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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  Absolute Piece Of Junk!! - 2016 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Paul Spadafore - April 20 - 10:27 pm

  For consumers out there stay away like the plague!! The car is a year old, and has been in the shop three times in the last month. Check engine light keeps coming on,battery died, and the windshield wiper pump went all with less than 30,000 miles. The latest incident the check engine light went on,and killed the power to the car. My wife was able to limp into the parking garage at work at 5mph. She drives 40 miles one way to work,and I bought the car for reliable transportation to Detroit. My Saturn with 130k is a better option. I am in the process of trying to get GM to buy back the car. Absolute piece of junk is to kind for this car!!

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  Beware! - 2005 Chevrolet Aveo
  By lesjop - April 17 - 10:33 pm

  I am so disapointed in this little car, not only has been in the shop 3 times, in the last year from a fuel pump to the transmission, but what the heck is this the gear ratio will not allow the trans to shift from 2nd to 3rd if the temp is below 65 degrees!? So the trans revvs up to an unhealthy sound just to go down a 40mph street. I regret buying this car and I am now trying to get rid of it!!! They told me I would get almost 40mpg, ha! the most I have gotten is 34 and that is open freeway cruise set at 60mph. I will never buy anything from Chevy again, Im going forgien!

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  This is a crapalier - 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By Crapalier - April 4 - 11:16 pm

  I bought this brand new. Had 3 transmission replacements, which never got totallly fixed, cd player eats cds, engine stalls, wheel bearing broke, inspection fails every time, very ugly interior, the cup holder is in the way, major oil leakage, and so many other problems. This car all around stinks!

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  WILL NOT BUY ANOTHER!!! - 2002 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD
  By Thalia - March 10 - 10:00 am

  I bought this truck new, 2 miles on it when I test-drove it. BEFORE I bought it, a fluid line exploded all over the engine. That should have been my FIRST indication to drive off and leave it! My husband & dad said it had a "warranty" to go ahead and get it. WRONG! That was ONLY the beginning! The local dealership could not get the problems that I had fixed on this truck like: replaced drive shaft for truck tugging when driven, replaced power- steering pump, noise when backing up, jerks when pulling a horse trailer, severe gaps when applying brakes, headlight dim extremely low for no reason, and the list still goes on!

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  Are you kidding me! - 2007 Chevrolet Suburban
  By Kevin Moore - March 8 - 11:23 am

  I would have given the Suburban good marks for some of the design features but I wanted to get everyones attention. Donot buy this vehicle if you drive in snow. We hit a minor snow drift and are now out over $900 for front bumper repairs. After extensive time on the phone with GM, they were unwilling to stand behind the vehicle. They said it was caused by environmental issues. The environment they are talking about is the reason we have a 4x4. Now when it snows, we cant leave the house until the road is plowed. I dont have any idea what were going to do when it snows while were away. Based on GMs unwillingness to stand behind the design, this is the last GM vehicle Ill ever buy

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  Sedan SS, what a bargain - 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By ben - February 27 - 7:53 am

  The 2.4SS is such a great bargain. I mean come on, a 4cyl sedan nearly breaking into the 6 second 0-60 mark and running down the 1/4 mile in low 15s for only $17 grand? You cant beat it, with the nicely laid out interior and great sound system, and the best handling in its class. I love it!

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  The Bitterness of Poor Quality - 2005 Chevrolet Colorado
  By Bill - February 16 - 6:33 pm

  In the year that Ive owned this truck, Ive gone through 3 sets of tires, 8 alignments, 2 body control modules, and 2 brake light switches. Chevy knows about a serious problem with the front suspension on this truck (theyve issued 5 service bulletins to their dealerships on this subject) that causes the front tires to wear prematurely and excessive vibration. The truck wont hold an alignment. What is worse is that Ive been in the process of lemon lawing this truck since March and Chevrolet refuses to acknowledge or take responsibility for the problem. The tires are so bad now that the treads are separating. Whatever you do spare yourself the horrible experience of owning a Colorado.

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  Wish I didnt have to give this car even 1 star - 2011 Chevrolet Cruze
  By Hugh Jazz - January 30 - 3:52 am

  From the looks of the car, interior and exterior and all the hot specs it included when I bought it back in 2012, fairly new with 13k miles on it. Just graduated high school. Seemed like a good buy for me and a car that would last me at least a decade. Didnt take long for that old man at the dealership to get me home in this car. But oh boy, if I had only known then, how much of a headache this car was gonna be.. After a month with the car in my hands, it went in for its first recall, where they sawed off the "engine shield" below the engine due to reports of the car catching fire from leaking oil down there. Awesome!! Not to mention those recalls on the car prior to the purchase of the car that the salesman failed to mention. From there it was nothing but downhill. This car has been in the shop on average probably a week of every month since Ive owned it. If not, close to it. Ive lost track of the amount times its needed service. Currently with 101k miles, The biggest issue me and my mechanic have had with this car is the cooling system. We cant seem to get a hold of the issue. Numerous hoses and lines have been replaced. It seems as though we fix one hose, and another goes. Including the the thermostat twice. Weve recently replaced the coolant bucket/bottle and hose leading out of it. Now were repairing the hose and lines going into the turbo. Which were thinking the turbo is next on the long list of past/present/future parts to be replaced, along with some relevant parts behind there at the same time to hopefully span out my visits to him. Some other things Ive fixed on this car include a coil Pack(@60k) because a spark plug exploded and caused damage to its housing that it needed to be replaced. Ive replaced the spark plugs a second time since then. Throttle body was replaced along with MAF sensor. Trans oil lines replaced. AT LEAST a handful of other issues have as well been addressed. Current unresolved problems include...... the drivers side heated seat which went a long time ago and the dealership said Id have to buy a whole new seat to fix that, fuhgettaboutit. The trunk latch died a long time ago too, oh well. Middle arm rest and compartment door/cover isnt so durable either.(doesnt stay shut, velcro does wonders). Also seems to be leaking oil from the valve cover and rear main seal. Im sure Ill get around to that someday. Orrr, just let it leak oil and coolant til the car finally gives in aND sets itself on fire and burns up. Really looking forward to that day. Can you blame me? Until then, Ill just keep dreaming about driving it thru the front doors of GeneralMotors with joy. I received a settlement from GM for this car that only paid to get it back from the bank when they repoed it 2 days before the check came in the mail. I was four months behind on payments because that money was paying to keep the car on the road. Shame on who? Clearly this car was the biggest mistake of my life thus far. Financially at least. If you own or owned [non-permissible content removed] car, God bless you.

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  Cavalier Nightmare - 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By mark0 - January 12 - 10:00 am

  Low engine coolant light came on after 4 weeks... Crack in Engine block all the coolant drained into the engine and mixed with the oil. Dealer replaced engine. without car for 2 weeks. Then the alternator died at 3 months... Did anyone else have so many problems?

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  Drove my chevy to a levy - 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By Mark p - December 30 - 9:44 am

  Ok 2014 silverado Texas .would never buy another .would never buy from reliable chevy again .had issues with a truck so they took it back and force of hand me into a newer 2014 I like the truck but wow what a pice of cap now has had electronic problem transfer motor vibration and other issues. To to de as let replace coil 3 times a\c went out had to fix that .transfer keeps slipping gears like stuck in neutral. Dealer says its normal. Wont do anything .call gm hot line cant get them to do anything wish I could get rid of it