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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  corvette "absolutely the best bang for the buck" - 2000 Chevrolet Corvette
  By rivettes - December 26 - 6:27 pm

  having owned a few corvettes over the years I believe that the c5 vette is the most well rounded of all Ive owned handling & performance are excellent I do prefer the auto trans to the manual as I owned 99 fixed roof with the six speed the manual was very notchy and drive train noise though normal was more pronounced easy convertible operation and overall driving comfort are a few of my favorite features this car is great for long drives,oh also if you do have to change your run flat tires do yourself a favor and buy the Michelin sport as way less noise the the garbage Goodyear eagles that come factory

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  Capable of amazing gas mileage - 2012 Chevrolet Cruze
  By floridadrive1 - December 26 - 1:27 pm

  I was looking for a car for commuting....and I like a manual transmission. I have been a bit of a hypermiler (coast in neutral when slowing for long distances - or approaching a turn). So far, in the first week of 1/2 city, 1/2 country roads, Ive achieved better than 47 mpg. You can get that easily by driving gingerly. This car is an ideal commuter.....I am just floored by how nice of a car this is....and Im blown away by the gas mileage. Again, the manual is awesome - especially if youre a commuter. I love this car.

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  Sonic LT 1.4l Turbo Sedan - 2012 Chevrolet Sonic
  By pljenkins - December 25 - 3:04 pm

  After almost 3 weeks of trying to appropriate a Hyundai Accent SE with a manual transmission, I finally gave up and started looking around at alternatives in the price range. After much research I decided on the Sonic and I am very pleased. The build quality is top notch and the manual transmission is butter smooth and is by far the easiest clutch I have ever driven, and Ive driven many. Road and wind noise is very quiet in spite of the miserly size of the car. The interior is reasonably roomy for this class of car, but its no Continental. Trunk space is excellent. I went with the Sound and Connect package with the bluetooth and it synced up with little complaint with my LG Optimus.

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  are you crazy? - 2007 Chevrolet Malibu
  By idiots1 - December 22 - 10:36 pm

  I purchased my Malibu used at 51,000 miles. The car did have a few little glitches, like the windshield wiper hub vibration(easily fixed) which was a manufacture defect. I fixed it with 2 sided tape 46,000 miles ago. No more vibration. After a few mods, like a new throttle body/ intake manifold and higher duration cams i got a regular 16 % millage increase and 42 more horses. That all cost me less than $1300. which brings the total up to $22,320. still a better value than the competition. The car handles great on the windy Adirondack mountain roads that I live on and is adequately aggressive in traffic. Although it could really do with a 6 speed, the car is still fast enough. Great Car.

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  Runs hot - 1999 Chevrolet Venture
  By courcollision - December 22 - 12:16 pm

  Water stays filling up tank van runs hot open radiator cap and it fills it self back up dont know why!! Dont like the way you have to vent coolant system!!

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  1st New Car in 27 Years - 2006 Chevrolet Impala
  By south59 - December 21 - 8:25 pm

  After waiting 27 years i was able to obtain this beautiful car after carefull Prayer and Consideration the Good Lord Blessed me once again with this Elagant automoble,Praise the Lord indeed its a Godsend this car is!!!Merry Christmas from the Lord our God and Praise his name,Tim.

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  Exceeds Expectations - 2012 Chevrolet Volt
  By firebirdbandit - December 21 - 10:33 am

  I had extremely high expectations for this car and it has exceeded them. I previously drove a Pontiac Firebird Formula V8 350 LT1 engine and the Volt is way more fun to drive. It is very well built, comfortable and drives awesome. Feels like I went into the future. I am trying to find all kinds of excuses to go driving. The car is also a great value. It seems expensive but when you compare it to the 5 year cost to own, it is below many other popular cars including the Taurus, Camaro and Maxima.

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  Wow! A great Car! - 2006 Chevrolet Impala
  By jeffroberge11 - December 21 - 10:10 am

  I have this car since august 2010! And since this day, Im fully satisfied of this car! The consommation is really great for a car of this size! And the trunk is incredible! I can put everything inside! Well I have only good this to say about this car!

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  Junk 1999 Blazer owned by a Ford - 1999 Chevrolet Blazer
  By kickford - December 20 - 6:24 pm

  Absolutely the worst vehicle that I have ever owned in my life. It has been a complete money pit to date. I have always been a Chevy man but this has been terrible. Ball joints every couple of years, flywheel busted $800, leaking front diff $300, $1000 4 fuel pumps, $100 turning signal kept my brake lights from working correctly, $100 auto climate control motor, $75 brake pads x5 wear only on one side?, $200 2 distributor caps wires rotor, $100 drivers side window motor, $25 drivers side hinge pins, $300 cv joints, $400 2 radiators, intake gasket leaks, half the drivers seat motors do not work, gas guage does not work. This is not including what I consider normal upkeep. Repairs mostly self

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  Reliable, comfortable, safe - 2007 Chevrolet Aveo
  By alisotoga11 - December 20 - 4:52 pm

  Bought this used with 40k 2 years ago for 8500. No problems, put on nice Michelin tires and it handles good. The very cheap tires on it had it squeal around corners. Drive it to San Francisco, park it anywhere, same size as a Mini, and get a solid 30+mpg. Only thing I do not like is no cruise control, for the money I would buy another. It stills runs good, and think it will a while longer.