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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  Joes Toy - 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By Joe Scarllett - November 20 - 2:53 pm

  This is the most enjoyable ,fun, exciting rides that I have had in the 52 years that I have been driving cars and trucks. The only other ride that I can rate it with would be my 76 Harley !

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  Awesome Truck - 1995 Chevrolet S-10
  By John U - November 20 - 9:27 am

  Year 2008:Still running strong. Tired of hearing negativity after 100000 mi. Take care of it and it will take care of you. My S10 will be coming up to the 200000 mi club before the end of the year. I am getting 30mpg. I primarily use it to drive for work, approx. 80mi round trip due to new job(2yrs). Only major thing was the water pump. The normal maintenance of oil changes and tune ups has it still running strong. I am just now starting to get rust on both sides of the lower cab. This is great considering I live in NE Ohio and what the salt does to your vehicle.

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  Sweet Van - 1998 Chevrolet Venture
  By drivetilldie - November 19 - 11:37 pm

  Not the coolest car for a guy in his early 20s but, I would buy another one. First off, the extended version is huge, able to fit a piece of plywood flat with the seats out. Second, I have put no money into this thing except a new tranny at 170K. I drive around with all the rear seats out and it get 20/26 almost as good as my Saturn. Ive got 200K on her now and looking forward to rolling over 300. Because of this vehicle, I would buy another Chevy despite many problems friends have had.

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  Newly Purchase Chevy Silverado 2500HD - 2007 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD
  By dvkiel - November 19 - 8:19 pm

  I have recently purchased a good used 2007 Chevy Silverado 2500HD Crew Cab, long bed truck with 33,000 original miles on it. I have only had it for about a month now but so far it appears to be everything that I am going to need in a truck. It has the 6.0L Vortec engine in it so it should handle the 23 5th wheel that we are purchasing as well, pretty easily. The truck runs fine, rides pretty smooth (for a truck) and handles fine. Im getting about what I would expect a truck of this size to get on mpg, averaging 12.6 on the first 4 tanks of gas. I expect lower once we start pulling the 5th wheel.

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  Crash Survivor - 2006 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Bill - November 19 - 3:47 pm

  I was t-boned on the drivers side by an Olds 88 7-7-08 at an intersection. My wife and two sons 8 & 6 were passengers. The force of the crash bent the floorboard causing the rear passenger wheel to buckle causing our SUV to roll. When it finally came to a stop we were laying on the drivers side facing the direction we came from. Surprisingly none of the air bags deployed. We all climbed out of the broken passenger windows with little more than minor scratches. I would give the Equinox a 10 for safety other than the extra chance of a roll-over crash that all SUVs have.

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  Not the best - 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By HBB - November 18 - 5:36 pm

  I was given this car as my first car. The design is very sporty but the interior is out dated. It gets great gas mileage and is a good starter car. It is very small! Although it only has 30,000 miles on it, it sometimes kills and doesnt want to start.

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  Its a Chevy - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By OUIMCM - November 18 - 3:14 pm

  I do like this car, but after having a Buick, you get kind of spoiled. I realized when I bought it that you get what you pay for. There is nothing wrong with the car, except for the car radio turning on by itself, its just cheaper made. However, I saved money purchasing it also, and it serves my needs just fine. My two big dogs fit in the back seat, and it holds a lot in the back. For a 4 cylinder, it has plenty of power.

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  Im Lucky - 1991 Chevrolet Camaro
  By sand132 - November 18 - 1:53 pm

  Although Im disappointed with the wimpy 305, I do enjoy the 28mpg on the highway, and it gives minimal problems for having 285k miles, hasnt broke down yet. Ive been trying to blow the motor for the last 100k miles but I dont think it can run hard enough to hurt itself (saving up for an LS1)

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  Last Chevy - 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By former_chevy - November 17 - 4:34 am

  I traded a 12 for a 14. The 12 was a good truck overall except the interior looked horrible after only 33,000 miles. No kids, and often me traveling by myself. It had rattles in the dash, and the seats looked terrible. I thought the 2014 would be an awesome truck. Well, its marginal.... With 450 miles Im already scared I made a bad move. It has a bad shake at 75 mph..feels like the back end is going to fall out. Now about the radio. It sucks!!! The FM reception is horrible at best. The XM sounds like listening to music over a slow internet connection. Besides that its fine..so far.

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  I love it! - 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By Bruce - November 17 - 3:43 am

  Traded in my 2004 ZO6 for the SS. WOW, it is the best of both worlds. I can load the Harley and hook up the boat and off I go. I recommend this truck to everyone. I have all the comforts of a high end Caddilac and the performance of a sports car. It does drink gas but thats the price you pay for performance. Make sure to upgrade to the Bose and XM, you just cant beat it.