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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  Great small car - 2011 Chevrolet Cruze
  By jrichmond526 - January 6 - 3:28 pm

  We bought our 2011 Chevy Cruze to downsize for good fuel mileage. Out LT1 Sedan w/ 1.4L Turbo 4cyl gets about 28-30mpg city/ 32-34mpg highway. We have two small children and this model had more rear seat room than the Ford Focus, Toyota Corolla and Nissan Altima 2.5S we drove. The interior of the car really sold us on it, and it was fun to drive. My biggest complaint is the seatbelt clip restraints are hard to buckle the seatbelt to. My kids have a very hard time with them. They are kind of hidden down in the rear seat and are hard to use on the front bucket seats as well. Overall though, we really like the car. The trunk is very spacious as well.

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  Overinflated Gas Mileage - 2011 Chevrolet Cruze
  By arizonaeyes - January 6 - 3:19 am

  I bought this car for the gas mileage because I drive over 700 miles per week. I had an SUV that was getting 21 miles per gallon and was promised at least 42 or more miles per gallon with the Cruze. I have never come close to this gas mileage. I drove from Wisconsin to Texas and back . My mileage was 24 miles per gallon. The acceleration on this car is sluggish, there is wind noise that is extreme, the vehicle is not comfortable for any trips longer than an hour.

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  save your cash - 2003 Chevrolet Corvette
  By daniel86 - January 5 - 7:21 pm

  Bought it new in 2003, garaged every winter, low millage, excellent maintenance and body care, Moved to Florida and now on the 3rd A/C compressor, had to replace the dash light for the fan indcator and the ABS Brake control modular, the battery , tires twice and Im not a hard driver, windows leak air and water,The interior noise from the tires is one of the more madding defects in the car, Cant hear the radio or the person in the passenger seat on the HWY. I have only taken thru 1 car wash and got wet, running lights have burnt the plastic housing they are in and I replacethe blubs every other month. was my dream car, I would rather drive my truck w 288,000 mile

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  Nomerous complaints about taillights - 2003 Chevrolet Venture
  By kewldude_001 - January 5 - 5:37 pm

  I have had my van for 6 months. Purchased from a family member. Having a few problems, i thought I would look up some info and found the many complaints about the taillights. I found I had the same issue. With burning taillights out and turning signal (driver side) To help people who might have this problem try this. At night turn lights on and hit the brake pedal. Look for you turn signal lights on you dash to glow slightly. If so the plastic around the connector melted and is allowing current to travel down brake light and turn light and vise versa. If you have some knowledge, take you brake light fixture out and look at your plug. If you see the signs of melting that is your problem!

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  Excellent Vehicle - 2012 Chevrolet Equinox
  By nrp0714 - January 5 - 2:26 pm

  Recently bought 2012 Equinox LT2 with 6cyl and leather. Super comfortable seats, lots of room and rides/drives really well. MPG is around 24 combined. Back up camera is helpful, info screen is very cool. There is not one thing about it that I would complain about. Auto climate control and heated seats are great. We got the two-tone interior and it looks sharp. Great vehicle for the price

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  Unfortunate vehicle by General Motors - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By bmduffield - January 5 - 2:19 pm

  Purchased a 05 Equinox in May 2006 with just under 26k miles on it. I assumed I was just in the right place at the right time and signed on the dotted line. The problems began immediately, but the real problem has been the engine. In 2008 with less than 60k miles on it the head gasket blew. GM refused to do anything, I paid 2,500 for the repair. Yesterday included, the heads have blown 4 times since purchasing. I complain to GM every.time and while they are aware of the known issue they continue to do nothing to rectify the situation. A quick internet search and you will find how common the head gasket problem is on these vehicles. I do not recommend anyone purchasing this vehicle.

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  Never again - 1998 Chevrolet S-10
  By compaqter - January 5 - 4:51 am

  I should have never bought this piece of junk. This truck will be my first and last GM vehicle I will ever own. The 4cyl engine is awfully underpowered and automatic transmission is sluggish. The cheap material used in this truck is overwhelming, the dashboard is falling apart. The interior rattles all the time. The seat recliner handles broke off, I bought new ones and those broke. A lot of wind noise and rain water occasionally drips inside. The engine service light is always on. Replacing the spark plugs is a nightmare. Heater core leaked and replacing that is also difficult. AC doesnt work. Shocks and struts need to be replaced. Beginning to rust. Low resale value. Poor design.

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  6 Years Later - 2003 Chevrolet Impala
  By v_nick - January 3 - 9:55 pm

  I originally wrote a review in 9/2006 shortly after purchasing the car pre-owned. As we approach the sixth anniversary of purchase, we are delighted to report that this has been the best sedan we have owned! In our entire ownership, we have replaced a relay fuse ($50), a manifold gasket ($300) and a wheel bearing ($225). We finally replaced the original tires and breaks a little more than a year ago. Speaking of tires, my earlier review spoke of front end road noise. This disappeared with new tires. The car was originally equipped with cheap Uniroyals. The car still looks great, and runs and runs and runs! It replaced a Nissan which we purchased new & was totally unreliable.

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  Aveo Manual shift - 2009 Chevrolet Aveo
  By powen1 - January 3 - 2:05 pm

  You must have a dealer change the oil & filter as the clutch assembly is wedged against the filter housing. It is absurd. After a year finally got a dealer tech. to admit is was a poor design from chevy & they stopped making such. However, chevy never told us about this problem or did a recall. Also the dealers now tell us that they only can change the oil as the whole clutch assembly must be dropped and the filter itself cost extra. Also there is always residual oil drops from the change and the burning smell in the engine. Our idea was to have an inexpensive & easily maintained car, which it is not, it is just cheap! We have received NO satisfaction from the dealers.

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  Great Car for the money!! - 2012 Chevrolet Cruze
  By ginman522 - January 3 - 1:04 pm

  I just bought a 2012 Cruze LS w/ auto and the Connectivity Package, MSRP: $18,740.00. I test drove the 2012 Civic LX, 2011 Corolla LE(there is no 2012 version yet as of 01/02/2012), 2012 Hyndai Accent and the 2012 Kia Rio5, before I discovered the Chevy Cruze. The Corolla was the worst of the bunch, and the Cruze was the best (Dollar for Dollar on a lease), here is why: Only 2 Cons: 1. No Cruise control (LS only)