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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  Money Pit!!!! - 2008 Chevrolet Equinox
  By hummers - September 3 - 11:23 pm

  We bought this vehicle used with 60,000 miles almost 2 years ago. Since it was used, we went ahead and got the extended warranty from the dealership. we had to replace the plugs for the car chargers, we had to replace the heated seat sensors twice w/in 2 weeks, the ignition cylinder had to be replaced so that the car would stop cutting in and out. Then just after the warranty expired, we were told the routers needed to be replaced, but in order to do so the entire brake system had to be done. Weve had a slight power steering leak, and today while driving down a country road the transmission went out!! Ahhh, stay away from this money pit. Not worth the problems and money

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  not a good car - 2011 Chevrolet Malibu
  By louie1954 - September 3 - 10:38 am

  I got this car new I only have 12000 miles on it and i have complained from the first 500 miles that the car has a shake between 15 and 20 miles per hour. This has been addressed to the maintenance people at Ray Dennison with no satisfaction This is not normal per the maintenance people. I am now experiencing other things like a rumble when I accelerate. This car has been very disappointing I will never buy another probably never another chevy poor gas mileage

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  So Many Problems - 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By allexwags - September 2 - 10:16 pm

  I have an 03 cavi with 130,000 miles. There are so many things wrong with it Im not sure where to start.. I bought it used a year ago. The speedometer doesnt function at all, the whole dashboard doesnt function when it is hot outside. It burns through a quart of oil every week or so. Smokes out the muffler when I press on the gas after stopping, which is now held on to my car via tape. Cracked belt. Air only works when it wants to. I hate this car. There are so many things wrong with it & I cant even save up money to buy a new one because it needs so much maintenance.

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  mixed feelings - 2002 Chevrolet S-10
  By s10ct - August 30 - 3:58 pm

  02 4.3L 2WD Base w/ Ext. cab, 115K. Always kept up with oil changes, tranny & coolant flush. Put more $ in this truck than care to admit...but yet I reflect on its continued performance. Items replaced: fuel injectors, thermostat, rear main seal, front caliper seized twice (same one each time) so new front brake system each time, replaced radiator, 100K tune up so new plugs/wires/dist.cap/rotor. 3rd door useless, oil cooler line replaced, and the big one...blown tranny at 113K (google s10 sunshell and youll see what I mean). This truck better last until 200K+ with all Ive put into it without any more costly repairs. Truck still gets 24mpg and has lots of get up and go when i need it.

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  BUMMER, WE TRADED THE EXPLORER FOR THIS? - 2011 Chevrolet Equinox
  By billg10 - August 25 - 3:47 pm

  After 1.75 years and 28,000 miles. Mileage: With cruise control set and "Eco" on, car averages 24.5 @ 75, 25.5 @ 70, 26.8 @ 62. Local driving about 21. Respectable, but a far cry from the advertised 32 Hwy. Performance: What a Slug! From 45 up, it cant get out of its own way. Handling/ride/brakes are good. Very roomy interior, reasonably comfortable. Exceptional back seat leg room. Lots of road noise at highway speeds. Driving controls are okay, but the big Heat/AC/Radio central display is confusing. We traded a nice 06 Explorer with leather for this, based largely on the advertised mileage. Id rather have the Ford back than the extra 4 mpg we actually got, it was twice the car

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  Makes my miss my Ford Taurus. - 2002 Chevrolet Malibu
  By ephrata_1992 - August 23 - 5:19 pm

  This car has been in my family for 4 years my mom had it from 08 to 11 I have been driving it since 2011. She got it with 59K on it. I got it with 92K on it, It now has 111K on it. Over the 4 years we have put $2000 into it with repairs and general up keep. The typical Malibu "problems" have happened to it like the Cat, turn signal, 4 way flashers. Have not had any brake problems yet Im mainly thinking some people that have these are hard on their brakes thats why they keep spending on them. The interior is amazingly cheap and uncomfortable. With the right tires the car does to excellent in the snow. Car lets you hear a ton of road noise.

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  No major issues - 2006 Chevrolet Equinox
  By bennice2002 - August 18 - 10:29 pm

  I owned one of these from brand new till just about 80K miles. Over that span the car was very reliable and no major issues to speak of. Its got enough space to be practical and the engine has enough power to get out of its own way. The beams make for horrible blind spots. The stock suspension is junk and should be upgraded. The brakes warp easily. Fuel economy isnt awesome, but is consistent and predictable.

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  My 2012 Cruze or a Ford Pinto? The race is close. - 2012 Chevrolet Cruze
  By simplmn72 - August 17 - 8:13 pm

  I wish I had researched the Cruze more. I just got it back from the dealership. A recall, the door seals keep coming lose, bluetooth sucks, air doesnt work right, poor gas mileage, it keeps dying on me, and a message comes up on the comp between the speedo and tach saying my brakes are over heating. Most things they could not repair because they could not reproduce them. I was informed there are no sensors on the car to monitor the temp of the brakes and there isnt even any such thing as a message like that on the car. I told him I was disappointed if they were not educated with the Cruze enough to know about the message. The message happened again on the way home, took a pic, we will see.

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  MPG Very Disappointing - 2012 Chevrolet Cruze
  By bmg2012 - August 17 - 11:29 am

  I purchased this car new for one reason, to get better gas mileage than I was getting which was 25 MPG combined. After a few weeks I am getting only 24.2 MPG combined. Most of my mile are on the highway, not city. This car is supposed to get 30 MPG combined. The dealer keeps telling me to be patient and break it in and the MPG will increase over time. It had better start getting much better MPG or this car is going back of the GM return it for any reason program that ends in September. If you are buying this car for better MPG...dont.

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  big yellow lemon - 2013 Chevrolet Corvette
  By cvelazquez - August 13 - 11:41 am

  well, well. i bit the bait!!! i bought a corvette 427. boy it is gorgeous,really fast. i wish to keep on talking up but that is as far as i can go. the car came with a defect on the steering column. the dealer replaced the 3 components responsable for the steering of the corvette. did not fix the problem. i got inform that GM was in a hurry redesingning a new steering column for the vehicle. finally the steering column was fixed,took more than 21 days). the car was opened and put on the surgery table at least 5 times. whats the result of it: 1) car leaks, my driveway ruined 2)a friction noise when you take off. got told that is a normal noise for gm 6 speed transmition.the only problem is