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:

• 

  dont buy this car unless you enjoy head aches - 2005 Chevrolet Impala
  By jackie55 - February 3 - 9:22 pm

  I bought this car 3 years ago in hopes i would have a good car I drove out of the dealer and the car was pulling to the right bad. I took it back a couple days later to have them tell me it was something called torque steer. It turned out to be a wheel bearing. I replaced it on my own the dealer didnt pay for it and dont you know that torque steer was no longer there. I replace wheel bearings every 6mo. About 4 months later my radio started making crazy noises even when the car was off and all doors were closed. The radio stopped working all together a short time later. Then i noticed puddles of water on the floor in the back seat dont have a clue where its coming from. My dash goes crazy

• 

  Nice car, but... - 2007 Chevrolet HHR
  By cbeck3 - February 2 - 7:40 pm

  This car is attractive, but thats about it. GM made a poor engine choice with the 2.4l I4. Any attempt at acceleration will result in a whole lot of noise, and thats it. We started to have problems with the front end at around 30,000. It made a clunking noise whenever even the slightest bump was hit. The car was taken to the dealer at least five times with this, and they were never able to fix it. The seats werent the most comfortable thing in the world, and it was impossible to use the sun visors because the windshield was so small. The wind deflector on the moonroof also broke. Also, the dash felt like it was made of cheap plastic. The car was recently traded for a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze.

• 

  "You get what you pay for" - 2005 Chevrolet Aveo
  By denisenjeff1 - February 2 - 3:01 pm

  I bought my 2005 Aveo LS new...very good value, its always been reliable, have had no repairs to speak of that I have made, just routine maintenance such as oil change, or other wearable items such as tires/brakes. The car was cheap, at the time I believe it was the least expensive car in the market. Well the car is also cheap, no frills bells or whistles came with it other then AC, shortly after owning it, the horn and the clock stopped working, those were the only "extras" that were on it, hey I still have radio, but dont try to turn up the volume, our speaker blew, so two work now. Yep cheap car, cheap price. You get what you pay for. But it has still gotten me from a-b!

• 

  I love it - 2012 Chevrolet Sonic
  By javacruz - February 1 - 8:58 pm

  I am 25 y/o and this is my first new car I test drove the Hyundai accent and ford fiesta and the sonic was the best of both worlds. It has an incredibly smooth ride and quiet ,spacious interior. Not to mention it was the cheapest car of the 3. I would recommend this car to anyone I have gotten about 28 mpg city and have not had it on the highway yet.

• 

  Best Tahoe ever! - 2011 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By frankm58 - February 1 - 5:17 pm

  After a short test drive we were sold! so we sold our 2005 Tahoe (older body style) for a new one, after owning our older one for 6 years with no problems, we (Wife and myself) decided it was time for a new one since our 2005 was so reliable. We noticed how much quieter and smoother the ride was one the 2011 and noticeable 45 hp increase for better towing. Although the 2011 offers only 3 MPG HWY better we still got our moneys worth and filling the empty space in our garage with a small SUV compared to a full size Tahoe with all its features was well worth the sacrifice especially since we drive it locally anyway. In this price range, there is nothing compared to the Tahoe!

• 

  Trusty Rusty - 1996 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By luckyday - January 30 - 2:05 pm

  I had this car from 2004-2011 and only needed to have routine maintenance done on it....until the end. The clutch blew, had it fixed cheap by a friend, a few months later the exhaust fell off. At that point, I figured it would just nickle and dime me to death so I took it to a salvage yard. In the time that I had the vehicle though, it was a great little car.

• 

  GREAT VEHICLE - 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By yamahaguy05 - January 29 - 3:54 pm

  Best vehicle Ive ever owned

• 

  Volt = Economical Commuter Entertainment - 2012 Chevrolet Volt
  By 2012knl - January 28 - 5:44 pm

  Ive owned a 2012 Volt for just over 2 months now and have put 6100 miles on it. I spend a ton of time in the car as I drive approximately 140 miles per day for work. Purchased the car due to the economical benefits and am extremely pleased with many other aspects of the car as well. Ive averaged just over 55 MPG total- which is above my expectations. On the weekends- the car is our family transport. With 2 kids- we are constantly coming and going to school events, sports, plays, dance, ect. During the times were driving around town- we use 0 gas. Costs approx. $1 to charge overnight - thats it. Come home and plug it in. Weve saved aprox. $350/month driving this car! Pays for itself!

• 

  96 Blazer is an amazing SUV - 1996 Chevrolet Blazer
  By sjs13 - January 27 - 1:38 pm

  The Blazer runs great, I live in Michigan and the brutal cold weather doesnt hurt the car, it runs like a champ. The car is in great condition, No rust on it at all, the paint is still on, With no chips!. I would recommend this car to anyone whos looking to buy a new used SUV

• 

  I Love My Volt - 2012 - 2012 Chevrolet Volt
  By ampeater - January 26 - 1:17 pm

  This is the best car I have ever owned. It looks good, handles well and is incredibly inexpensive to drive. 6,500 miles and 41 gallons of gas - only because I drove it to FL from MI. 42.5 mpg on the way down using gas. I drive it typically under 30 miles per day and usually have 39-40 miles of battery available when I start in the morning. So unless I need to go more than 40 miles, I dont use any gas. I plug the car into my 110v house system at 8:00 at night and its fully charged in 10 hrs (6 am). The price of the car is too high unless the tax rebate continues, but I plan to keep it as long as I can (8-10 yrs).