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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  2009 Malibu LTZ 4cyl - 2009 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Tommy - December 7 - 8:00 am

  This car is so sweet to drive. 4 cyl 6 speed auto transmission. On highway 65MPH tach is under 2,000 RPM. Fit and finish is good. Also very quiet 18 inch wheels. Just a sweet ride all around

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  Good Value Car - 1996 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By MonteCarlo31 - December 6 - 10:00 am

  This car has been a good car, recieved it when I was 16 (sat for a year before anyone drove it) now 22 and 155,000 miles on the clock. Only had one alt go out. This car is NOT babied and still runs well, friends with hondas even say how nice it is for the mileage it has. Wish it had a bigger back seat.

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  Wipe em with fascination! - 2004 Chevrolet Avalanche
  By D. Arceo - December 6 - 10:00 am

  Fascinating ride everytime, not because of the smooth suspension, or the car- like maneurability, but the envious stares of those I passed by. I got muscle all through me, even though mine is colored yellow! Go Avalanche! Wipe em up!

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  Nice try - 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By jack interstein - December 6 - 9:03 am

  Im generally pleased with this new effort from Chevy. Definitely like the looks and feel. Surpised and disappointed by poor city driving mileage. Has plenty of pep and good mileage on the open road. This car needlessly weighs about 200 to 300 lbs more than its Hyundai, Corolla and Civic competitors so additional HP is wasted in my opinion. Braking required surprising effort. Interior is well laid out but somewhat plastic looking. Despite above comments, was actually overall quite pleased!

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  Test drive one now! - 2009 Chevrolet Malibu
  By chevytopsall - December 6 - 12:36 am

  This is the nicest car I have ever owned! Great on gas, quiet, great looking, handles like a dream. If these are the cars coming from GM now and in the future, by stock now! I just cant say enough great things about this car! Love It!

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  Long time coming - 2017 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Isabel Guerrero - December 5 - 10:29 am

  I started with the Edmunds site and started to receive information from local dealership. I was able to negotiate via text with a dealership close to work. I stated what I wanted and how much I was willing to pay and got it all done within less then a week.

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  Great Car - 2009 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Doug Barth - December 5 - 4:23 am

  I would definitely buy this car again, it has served us well.

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  just ok - 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 2500
  By robert - December 4 - 3:50 am

  from day 1 chevy denied the steering bang/knocking in the steering box nothing to worry about. at 86900 miles Driver side exhaust manifold bolts broke off in head. Im having oil pressure problems(25 psi), metal shaving on the oil drain plug, clogged oil filter. Idling a bit rough. low lifter noise. side door trim continues to turn yellow so I painted them all black. Stereo cd broke after 1 year.

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  Dont Buy This Car - Youll Regret It! - 2016 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Brian Kelly - December 3 - 2:33 pm

  My 2014 Odyssey was hit in the rear pretty bad a week ago. His name is Reggie, poor Reggie. It is in the body shop getting repaired. I have this 2016 Malibu Eco LTZ as a rental for two weeks from Hertz. To be fair, overall it is a nice car. Handles nicely like a German car - like our 2000 Jetta when it was new. The styling is nice, the technology is nice, the ride is sporty and fun to drive, the handling is sporty and fun to drive. HOWEVER, all the nice features fall apart because it is designed to completely stop and turn off when you come to a complete stop in order to save gas. It is a HORRIBLE and extremely ANNOYING feature!!!! Our Honda van has an eco mode that saves gas but it does not involve turning completely off at every single stop light. The eco mode of our van does not turn off to save gas but engages when the car is MOVING. This Malibu is a nightmare to drive because of this aggravating feature. We have begun making a game of it to keep from getting mad. If you turn the Air conditioning on (comfort mode not eco mode), the engine sorta turns off less. If you shift into Neutral as you stop at a stoplight, it keeps running. If you press on the gas lightly as you have your foot firmly down on the brake at a complete stop, it does not shut off. Even more of a JOKE, at a long stop light, the car will just UNEXPECTEDLY turns back on on its own if you are at a long long light. What a JOKE about saving gas! Thankfully, it is only a rental and I can turn it back into Hertz in two weeks. We have named the car Obama, as the president and his eco nut friends are probably very proud of themselves for inspiring such a junky car feature to save gas - eco nuts! Don’t buy this car if you are a car enthusiast or a enjoy driving like us, the shut off feature will drive you nuts unless you make it a game.

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  Great car - 2006 Chevrolet Impala
  By larry self - December 2 - 11:46 pm

  A great car. Reminds me of times past as to performance. Great power from V8 motor. Gas mileage remains below estimated 18 to 28 mpg. Actual about 21 mpg average.