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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  i hate my ss - 2000 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By AngrySSDriva - June 24 - 2:00 am

  i love the body style and interior but what good is a car if i feel it is not reliable? i am a foreign car man but went against myself and bought the irresistable body style. my check engine light comes on if i fart too loud and i recently had to have my rack and pinion replaced at only 30000 miles!!! The weather strip for my trunk is also always coming loose.owned it one year been to dealer 3 times for aggravating probs.

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  I made a mistake!!! - 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By Kelli - June 24 - 2:00 am

  I wanted something dependable. So I thought that if I bought a new car it would have to be right? Wrong. I am afraid to touch anything because it usually falls apart. I have had it for 3 months and I already regret buying it. My ac works good but I cant use it because it makes my whole car shake. This car feels like it is about ready to fall apart. It is comfortable once you get in and keep your hands of flimsy things. But the truth is its cheap because its built cheap. I wish I had bought a Honda. I am going to loose about $2000 for this stupid mistake! Oh and I have 2 friends with the same model and both of their engines blow up!

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  cavalier review - 2004 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By damian - June 24 - 2:00 am

  i am sastify with this car as far as the gas mileage,as far as the guality of is interior my opinion is that it is very cheap.I also had problems with the seals in the windshild it cause some water damage.I am very sastify with the exterior design.I had not other problem so far with this car.

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  2001 - 2004 Chevrolet Cavalier is great! - 2004 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By Curtis Lockwood - June 24 - 2:00 am

  The Chevrolet Cavalier we purchased is being used for our driving school in Columbia, SC. We have driven the first car for one year and put 50,000 miles without any repairs. We have found that it is extremely agile and the handling is terrific ( new drivers can be a challenge to teach even in a well handling car). We have gotten 32 MPG as an average through the first year and now have about 92000 miles on the first car. We just purchased another Cavalier to expand our business and plan to buy another before the end of the year.

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  My 1st SUV - 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By Scott I. - June 24 - 2:00 am

  Great Power. Great Handeling. Had problems with air conditioning....repair people cant figure out what is wrong with it. Engine runs terribly when hovering around 55mph. After sale service sucks. Definately buying a toyota 4- runner next time.

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  Good vehicle, but needs quality improvement - 2018 Chevrolet Traverse
  By Steve Brown - June 23 - 11:05 pm

  Overall, a good vehicle with comfortable interior and sound system, great driving manners...but with some glaring issues. One, the transmission is a clunky mess. At highway speed, its ok, but around town it constantly downshifts, hunts for a gear when it should just hold the one its in. Throttle tip-in from dead stop is initially ok, but then jumps ahead as tranny tries to decide what gear to use. GM needs a complete software reset on this new unit. Two, quality of some interior parts is substandard. For example, the latch on the front sunshade in the sunroof broke right away. The material is a cheap plastic that you would expect on a crap-box car from eastern Europe, but not on Traverse costing north of $51K! Three, the foot-activated rear lift hatch feature doesnt work most of the time, even when the little bowtie logo is displaying. Got the key fob in my pocket and it just doesnt respond most of the time. I fear that the amount of electronic gadgetry and features on this Premier model will be its undoing. Get the extended warranty for sure.

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  An American Ferrari! - 2005 Chevrolet Corvette
  By Vman - June 23 - 10:53 pm

  The design is Ferrari based and is fast as some. It is sleek, stylish and fast. A sports car that not only has the horsepower but comfort, storage space and the cost wont break the bank.

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  This Is A Real Bow-Wow - 2008 Chevrolet Impala
  By Fed Up - June 23 - 4:13 pm

  For the upper end of Impalas, this has been a real joke. The rattles and windshield leaks make you feel like youre watching an outdoor concert of bad music. Hit a pothole and OnStar wants to know if everyone in the car is OK--even though they think Im about 80 miles from where I actually was . . . and they called back three times to verify that nothing was wrong. I listened to them more than the radio. Where do I find the fuse to kill that beast?

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  135000 miles and still running good - 1993 Chevrolet S-10
  By kup - June 23 - 2:00 am

  Have had very few problems with this truck. Have 135000 miles on engine and it still is running good.

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  Great SUV - 2004 Chevrolet Blazer
  By dolphyn193 - June 23 - 2:00 am

  We recently bought the 2004 Blazer as our 1st SUV purchase. We couldnt have made a better choice. We love to exterior and the roominess of the interior. You cant beat a chevy, thats for sure!