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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  Works great for a specific segment - 2017 Chevrolet Traverse
  By TraverseReviewGuy - February 21 - 9:22 pm

  Had my 2015 Town and Country in the shop and had to rent a vehicle for the week. Closest thing they had that was similar in size was the 2017 LT Chevy Traverse. The vehicle has TONS of room, and overall was a very smooth and comfortable ride. Im not sure why people are complaining about the acceleration. If buying one, I would go into the purchase decision knowing that I am buying it for safety and cargo capacity, not acceleration. With nearly 300 HP, it accelerates just fine. No, you wont blow a sports car away, but it will handle basic driving tasks just fine (i.e., city driving and passing on the highway). That said, the vehicle falls very short in terms of modern technology, as well as some basic amenities most family oriented vehicles seem to have. The center console seems intrusive and not really functional. The cargo door does not automatically raise or lower itself, and there doesnt seem to be a way to control this from the drivers seat either. The center entertainment console looks like it is a 1st generation console; possibly from the early 2000s. The gauge cluster gives you trip information and mileage, thats it. No distance-to-empty, which even our 2011 Sonata (base model) has. The rear view camera seems a bit slow to respond, but works okay. Climate control seems lacking, though is very effective. For example, there are climate control knobs for rear passengers, but if theyre kids (in our case), they cant reach them. In our mini-van they can reach them fine. No dual-zone controls for the driver / passenger either. With that said, the air-conditioning and heating works excellent. Overall, I cant imagine anyone buying this SUV unless they were only concerned with cargo capacity. Unless you step up to the Premier level, the vehicle is simply out-classed by competitors (my opinion).

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  Solid ride - 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By Glen conlon - February 19 - 2:01 am

  Needs some work, a good mechanic can bring this truck up to a great condition and get another 100k out of it.

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  new owner, replacing Geo Metro - 2004 Chevrolet Aveo
  By mld - February 18 - 10:00 am

  more power then Geo, but not as good mileage

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  Poor Quality - 2004 Chevrolet Corvette
  By Joe ny - February 17 - 2:00 am

  We bought this car fall 2003. It is now april 2004 and it has been in the shop 11 times already. First power window motor went, then carpet was wet after rain, took them 2 visits to find leak. Then car would not start one morning was told starter was defective. Got the car back 3 days later car is dead again, towed once again. This time they said ignition switch was bad. Why should a car have all these problems when you spend 54,000 for it.

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  Mechanical - 1997 Chevrolet Suburban
  By JET - February 7 - 5:55 pm

  Ive had a host of problems with my burb. We had to replace the pinion bearing due to vibration/noisy sound when driving. Have replaced all of our fuel injectors, 5 of the eight went bad within a span of 2-3 months, etc....Not sure if Id ever buy another...

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  No fuel economy improvement - 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By Ranjean2003 - February 7 - 5:43 am

  No fuel economy improvement over 04 model even though I now have active fuel management. I have the 5.3L engine with 3.73 gears, flex fuel, and get about 16.5mpg hiway on gas. Wish I could have gotten 3.42 gearing for better mpg, but the catch is to get incentives you must take delivery from dealer inventory and they just dont set them up that way. Both trucks turn 1750 rpm at 60mph. I can set the info center to instant mpg readout to learn when the vehicle is in 8cyl vs 4 cyl mode. At highway speeds, wind resistance forces truck into V8 unless going downhill. And, parked together, the 08 cab is noticeably bigger than the 04 cab = more wind resistance. At 75mph, econ drops to 13.5

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  Still wondering if 07 is better - 2006 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD
  By Brian - January 28 - 7:06 pm

  This truck is is a blast to drive around, an excellent work and tow vehicle. The gas mileage however, will take a bit to get used to. The best this truck will average is about 12-13 mpg, and that is unloaded and using the gas pedal with a light foot. However, this is a truck that was designed to work and perform. If you like to off-road be careful. Although it may look capable looks can be deceiving. The rear end differential has a very low clearance height to the ground. Any kind of rutted off-road will pose a challenge if there are any obstacles on it like small rocks or stumps. Even at the beach you will hear some awfull scraping and thumps. Bad fit and finish!! didnt notice until at home.

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  My new car - 2004 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By Kristirayna - January 11 - 2:00 am

  I love my new car. I am always getting coplements on it. It is the perfect size and it has that sporty look to it. It is great for a starter car. Not something Ill want forever though.

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  My First Chevy - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Jean - January 5 - 7:03 pm

  I love how it looks. Its fun to drive and handles OK in the snow but not when its icy. Its too light and needs more weight. I had a minivan with AWD and it handled better because it weighed more. The seating is nice and so are the heated seats. Love them, good for long trips. Headrests are a little too big and get in your view. OK on gas at about 19 mg hwy. Problems with leaky windshield at first, then leaky moonroof. Nice to have but not worth all the hassle. Drainage problems and rot in hose for moonroof. Windshield has problems when weather is bad, unable to clear windshield without hazy streaking. Told it is an environmental problem. My 8 yr old minvan didnt have that problem. Its very problemsome.

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  I got a Lemon - 2009 Chevrolet Malibu
  By loosescrews - December 28 - 7:10 am

  My 2009 Malibu has been into the shop 3 times in the first 10 days of ownership. So far, they have "repaired" the following items. - fuel pump controller - engine computer - sun roof - driver-side power window - electronic compass I emphasize "repair" because although a number of parts have been replaced, the dealer has no idea why so many things are going bad all at once. Obviously in terms of a root cause, nothing has been repaired. So far, GM is unwilling to do anything outside the warranty process -- ie, keep taking it back for the dealer to throw parts at it -- unconscionable position. I am shredding my GM card. Never again...