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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  Surprising little car - 2007 Chevrolet HHR
  By Jim - October 27 - 7:56 pm

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  Team Malibu All The Way - 2008 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Jonathan Ubben - October 27 - 12:05 pm

  Bought my 2008 LTZ 2.4L used in February 2011 with 28k on the clock. Soon after, the electric door locks failed - would not stay locked. Replaced under warranty. March 2012 the drain tubing from the sunroof came loose and ended up filling the passenger footwell with water. Self-diagnosed and repaired with a bit of silicone putty and super glue. New tires at 77k. Routine oil changes and brake fixes - but one time in North Carolina the front calipers wouldnt fully release. $200 to re-build the calipers. At 85k, replaced timing chain and intake/exhaust solenoid valves @ $1500. Around 88k, the service air bag light came on. The dealer has told me the seat-heater melted the passenger sensor module and both need to be replaced @ $1100. Currently unresolved. Now the good stuff: This is the best car Ive ever had. Ive found myself wanting more power at times, especially when climbing mountains across the country, but the 2.4 is sufficient. Great mileage, also. Ive been getting about 25 mpg combined with mixed city/highway driving. Seats are totally comfortable - 7,200-mile cross-country road trip @29 mpg with zero complaints. The front doors do open a little bit far, but they have three stages where they stop. #2 is a good opening point. Its still a little bit difficult to tell exactly where the back of the car is when backing in somewhere, but Ive gotten used to it. Not looking forward to the labor-intensive process when a headlight goes out, but I changed foglamps myself without issue. I would buy it again (but I would get the V6).

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  The most reliable SUV out there. - 2000 Chevrolet Suburban
  By whitney - October 27 - 11:31 am

  Chevy did it right with this one!!! I have 230K on it and it is still going strong. It has had a rough life and has taken everything in stride from off roading, hill climbing, river runs, hauling boats/ trailers, pulling stumps, cross country trips etc. I could not ask for more out of a vehicle.

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  so - 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By Dean - October 26 - 11:12 pm

  only had it a few days. i really like it. looks good, comfortable, runs great so far, I hope its going to be a good car for a while.

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  I absolutely love my car! - 2007 Chevrolet Malibu
  By bm231 - October 26 - 9:19 pm

  Im a full time college student and live an hour away from school, & I also work 30 minutes away from home. Living in MI, where our winter roads are treacherous and youd usually buy a vehicle with 4WD. My car has never failed me and has always been 100% reliable, even with a 1 day drive across the nation to FL. The only downer Ive experienced is my gas Guage being broken on E.

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  Worst vehicle ever - 2005 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By Patrick Watkins - October 26 - 4:40 am

  I purchased this vehicle from my father (the original owner) in about 2011. My father bought it new in 2005 for about $35,000. He went to trade it in, in 2011 but was only offered $4,000. That alone is absolute crap return on investment. There was only 115,000 miles. That means it had a $31,000 loss in 6 years. Ive owned it from my father, and it has been an absolute nightmare. Everything and anything keeps going wrong. In the last few years, I have replaced the brake pads 3 times, rotors 3 times, exhaust manifold, head light assembly 2 times, secondary air intake pump, hub assembly, e-vap system, radiator, power steering pump, rack and pinion, wire shorts in the stereo, and other general up keep. I have only owned this vehicle for about 4 years, and it sat in my garage for the last 10 months because I cant afford to keep fixing it. I was speaking to my father who was salesman for Chevrolet and he also agreed that he will never own another Chevrolet product after owning this hunk of junk. The gas mileage on this vehicle is atrocious, I cant get more than 275 miles per tank of gas. Also, since Ive owned this vehicle Ive only put on about 30,000 miles in 4 years because of the constant cost for up keep. I would never recommend this vehicle or any other GM product to anyone. The only good thing that this vehicle has done for me, is it has allowed me to find tons of how to fix videos and become more handy on fixing my own vehicle. Ive spent somewhere in the neighborhood of about $5,000 on fixes in the last 4 years. Please look at other vehicle, I cant say enough bad stuff about this product.

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  GREAT first ride 3.8 v6 2002 - 2002 Chevrolet Camaro
  By Chad - October 26 - 1:13 am

  the doors are made of fiberglass and tend to be broken easily both my driver door and passenger are broke...i have ro dukes of hazzard into driver door, just havent fixed it yet lol but great power and reliability 210k had to replaced ignition coils, cats, the fuel pump both doors, o yea the danged ol O2 sensors which are expensive....even had car seat in back

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  do not get a chevey - 2015 Chevrolet Cruze
  By unhappy customer - October 26 - 12:26 am

  paint only one coat. noisy. seat not scotch guarded , fog in eye view. cant see well even with seat adjustment future. shift slow and breaks will get you in a wrecked vey mushy feel like warn out all ready.

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  Luv my ZR2 - 2002 Chevrolet Tracker
  By Steve Little - October 25 - 11:08 pm

  Ive had my Tracker ZR2 for nearly 14 years now. Had 7 miles on it back then. Only 86500 miles now, plus about 40000 towed four wheels down behind my motorhome. It has never, NEVER, failed me or my wife. It is a small,, nimble, fun little 4X4. Ill admit, there are better and more powerful drivers out there. But, after all these years, its still clean, tight and fun to drive. Everything works like it did the day I bought it. Did have a rear oil seal fail under warranty. Nothing since. Putting on my 3rd set of tires now and we are heading out in a few weeks driving it 3400 miles to Florida to be our runabout at our winter home in Bradenton Beach.

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  Fantastic Bargain - 2015 Chevrolet SS
  By Connor P - October 24 - 10:53 pm

  I absolutely love this car. Its understated looks,great driving experience, advanced technology,and luxurious interior all for about 45k. The best thing about this car is its exhaust. Any complaints you have will be washed away once you start the car up. Performance is top notch and with the understated looks its not a cop magnet. In fact the look on peoples faces when you floor it or start it up near them is priceless. However there are some downsides. Build quality is not quite the best but all the touch points are soft. The gas mileage is poor especially in the city. I get about 11 mpg with the auto. Speaking of the transmission it is very smooth but when you want to downshift with the paddles, it will take a second. There are various other very small complaints but they do not matter in the big picture of this car. If you are looking for a sedan around 40-50k I strongly urge you to go with this car. Overall-9/10