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:

• 

  2004 Chevy Aveo Automatic Sedan - 2004 Chevrolet Aveo
  By mtngirl4 - August 5 - 9:46 pm

  Im shocked at all the bad reviews with this car. My hubbie and I bought this car used at a dealership with just under 29,000 km on it. The dealership changed the fuel pump before we bought it (had been sitting in a garage for a while). They only thing that was a problem was in the first year the breaks locked and we had to have it towed. We had to replace all the break pads.

• 

  Great for city driving.... - 2002 Chevrolet Tracker
  By chevrolet4ever - August 3 - 9:24 pm

  I love my Chevy Tracker 4door, 2.0L automatic 4x4. It is great for any kind of city driving, and has a nice ground clearance for those pesky speed bumps and potholes, its 4WD works very well, however i do have a few complaints, on gravel/snow NEVER take it above 50KM/h(30mph) cause its short wheel base and poor steering control, its back end likes to Kick out, and can easily loose control of the vehicle, and with its narrow wheels flipping is defiantly a possibility, and at hwy speeds it defiantly feels tipsy, especially on bumpy roads, it likes being thrown around, defiantly cant be distracted when at hwy speeds. but i found it had suficent head room and easy to park, power is lacking

• 

  Great dependable car - 2006 Chevrolet Equinox
  By vitik - August 2 - 11:40 am

  Bought new in 2006, now approaching 110,000 miles, nothing major went wrong, one warranty repair on front wheel bearings. Great, comfortable ride on highway, huge legroom in the back seat, great utility for roadtrips or just ride to and from work. Did not expect it to last this long or this many miles, but by the way it drives and looks it may make it to 200,000!

• 

  2006 Impala LS 236,000 miles - 2006 Chevrolet Impala
  By truexemplar - July 29 - 6:04 pm

  We bought a new 2006 Impala LS with front bench seat and are very pleased with it. We have 236,000 miles (all highway) and looking to move it out but have not found anything I like. It is still my new car. I have only had 3 repairs including a water pump the most expensive. My oil change mechanic says take it on trips and I do. I really cant believe how dependable the car has been. We averaged 27.7 mph overall. Going on 630 mile round trip this weekend. Should I go to 250,000 miles?

• 

  Reliable and sporty - 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By jeaninmt - July 27 - 11:13 pm

  Bought used with 30,000. Put on 150,000 miles. We live in Montana and it winters well. Its gone through 3 brake jobs but no other repairs. Mpg on highway mid 30 mpg, less in winter. Not made for gravel roads which we live on. The wheels go out of balance easily with mud and dirt or snow build up. Its not a car for teaching kids to drive as the steering is a little too quick. Trunk is tight to get a cooler in. A small kids bike will go in. Its amazing in parking lots and great for quick acceleration to get on the freeway.

• 

  2010 AWD L4 LTZ Issues - 2010 Chevrolet Equinox
  By cdnuscarfan - July 26 - 4:58 pm

  Ordered this vehicle in before they were even in showrooms, it now has 60,000 miles, 100,000 Kms on it. We like the design but reliability from day one has been a problem. New motor, Rust at bottom of doors and rear hatch, small bolt on driver side power seat lumbar broke, front wheel bearing etc.. GM and my dealership have been great and fixed at no cost to me, however it has been in the shop often. What really concerns me is the felt material GM is using on all their new vehicles behind the front door hinges for sound deadening . We use salt on our roads and this material remains wet, salty, muddy and needs to be changed. I have removed ours and have not noticed an increase in noise.

• 

  1ST YEAR REVIEW - 2013 Chevrolet Equinox
  By mjdozie - July 24 - 5:16 pm

  My gf bought a 2013 Equinox just over 1 year ago & we have enjoyed it as our daily commuter. We enjoy the cargo space as we have filled it up, probably too much, several times over the past year with room to spare. The Chevy MyLink system is good & bluetooth calling & entertainment system works well. My gfs favorite feature are the heated seats. They get very warm very quickly which she enjoys for her back. Driving is not very exciting due to lack of steering feel & you can feel the base 182 hps lack of power in some situations, though it always gets the job done. We are always comfortable & you have lots of personal space which is great, especially for those trips with several passengers.

• 

  Started right up after sitting dead for 9mo - 2001 Chevrolet Lumina
  By damieboo - July 22 - 8:12 pm

  What can I say? This car started right up after a 5 minute charge after Id let it sit for over 9 months with a dead battery and old gasoline. Bought it titleless and the DMVs been totally unhelpful so unfortunately I couldnt drive it that whole time. Here Id been trying to find a cheap battery to replace the one that certainly shouldve been dead, but said "Hey...why not see if it starts?" so I let it charge for maybe 5 minutes and what do you know, that sucker roared to life! I drove this car 2,000 miles from Wisconsin to California and havent had to fix a thing on it. No repairs in the 2 years Ive owned it besides oil and brakes. 10/10 for reliability.

• 

  For the price, there is NO better - 2011 Chevrolet Aveo
  By riahrachelle - July 21 - 7:15 am

  Quote honestly, I thought I was making a mistake by buying my used Chevy instead of a newer Hyundai, but surprisingly this small car is amazing. The paint holds up and has wonderful shine, e inside is big enough to hold me comfortably, breaking system out of this world. The only complaint I have is the slower acceleration and the difficulty when on the interstate with hesitant shifting. With 108 hp though, who can really expect anymore.? This is a commuter car and should be reviewed as such. For the price, Ive never felt such reliability, no issues with anything and Im about to hit 60,000 miles. Love this car and my next purchase will certainly be a Chevy!

• 

  not great ,but ok - 2014 Chevrolet Cruze
  By bischy - July 18 - 9:12 pm

  i bought the ltz, which i thought everything would come standard on, i was sorry to learn if i wanted a sun roof or spoiler, that would be an extra charge, and they put these puny splash guards on the car and charge you 170 .00,for things that barely even do the job, yes the car has a lot of room, i have been getting 35 mph with just about all highway driving. the radio is not worth the price either, if you drive in highway traffic with the window down, you can barely hear whats on the radio, i have been a Chevy owner for 24 years, next car i get will not be a Chevy!!!