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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  Teedoff N. Texas with 02 Trailblazer LS - 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By Teedoff N. Texas - July 19 - 10:00 am

  In shop 5 times-SIR(air bag)light going off and on-safety issue-air bags dont deploy when light is on. Dealer recon.ckts, repl.modules, driver&passenger sides, prob persists. Resorting to "Lemon Law." Xmission&eng. probs-now @15k mi., gets 13-17 mpg, others get 21-22. Wind noise, door rattle, hatch strap&weather stripping coming apart, LS emblem fell off. A/C blows cold @dash vents when A/C OFF. Heater set @floor only but blows from defrosters! Dealer says xmission, eng.,air/heat within normal specs. Owned 2 new cars, several used-NEVER experienced this. In 2 yrs., PCM reprogrammed-software upgrade + 2 recalls. What next?

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  Seats are Junk - 1996 Chevrolet Lumina
  By GM Junk - July 19 - 2:00 am

  The 60/40 non-automated bench seating is several inches higher on the driver side than the passenger. This is when they are both at their lowest points. Also the lumbar support is not designed properly and results in a massive lump that causes tremendous back pain. You have much more head room in other mid- size vehicles. I had to replace the ignition module and sensor at 56,000 miles

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  unreliable - 1998 Chevrolet S-10
  By K. Griffith - July 16 - 2:00 am

  Within 6 months after purchasing this vehicle, I had to replace the leaf springs. This was covered under warranty, of course. I have had to replace so many things on this truck that I cant remember everything. Over the last 1 1/2 yrs., I have had to replace the starter twice. Thus far, there have been 3 different starters on this 4 yr old truck. No one can figure out what the problem is. These starters are under warranty however, a warranty does not replace the amount of time that goes into taking off work and hauling the truck every 6 months to have a new starter put on.

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  Wish I could Love It - 1996 Chevrolet Blazer
  By rjackjack - July 16 - 2:00 am

  I purchased this new when I could keep this vehicle out of the shop I have loved it -BUT- I have replaced 3 alternators, 2 air conditioners, fuel injector spider, front idler arm, rear differential seals and had to have brakes done about every 9K miles. Now it has metal to metal rattle in front end. The interior is designed nice other than rear seat lock disengage for folding down. Other than that I love the handle, the size, the comfort. Just wish GM could get their stuff together.

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  No, they havent figured out reliability - 1998 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Ken_Linda - July 15 - 2:00 am

  Warped rotors replaced twice (under warranty),wheel sensor ($400) twice, air conditioner weak and shuts itself off -- replaced ac/controller ($300), rear brake light circuit board failure ($100), power window mechanism failure, paint scratches easily, front end rattles -- all in the 4 years weve owned the pos. These things are basic essentials and should not fail for a car that was highly touted as an import killer! My last GM car was a 1970 Camaro and I finally gave in to trying GM again -- we wont make that mistake again, ever.

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  Looks great, lots of problems big and small - 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By arnoldthepig - July 14 - 6:33 am

  I purchased a 2014 1lt Crew Cab with 5.3L and 3.08 gears now with 2800 miles. I would not recommend this truck to anyone unless you have time to deal with issues GM does not want to address properly. The transmission is lazy on the upshift and wants to put itself in the highest gear possible, the fm radio reception is very poor and jumps in and out of HD, I have a freezing cold draft coming from under my center console, the 4wd switch makes a loud electrical whining sound when in 4wd, I get some type of driveline shudder under hard acceleration and once I hit 70+ mph, the ride and handling fall apart and give way to some type of unknown vibration! 1/6/14 will be the second trip to dealer

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  Frustrated As Hell - 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By Garry98117 - July 14 - 2:00 am

  Recently upgraded from my 1998 Tahoe LT to this one. Big mistake, in under 4k mi. the power-steering pump shaft broke (making my return trip from the lake the best upper body workout of my life). After 3 days waiting for a new PS pump, got it back and now I am blowing interior light and sunroof fuses every 15 minutes for no apparent reason. Transmission clunks loudly when I pull my small boat, and still having trouble with climate control system (A/C goes on for no reason, and no it was not set on auto)! If possible I will unload this albatross and buy 1999 Landcruiser with 45k Mi.

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  Shiny Package- rotten core - 1998 Chevrolet Malibu
  By CSP - July 12 - 2:00 am

  I bought this Malibu used as a second car for work because of its attractive price and great standard features. I thought I got a steal, but Ive since changed my mind. Three months after purchasing this car, which had new pads at the time, they had to be replaced. Three months later the ABS light came on- needs a new sensor which requires a complete hub assembly: $500. Check engine light came on- needed wiring replaced: $100. AC started to act up- needed new control panel: $250. Based on what Ive heard it sounds like Im just seeing the tip of the iceberg on this one. Good thing my other car is an import.

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  2001 Z24 - 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By Eric Strecker - July 11 - 2:00 am

  Decent performance with 150 hrspwr 4 cyl. I actuall think it looks pretty sharp. Have several noises and poping sounds coming from the dash. Also have a rattle in transmission that is apparantly normal for chevrolet cars. Had the transmission replaced for a known issue for cavs. built before Oct. 2000. This was a different noise than the one thats not fixable. Build the car BETTER. the sticker on my Z24 was around $18,000. For this much money I expect a car thats built a little better than this. REDESIGN the manual transmission. It SHOULD NOT be normal for a trans. to rattle when excelerating at 1500 rpm.

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  Not Good! - 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By Shanna - July 9 - 2:00 am

  I have had my cavalier for almost three years and ive put more than 2 thousand dollars into it in a matter of a year. Something is always going wrong and it only starts up when it wants to. There is however nothing wrong with the car i have had it looked at several times. I wouldnt recommend purchasing any cavalier to anyone!