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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  My first and only Burb - 1997 Chevrolet Suburban
  By Weasel628 - September 4 - 2:00 am

  No major problems at all. Regular maintenance upkeep has kept us rolling along. The whole family (7) & dog can fit comfortably. On long trips, all the luggage fits in the rear. Can Expedition owners say the same? We love the way the vehicle travels on the highway. Will keep it until the cows come home.

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  Good Car - 1993 Chevrolet Camaro
  By yella_ducky04 - September 4 - 2:00 am

  I just got this car a month ago. I like it a lot. Its used and has a lot of miles on it, but it dosent have any problems. Which is suprising because its ten years old. I hope I have it for a long time.

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  I wouldnt buy one if I were you. - 1995 Chevrolet Blazer
  By Never buy one - September 4 - 2:00 am

  The Blazer has cost twice as much to fix it as we paid for it. 2 motors, 1 tranny, AC compressor, catalytic converter, O2 sensor, water pump, ball joints, radiator, various electrical faults and much much more. It needs constant attention every time you fix something it breaks somewhere else. To make it worse the trim shakes rattles and squeaks over every bump.

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  My Red Toy - 1998 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By MCox - September 4 - 2:00 am

  Took little kids up skiing and left after a storm. Pulled out of my parking space and drove away while a Pathfinder and a 4-Runner were spinning their tires. Ive dropped the backseat down and used it to move 14 kids around a field, moved a ton of landscaping stone and filled it to the ceiling with cedar fencing. We use it to haul our racecar and trailer and our boat.

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  Best Bang for the Buck - 1994 Chevrolet Camaro
  By Roadwarrior1956 - September 4 - 2:00 am

  Bought the car new in 94 and still love driving it, loud and fun to drive, still looks great and easy to modifiy. check out this site for info and upgrades http://www.f-body.org/

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  be good to it and it will be good to you - 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By b76 - September 4 - 2:00 am

  bought this car used and has been great so far except for sunroof coming off track once. Easy fix if you have or know anyone with knowledge in that area.

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  2001 Chev LT Blazer 4WD - 2001 Chevrolet Blazer
  By JL - September 4 - 2:00 am

  Nice ride, comfortable mid-size SUV. Handles good off-road.

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  Fun to drive again - 2003 Chevrolet Avalanche
  By Horace - September 4 - 2:00 am

  A great combinaton of SUV and pickup all wrapped up into one. A truck that rides like a car on the highway and has all the features of comfort of a car put into a truck package.

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  Amazing - 2002 Chevrolet Corvette
  By geo - September 4 - 2:00 am

  This is my first corvette, but I have been around them and driven many different models. I must say the C5 is the best one yet. The Z06 has superb handling and ridiculous amounts of HP. Hold down the active handling button for five seconds and put her into competition mode and flex the true V-8 power.

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  Has some good traits and some bad traits - 2016 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Ken - September 3 - 4:22 pm

  I have a lease for a 2016 Chevy Malibu LT1. There are some nice things about the car that I like, but there are quite a few areas that need improvement. First the good points: 1) The style of the car is very sharp. 2) The 1.5 liter turbo engine is surprisingly pretty good on acceleration. 3) The interior looks like a high-end luxury car with a few exceptions (see bad points). Next, the bad points: 1) The 7" Infotainment system is severely limited in that it does not provide a hands-free voice command interface to my smartphone over bluetooth. Instead, you have to use the touch-screen to make phone calls or play music via bluetooth. 2) There are hardly any storage compartments for things like sunglasses, coins, etc. The only storage compartments are on the doors, in the armrest and in the glove box. I have driven other cars that have change-holders, sunglasses holders, and other various storage compartments that are more convenient than what the Malibu provides. 3) The AutoStop feature can be annoying at times. It shuts the engine off too quickly when easing to a stop, especially if you are using the brake to ease forward into a parking space or the garage.