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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  do NOT buy - 2009 Chevrolet Aveo
  By millerk06 - July 17 - 3:30 pm

  This car has been nothing but a nightmare since day 1. I have had my tire pressure light looked at over 5 times and its still not fixed. Going on the interstate is terrible, the air fades out and starts blowing hot and the dealer "doesnt know why". The key hole in the drivers side door has fallen through and is stuck in the door. Its not a quality Chevy, the plant for Daewoo was purchased by Chevy and this is the result - a Korean piece of crap. Read reviews and research before purchasing.

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  Excellent Performance - 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By dillonk - July 17 - 1:21 pm

  The Chevy Tahoe LT 5.3L V8 is one of the best vehicles Ive ever owned! I bought it with 82,000 miles on it, and now it has 95,000 miles on it. The Tahoe can accelerate very fast for a large size vehicle. One of the reasons why I would recommend it to others. The only problem I had with it was that the clutch for the A/C and/or Heater went out. But It was a small repair, otherwise the Chevy Tahoe is the best SUV ever.

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  A solid car - 2000 Chevrolet Malibu
  By smithns - July 17 - 9:51 am

  I purchased my 2000 Malibu in 2003 with 60k miles. The owner was a senior citizen who had made lots of road trips and meticulously kept up with maintenance and had all receipts to prove it. Ive now had my Malibu for 9 years and love it. Ive had to do most of the expected routine maintenance - brakes, rotors, tires, filters. Theres been a few pieces of non routine maintenance but overall this has been a great vehicle for me. Im now at 162k and expect to take it to 200k+. When Im done, I hope I can find a similar car - malibu from same era with meticulous records and low miles and likely non aggressive driving previous owner.

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  Great around-town car - 2000 Chevrolet Prizm
  By 4hudsons - July 17 - 6:43 am

  The Prism is a great around town car, but NOT for traveling. I have 260,000 miles on my manual shift and lost 4th gear last September and I am still getting over 34 miles to the gallon. The throwout bearing went bad at about 220,000 miles and we went ahead and rebuilt the motor since it was out and was losing compression. It runs like a new one except for the pesky 4th gear. The interior is very cheap and the door handles break easily. We bought this car new with only 11 miles on it, 8 we put on during the test drive. The car is great for around town and short trips less than 2 hours but uncomfortable on any further distance, especially in the back seat. The suspension is very cheap.

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  The worse decision I ever made. - 2006 Chevrolet Impala
  By officernate - July 16 - 10:48 am

  I bought this car brand new and spent the first 12 months in and out of dealerships to fix, repair, replace, or other wise upgrade something that has broken or been recalled. Since then, I have found out that the brake rotors are smaller then they should be for a car this size, the A/C unit has several issues dealing with the compressor clutch, and blend door actuators (keep a stock of those if you have this car.) The steering is horrible and Ive had multiple issues with the power steering (hoses, rack and pinion, etc.) The transmission will live only to its warrenty and no longer. Be prepared to get a new one after 75,000 miles. It leaks oil like no other car Ive ever driven.

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  Work Car - 2012 Chevrolet Malibu
  By rlhinmi - July 16 - 7:37 am

  Recently my workplace replaced the 2009 Impala I had been driving with a 2012 Malibu. The exterior design looks more modern than the Impala, but the ride is much more stiff. The steering is very light, reminding me a little of the Buick my grandparents had in the 80s. The build quality seems good--solid Ka-thunk when doors close. Interior graphics for the trip computer and clock seem dated. The power adjustment for lumbar support is a nice touch. In 1500 miles of mostly highway driving the car has been getting 22.5 MPG with E85, which is required by my workplace.

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  1 LZ turbo Love it - 2012 Chevrolet Sonic
  By i8ahonda - July 16 - 3:24 am

  Absolutely love my sonic ordered the car march 7 showed up at the dealer april 20 and i couldnt be happier. Due to the low price i bought one loaded love the performance hankooks and the size of the trunk, also doesnt look like everything else available and this is one of the most gorgeous blues ever sprayed on a car. over 6000 miles in three months and going strong. consistently average 34-38 mpg and the car handles better the faster you go.

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  Great Vehicle - 2012 Chevrolet Equinox
  By rushfan2 - July 15 - 7:28 pm

  My wife and I bought ours about a month ago and have about 1500 miles on it. We hadnt owned an SUV before. Im 67" and the wife is 6. Plenty of room for both of us. Easy to get into and out of, which is important to me because Ive had a hip replacement. Great to drive. Very smooth acceleration, quiet ride. Getting about 24 MPG. Wife drives it to/from work, which is only about 12 miles each way, so thats not surprising. Took it on one trip to Baltimore, about 2.5 hours away, and it was great. We love it and would recommend it to anyone. I also have a 2005 Impala, and we traded in the wifes 2003 Monte Carlo, so were Chevy people anyway.

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  Better equipped and built than the competition - 2012 Chevrolet Equinox
  By labluebabe - July 15 - 6:25 pm

  We test drove the new Mazda CX-5, Ford Escape, Nissan Rogue, Hyundai something and a few other SUVs. The top of our list was the Equinox, Escape and CX-5. The Ford and Chevy were our two favorites, but at the end of the day the Equinox was cheaper for the fully loaded version and came with a 100k mile/5yr warranty, vs the 60k on the Escape. We got the LTZ loaded with FULL LEATHER seats, not partial leather in the Titanium (beware! you can find full leather Escape Titaniums but MOST of the Titaniums are PARTIAL leather where just the middle insert is leather!). To anyone looking at new SUVs, be sure to test drive BOTH the V6 and 4 cylinder Equinox, theres a huge difference in power!

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  Love it or hate it - 2010 Chevrolet Malibu
  By carlover1996 - July 15 - 5:20 pm

  We bought our Malibu in April of 2010. In the beginning we absolutely loved our Malibu. After a few months of owning it problems/things we dislike began to appear. First, the 4 cyl is not enough for this car. It has devoloped a hesitation when hitting the gas (delayed for 1-2 seconds sometimes and is dangerous when trying to get out of the way!). Second, the seats are hard and uncomfortable for more than a half hour. They hardly have ANY padding and the backseat had no center armrest. Third is visability, its not horrible, but if you are around 5 feet tall you will have trouble or cannot use your mirrors. Other than these issues the car is a good overall car, but we are about to trade it in.