am going to see what the dealer will offer with a buy back.

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  Check engine light and clutch problems - 2014 Chevrolet Cruze
  By Terri vigil - November 29 - 3:13 pm

  Do not buy. This car is a lemon bought it new.check engine light keeps coming on.already had to replace the clutch and it only has 12000 miles

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  Awesome Vehicle that saved my life - 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By nettzspot@yahoo.com - November 28 - 9:53 pm

  Had I been driving my Pontiac I would be dead. The accident was really bad and is costing a lot to fix my trail blazer, but I would now and will always trust my Chevy SUV.

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  Engine is dying - 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By Greg - November 28 - 9:29 pm

  Bought this car almost new. Now were up to over 150K miles. Check engine light came on a couple of years ago. When I took it in, my repair shop said that one of the cylinders was misfiring. Apparently it was a flaw in the engine. (I think they said the cylinder was warped which caused it to lose compression which caused the misfire. I may be wrong. Im not a car guy so please dont laugh if that doesnt actually make sense.) Anyways, about 9 months ago, my car started to stall out when idling at traffic lights. I took it back to the shop and they said that another cylinder had gone. There is nothing they can do to fix it apart from putting in a whole new engine. Now Im driving around on 2 cylinders praying that someone rear ends me so I can collect the insurance money.

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  A Great Review for a 2014 Camaro ZL1 - 2014 Chevrolet Camaro
  By Trent C Mulkern - November 28 - 11:44 am

  What a great automobile! Except for gas mileage, it rated a five star rating. Both exterior and interior were of impeccable quality and condition.

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  What a piece of crap!! - 2015 Chevrolet Colorado
  By Brittany - November 28 - 1:28 am

  I have owned this truck for 7 months now. Im about to take it to the mechanic for the 5th time. The first month I had it the radio, back up camera, blinker clicks, horn honk, and USB port went out. At month 4 the ac went out. The transmission skips when you are doing a constant speed, the dealership told me its because the "gears are wound so tightly the truck is having a hard time figuring out what gear to be in." The radio and back up camera have went out a total of 8 times, every time I take it in they say nothing is wrong when they run their diagnostics. Im paying 600$ a month for a truck that runs like crap! I will NEVER buy another Chevy as long as I live. Save yourself the headache! The headlights went out tonight. So I have a truck less than a year old that I cant drive at night. This truck is a nightmare!