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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  The Elk Hauler - 2003 Chevrolet S-10
  By Elk Hauler - November 13 - 7:10 am

  Living in Central Montana and traveling over terrain that few people will ever experience in their life time I can attest to the durability and ruggedness of this truck. Ive been able to go places that few 4X4 vehicles of full size could ever go. Ive pulled a 23 travel trailer 450 miles over the Rockies with this smaller truck and rarely went below 50mph and still got 17mpg. I shouldnt have pulled that trailer but here in Montana one can get away with some things that elsewhere you cant. The truck was up to it and then some. I love this truck! Ive owned personally and in my business approx. 23 new pickups of Ford and Chevy make and this truck is without doubt the best vehicle Ive ever owned. The ONLY problem Ive had is with the automatic shifter into 4X4. I had to install a manual cable pull device to ingage the front wheel drive. If I could find another one of these I would buy it one the spot.

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  Faster than a scalded cheetah - 2007 Chevrolet Corvette
  By G. Travis - November 12 - 9:02 pm

  They should know serious driving skills or they gonna get slapped around.

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  serious safety issue - 2015 Chevrolet Impala
  By Frustrated Driver - November 12 - 2:47 pm

  I bought this beautiful vehicle in March with only 14 miles. Approximately 5 months after purchase, I began having trouble with the engine and Stabilitrak® system.  While traveling on the highway my check engine and traction light illuminated simultaneously.  I was also alerted that "engine power was reduced" and my vehicle would not accelerate when pressing the gas pedal.  I took my vehicle to the dealership for repairs and was informed that one of my fuel pumps had stopped working and the problem was corrected.  In September while traveling on the highway my check engine and traction light again illuminated simultaneously.  I was alerted that "engine power was reduced" and my vehicle would not accelerate when pressing the gas pedal.  I took my vehicle back and wiring in the fuel pump area was repaired. In October the same issue! Fuel pump was replaced AGAIN. GM refused to buy back stating this isnt causing safety issues despite being in a compromising position 3 times with an infant in the car. They offered an accessory certificate. This has been a nightmare.

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  Is the Chevy Cruze the new Tom Cruise? - 2015 Chevrolet Cruze
  By Brandon - November 11 - 11:16 pm

  Award winning, yes the sound of a F-16 fighter pilot, sort of the best car of 2015, no. The 2015 Chevy Cruze deserves an overall score of 8/10 stars due to the following evaluations: comfort-ability, performance, and design. Comfort-ability was seen throughout the interior of the sedan. Leather seats accompany the RS style of the sedan with adequate temperature control. Driver and passenger seat warmers are a nice feature—especially on cold winter mornings. The Chevy Cruze lacks in comfort for its seating design the electronic seats are adjustable, but only to a certain extent. The seat leaves the driver’s head unsupported and situated at a very low level. With its robotic-like led fog lights to the superbly shaped front, the Chevy Cruze isn’t bad looking. However, its not a head turner by any means. The designers fell short with the back of the car, with no distinguishing feature that sets it apart from other sedans on the market. The front end doesn’t look aggressive, or challenging in anyway. The car reminds me of a derpy looking little brother compared to Chevy’s more sought after vehicles. All in all, for the average consumer the Chevy Cruze gets the job done. Performance surprised me, looking at the car you wouldn’t expect 0-60mph to be under 10 seconds. This car isn’t the next weekend drag racer you’d take up to Bandimere, but from point A to point B the torque developed is enough to keep you from feeling like your stuck in the stone age. The gearbox on the automatic transmission is what kills the fun in driving. Chevy needs to revamp its gear-point changes to deliver a smoother and faster response to the gear-shifts. If your looking for a nice, inexpensive means to get a new sedan for the average driver the Chevy Cruze is a good choice. After two weeks of driving this car, I can say that I had an overall good experience.

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  You will hate AFM on V8 with auto transmission - 2013 Chevrolet Camaro
  By Kevin - November 11 - 5:22 pm

  After 2 years and 13,000 miles i have learned to hate this car which only has one flaw. "Active Fuel Management" (otherwise known as AFM or DOD) There are thousands of posts on the internet about this because your lovely V8 drops into 4 cylinder mode and runs like a nissan Sentra with a bad tune. AFM is not on the car with a manual transmission. So I am trading my beautiful Camaro for a Ford Mustang that has a real V8 without this horrible feature. If you put exhaust on this car with automatic transmission it sounds like a fart mobile every time it goes into 4 cylinder mode. I burn way more gas trying to accelerate the car back into V8 mode.

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  A piece! - 2010 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Brandon - November 11 - 4:28 pm

  Under 55000 miles. New transmission and engine! Piece of crap! Never again Chevy!

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  Pops old truck....2005 Z71 Tahoe 4WD - 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By nick w - November 11 - 4:10 pm

  Bought from my dads estate 6 years ago W/ 84K miles on it.....It now has 150K , Super reliable, good looking, powerful.....U-joints, Brakes, and an engine ground wire (which cost $700) to fix, have been the only problems.....Needs tires, now but will still go through 3 of snow......it is our camping/ hiking/ hunting/fishing/trailer towing/ grandkid hauling 3rd car (I drive a 2014 CR-V, my girlfriend drives a POS 2005 Dodge mini-van) . It also serves as my drive 85 miles one way to work car, in really bad weather. I have pulled numerous people (including a State Trooper) out of the ditch with it in blizzard weather, and the other day pulled a stuck 4WD ATV out of a muddy field, and the truck felt like there was nothing behind me....I want this truck to last forever...I know it wont, but frankly will never be able to afford a new one, like it.......

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  Fun and economical drive, but poor controls - 2015 Chevrolet Volt
  By Gabriel Teixeira - November 10 - 12:23 pm

  The car is indeed very economical, but you should mind that it uses only premium fuel, which is not so economical in money after all. It is electrifying fun to accelerate yet it does not invite you to drive fast. I would put it in sport mode and leave the traffic lights in front of everybody, but I was never compelled to go faster than the speed limits. The interior is really comfortable, but mind that it just takes 4 persons. The trunk space is reasonably big, considering it is a compact. But the controls for the audio, ventilation or navigation are really hard to use while driving. It is easy to mistype the buttons since they are capacitive and often I would touch them and there would be no response. Besides that since it has no tactile feedback, I would have to turn the attention away from road to do simple tasks.

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  Loyalty Rewarded - 2011 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Stephen Clark - November 9 - 3:56 pm

  I have bought GM products starting with a 1967 Camaro through even a Chevy Vega and continuing to the present up to and including the aforementioned 2011 Malibu. My guess is that I have purchased over the years about 20 GM products, so this comment does not come from a closet Ford or Dodge owner. At 120,000 miles the transmission just quit. Everyone I know who owns something other than a GM product have in excess of that with no problem. I try to be loyal to not only the brand but the dealership. Basically, I was told by the dealer here in Idaho that your car is worth nothing and a transmission will cost you $3,500. So the car is at the dealership and I have had to borrow cars to get around. Your alternatives are few short of putting a for sale sign on the car and parking it at the dealership. There was no effort to try to ameliorate the frustration by either the company or the dealership. I will put in the transmission, but I will not return to Chevrolet or the dealership. The lesson to be learned from this to always get the cheapest price as there is no advantage to being loyal to a brand or a dealer.

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  junk - 2010 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Danny Glasgow - November 9 - 9:54 am

  replaced 1st motor at 70000 miles and the 2nd motor at 120000 recommend not buying a chevy they r junk been a chevy man for a long time