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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  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.

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  Good for a larger family - 1996 Chevrolet Astro
  By Familyof6 - February 29 - 2:00 am

  Although we had read pretty bad reviews about the Astro in Consumer Reports, we have had great luck with ours. We didnt have many options in choosing a minivan since we needed something that could tow our boat, and the Astro is the only one other than GMC Safari that can handle it. We have a number of repairs, two of them pricey, but the extended warranty we bought at Carmax covered everything. Overall, this has been a great van for our family of 4 kids with room to spare for friends to come along. We found ours to be worth the price. If anything, the low CR rating makes a used Astro very affordable.

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  2002 S-10 3dr ZR2 - 2002 Chevrolet S-10
  By chazz0044 - February 29 - 2:00 am

  Great all-around truck! Best suspension pkg on compact truck market. Takes eveything that I give & asks for more. Great for beach fishing and ski trips plus occasional abuse. No minor mechanical issues. Nice inter. style & accessories.

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  Bang for your buck and then some! - 1999 Chevrolet Camaro
  By TrompetenGott - February 29 - 2:00 am

  This car is a blast to drive, and it looks great. Insurence likes the V6, and its got more than enough oomph to get arround. Cruise controll keeps me out of trouble with the cops because 65 MPH and 85 feel and sound the same in this car. Handles well in corners - you can terrify unsuspecting passengers... The monsoon stereo is a big plus.

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  Tuff Camaro - 2002 Chevrolet Camaro
  By Dedicated GMer - February 29 - 2:00 am

  Purchased the coupe in june 2002 upon hearing end of production. For a V6 has plenty of power and great milage. We use it as a daily driver for errands, has a great ride as with all GM suspension. Beats any Import Ive rode in !!!

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  Honest Review, 2008 Tahoe Hybrid, Owned 5 yrs - 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid
  By Thomas - February 28 - 7:56 pm

  2008 Tahoe Hybrid, birch metallic. Just sold it after 5 yrs ownership, bitter sweet ... Honestly, I bought this big truck for its looks. And because I have 3 kids so I needed something bigger. Im also a car guy so I just cant spend $30 or $40 k and have to look at a minivan in my driveway. Im a man, so I do like to mow the lawn, wash the truck, and have a beer in the yard and admire both. This truck allowed me to check that box. The magnesium alloy 18" wheels are beautiful and the box shape was so anti-minivan I just had to have it. The Tahoe had a legendary reputation. I also found my Hybrid model at a dealer off trade in for $35K with only 12K miles on it. Made the decision easy. Good : The looks. If you dont like the boxy GMT900 style, dont get it. Its the single most appealing feature. Its exterior far outshines the bland, big Pilot looking Expedition. The Durango in that time frame looked like it was built in the early 1900s. Nothing from the Germans came anywhere close for the price (or features). The looks of this vehicle sells it (and all those cheesy Hybrid decals come off easily using a hair dryer). The ride was also great, I was dumbfounded as to how a body on frame vehicle could cruise at 85 mpg as if it were an Audi. Very impressive body dampening. Engine reliability was perfect for 90k miles. And the 6L V8 with electric motors assisting would really rocket this vehicle to dangerous speeds. Good thing it was limited to 96 mph, I often found myself hitting that limiter as the truck felt like it was good for much much more. Now with the good comes the bad. This is a heavy, dumb, clumsy, body on frame truck. Make no mistake about that. You are sacrificing vastly superior minivan and unibody drivability and mall parking lot maneuverability in big sums to own this truck. Its 39 turning radius is abysmal. Ingress/egress is also more difficult because it rides higher up. The 2wd model I owned was LESS capable off road than a Yugo GVX. It seemed like 90% of the weight rode on the front axle, and they drive the rear wheels. Dont take the 2wd version even into a dry lawn. OK what else ... the transmission had a "clunkiness" that just got to my nerves eventually. It would sometimes get confused between hybrid mode, 4 cylinder, and 8 cylinder modes. This would result in driveline shutters and clunks that just should not of been there in a vehicle costing $55k new. The rear diff was replaced under extended warranty at 80K miles. The entire rear diff, all the gears, bearings, bushings, everything. I never towed anything. You have of course read about the infamous cracked dash issues. I wont go into that, but mine was nearly cracked in 2. All the door locks failed repeatedly. Thankfully we found GruvenParts.com making the reliable replacements, never had a problem since. The Nav and OnStar, while it all functioned fine, was far behind the times (and still is). I miss the truck, mainly for its stunner looks. Sadly its reliablity and driveability left so much to be desired. I wonder if the 2015 model is better, I still see they use a live rear axle. I hope they didnt just reshape the sheet metal and slap a $70K sticker price on it. If they did, GM has no merit to receive another bail out. Cmon guys you can do far better... I would not buy another GM, ever. Mainly due to the repeated interactions with GM customer service on the dash and door locks. They have hired off shore contractors to hire customer service who know nothing and care nothing about the US owners. With the dash, they directed me to a local dealer, then told me it was entirely up to them. I sat down with the service manager and he said why the heck is it my problem ? I agreed. The dash is flawed, GM should cover it, not give owners of $55K trucks a circle jerk. I will not buy another because of this. Sorry.

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  Chevy Sivverado 1500 - 2007 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By Randy - February 28 - 1:36 pm

  Great performance.This is the first auto transmission truck Ive owned going back to a 1972 Chevy (3-speed) and several 4 and 5 speed manual Chevys and one GMC since then. Its nice not to shift, since Im getting old!

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  Competent But Bouncy - 2002 Chevrolet Impala
  By Albie12 - February 28 - 10:00 am

  This is a solid car in every respect, with the exception of its ride. Although comfortable and responsive on a short ride, the bumps and bounces take their toll over the long haul. Ive found that I must be very mindful upon entering driveways, as the vehicle tends to frequently bottom out. For its engine size, the car garnishes commendable fuel economy (30 mpg)on the highway. The vehicle handles very well and the brakes are true and responsive. One feels safe inside of the vehicle and the seats feel nice. Theres also plenty of seating room for three six-foot adults in the back. The trunk is cavernous and my family loves the safety features.

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  Every thing I paid for - 1999 Chevrolet Metro
  By Merle Stahl - February 28 - 2:00 am

  It will beat most so called "high mileage hybrids". Have always gotten between 50 & 55 MPG in city traffic. It backs off to 45 MPG on highway at 75 MPH. It is peppy, but is slower as you add more passengers. Had heater switch & thermostat replaced under warranty. Dollar for dollar you cant beat it.