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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  Kudos to the new Malibu! - 2004 Chevrolet Malibu
  By PastorT - March 1 - 2:00 am

  It is awesome. My wife and I hated the old Malibu! We love the new one!

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  incredible car bargain - 2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By bruce gray - March 1 - 2:00 am

  This car is everything you could ask for. The styling is the best since the 60s and the performance is unbelievable. It has all the acceleration you could want and will get 32 mpg on the highway using Amoco Super Premium Gas(45 miles to the tank more than it will get on ANY OTHER SUPER PREMIUM GAS)

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  Love this Z-71 - 2002 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By Content - March 1 - 2:00 am

  This is my third Chevy/GMC truck since 1997, but my first 4WD. I have had great luck with this one. NO problems at all. These trucks continue to impress me. The only ting that I think could have been improved is the grill design and they took care of that starting with the 2003 models. Great truck.

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  broken - 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By rip taylor - March 1 - 2:00 am

  rearend went out at 4775 miles! need I say more?

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  Good Solid Truck - 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By marketmaker - March 1 - 2:00 am

  Good ride, good looks, good truck. I added a bed rug, bed rails, and cover.

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  Love it so far! - 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By MikeZ71 - March 1 - 2:00 am

  I have been driving a Tahoe for the past 5 years, and have been an SUV guy for quite some time. I decided to try a pickup so bought a new 2004 Z71 and I love it. The overall ride is very close to my old Tahoe but the performace is much better. Im very happy with my decision to buy this truck.

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  hopefully it gets better - 2010 Chevrolet Equinox
  By tomw - March 1 - 1:26 am

  So far its been my wifes car, and has seen virtually no long highway drives, but the average mileage being displayed is 16.8mpg. I feel sick. I fully expected 20+ in town, and 25+ for the type of driving she does. Seemed like a great car, and is very nice, but I bought it for fuel economy and I feel cheated.

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  2006 Chevy Sliverado 1500 crew cab Z71 - 2006 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By Chris Balian - February 29 - 7:56 pm

  If youre looking for a tough good looking truck, then the Chevy Silverado is for you. Although the interior is not as refined as the competition, it will hold up in any circumstance. Under the hood you can acutally see the engine, and a majority of the parts are aluminum or steel, where in the competiton there is more plastic than a little girls play house. The competition pushes luxury, but the Silverado pushes reliability and durability.

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  recalls - 2012 Chevrolet Cruze
  By sabrina - February 29 - 8:05 am

  first of all i loved the color and the car dynamics but the car had 3-4 recalls, a peace off the motor that hose runs to the radiator was broke and over heated 2 times. i was also told that the reason my fans keep running even in winter i needed a water inlay Almost $170, My back up sinners messed up with in the first year $200 to fix. the car had a small pop every time i would first take off in the car. After a long hour drive i would pull in to a gas station or my destination the car would just die. just before i traded it the car have of the time would not start on the first try. I paid a good penny for the car and i traded it in Oct. 2014 and couldnt even get $4500 for it I still owed #8500 for the car. This is such Crap It was a 2012 Chevy Cruze with fog lights Update my review!? I traided that car in for a 2015 Nissan Sentra 2 years ago

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  The REAL Impalla SS - 1996 Chevrolet Impala
  By george bowles - February 29 - 2:00 am

  This is an excellent automobile. I will be glad when GM brings back more rear wheel drive cars. The SS provides sports car performance and handling with 4 door sedan room and comfort.