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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  Knock Knock - 2001 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD
  By Rick Kurland - May 7 - 1:36 pm

  2WD. Bought this truck used from a friends dealer. Love everything except the engine knock. Keep hearing the knock is OK. Seems to have plenty of power but still dont trust the noise. Plenty of room for a family of five pulling a 30 ft camper. Still looking for the answer to the knock.

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  Fabulous Car - 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By zmurof - May 6 - 10:16 am

  I bought this car back in Nov 2005 and have driven around 45k miles since then and cannot really complain. The ride is a bit stiff on bumpy roads but is a joy to drive in mountain roads. The engine has adequate power(2.4L) for all situations. Other than regular service I havent had any reliability issues. No squeaks or rattles with regards to the interior. However, like other reviewers have mentioned the interior is still down on quality and there is definately room for improvement. Some of the plastics especially in areas of high contact(like the door handles/audio controls) are starting to wear out. The center armrest is awkwardly placed. I average around 30mpg on highway(auto)

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  watch out for the battery!!! - 1998 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By John1234 - May 6 - 10:00 am

  the original battery has corrosion problems. The acids from the battery will leak out and cause severe corrosive damage to the interior of the engine bay. On our car, the leak caused a 1" diameter hole in the inside sheetmetal, and extensive corrosion around the battery and to the battery plate holder. Due to the batteries location, the damage to neither the vehicle nor the battery is visible until it has to be replaced! Then you will only find out if the mechanic replacing the battery tells you of the damage, which is past the 3/36 warranty. Even though it is within the 6yr/100k body corrosion warranty, Chevrolet will try not to cover this repair

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  A Dream Car - Impala Sedan 3.8 L V-6 - 2003 Chevrolet Impala
  By gwydionoak - May 6 - 10:00 am

  My car is technically an Impala sedan, (I didnt want to spend the extra money for the LS trim) but it has all of the safety, performance, and comfort features of the LS - 3.8L engine (a must), ABS, Trac control, Information center,etc, as well as Onstar and XM radio. I have never figured out why Edmunds gave this car a bad review. It is a SUPERB road car...solid acceleration, braking, and handling, very comfortable ride, great fuel economy for its size. It is everything that is good about American cars with none of the bad. Ill be keeping this car for a long time.

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  Great Truck!! - 2003 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By Trailblazin - May 6 - 10:00 am

  This truck is great. It is a good value for all the goodies you get. Fun to drive. Very powerful. and an over all good vehicle.

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  Clarissas Tahoe - 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By Clarissa - May 6 - 10:00 am

  I recently bought a 2000 Chevrolet Tahoe. I love this SUV. It drives comfortably and is very nice looking. I have had it for about four months now, no problems or regrets whatsoever.

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  The Greatest Truck Ever - 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By OhioTexan1 - May 6 - 10:00 am

  I am satisfied with every detail of my new Chey Silverado. If I had to do it all over again, I would purchase this truck again.

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  Great so far! (update....still great!) - 2016 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Chris - May 6 - 5:46 am

  We purchased the new 2016 Chevrolet Malibu LT-1 with the Convenience and Technology, Leather, and Driver Confidence packages in December of 2015. We have loved the car in the six months we have owned it. We have put nearly 6000 miles on the car (including a trip through the mountains of Colorado to the Grand Canyon) and have averaged nearly 33 mpg overall. We got 38 mpg on our 2500 mile round trip vacation. The ride is extremely quiet and comfortable. The seating is great (I am 65) in both the front and back. There is plenty of room in the trunk for our trips to our baseball tournaments. The exterior gets stares everywhere we go -- love the body style. The engine acceleration wont knock you back in your seat but it is fine for our driving habits. It also does very well in the snow and rain and gripping on the highway. The safety features are awesome! Lane assist, front, side, and rear warnings, blind side warning, etc. are definitely worth the upgrade. Our complaints are small but include a lack of storage for coins and sunglasses, a lack of dual climate controls, and no memory settings on the drivers seat. We are now at approximately 10,000 miles on our car (after 11 months) and we have averaged 32.5 mpg with a combination of city and highway driving. Our best was 41 mpg of straight highway driving. We still love the car with no new complaints. One of the best parts is that there are not very many 16 Malibus on the road even after a year on the market. My wife gets compliments on the car nearly every where she goes.

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  Subtle and Startling COmbined - 2006 Chevrolet Impala
  By ZIPPADEEDUDAH - May 6 - 4:36 am

  When I took this car out for a test drive I nudged it a little bit and it seemed responsive. Later the salesman told me now I want you to stomp it when I say "OK". Damn, I am 65 years old and this sucker took off like a jack rabbit. He pointed out about the on the demand compression (4 cylinders vs. 8) and then I drove it some more. What at performer. While I will be rarely stomping it, it is good to know you have that awesome power just in case you dearly need it. For some reason my SS did not come with XM radio. I do not know what happened but the salesman told me it just was not in there. When I got home I did not notice it listed as having come with the car? Will have to make do.

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  Smooth ride with some electrical quirks - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By Onion42 - May 5 - 10:30 pm

  I enjoy driving this vehicle a great deal. One of the main reasons I purchased it was for the seating features, as I have back problems and the adjustable seat/lumbar support/heat was very attractive to me. The placement of the power window controls are odd (right side "floor" near gear shift)and its hard to clean the window under the back wiper. The main problem Ive had is frequent internal electrical shorts - the horn has gone out twice and I have had problems with the power seat a time or two. Its all covered under the warranty though. Im hoping it gets sorted out before the warranty expires. I love the car though - lots of room, features, and a thoroughly fun drive.