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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  This car is a nightmare a couple years in - 2012 Chevrolet Cruze
  By Steve - March 13 - 10:21 am

  We ll not much to say but this car has problems, at 50,000 miles its all downhill from there. Camseals leaked, oil pan leaked, need new valve cover because the intake manifold has a check valve that goes bad which screws up the PVC system in this car. Transmission seal leaked at 77,000. Now at 97,000 miles and out of warranty for 3 months and need a new valve cover again, oil pan leaking again. Never in my life have I had a car that has had so many leaks and engine problems.

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  What a piece of garbage. - 2000 Chevrolet Venture
  By sturmiller - February 23 - 2:00 am

  10,000 miles- new transmission hood pops open spontaneously- takes mos. to fix. TWO front brake jobs- with rotors 40,000 intake gasket blows. ($1200 repair) 44,000 wheel cylinders blow out 46,000 seat belt sensor and air bag breaks ($350 repair) 47,500 steering pump blows and so do both wires. $700 repair Motor for rear wiper dies ($400 repair) DONT BUY GM. They make junk. Whole websites full of complaints from unhappy consumers. This car is the WORST. Spend more, get better..

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  Lostlarge - 2004 Chevrolet Blazer
  By not chevy - February 18 - 2:00 am

  after 18 months the entire front and rear suspension needed replaced. We took a month to decide to get rid of it and that month cost us $900 trade in value. Who can efford to run one of these?

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  Balzers are awful - 2000 Chevrolet Blazer
  By trkguy - February 11 - 2:00 am

  There is something wrong with the design of this vehicle. There absolutely should have been a recall for the front end of this car. I have replaced the ball joint on both front wheels twice on this car in 4 years. Now I have also had to replace both wheel bearings as well. I will never buy another Chevy SUV again.

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  Bad Beretta - 1992 Chevrolet Beretta
  By boundsn - February 9 - 2:00 am

  Maybe Chevrolet made one good Beretta GT in one thousand, in stead of the other way around, but I had a bad one to be sure. The car was PLAGUED with electrical problems. Sometimes the fan would work...sometimes not. This led to overheating, which caused other mechanical failures. The life expectancy of the EFI sensors is must less than befits a car with as few miles as I had. The interior was made by kindergardeners, and nobs were always coming off in my hands. It ate batteries (replaced them every 6 months or so) and you couldnt even rely on the radio to always function.

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  Typical GM - 2002 Chevrolet S-10
  By tahenline - February 4 - 2:00 am

  Gutless no-tech motor. 17mpg @ 70mph. Overly restrictive air intake. PLASTIC intake manifold. PLASTIC clutch master-cylinder. PLASTIC power-steering fluid reservoir. PLASTIC radiator end-tanks. PLASTIC headlight covers. PLASTIC front grill with water soluble coloring. PLASTIC EVERYTHING in passenger compartment. Windows that refuse to seat properly in the fully-raised position. One broken window regulator (so far). All 4 shocks leaking. Torn rubber exhaust system hangers. Throttle jams in wide-open position. Corrosive DEXKOOL "coolant". ABS system must be disabled to get any kind of reliable braking. Hyper-sensitive seatbelt retractors.

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  Its a POS - DONT BUY ONE! - 1998 Chevrolet Malibu
  By IHATEGM - January 28 - 2:00 am

  We have had the engine overhauled. All parts replaced in the entire engine, suspension and exhaust systems. Interior is as plan as it can get. Seat are uncomfortable for long trips. The car could not have been made or designed any worse

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  madeamistake - 2003 Chevrolet Malibu
  By madeamistake - January 20 - 2:00 am

  i bought a used 2003 chevy malibu w/19000 miles on it and i think i made a mistake i read all the reviews and they all seemed to agree it was a very good car but after owning it for 2 months i am not happy it dosent handle well it always feel like the suspension or the wheel alignment is out of wack it dosent have very good gas mileage (i might get 30 highway miles to 1/4 tank of gas. dosent this dealer preach 23-32 miles a gallon? no way!!!) anybody ever heard of ergonomics?? guess gm didnt the gearshift is too long and its in the way of the ashtray and the radio believe me im ready to take it back

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  2000 CHEVY MALIBU LS - 2000 Chevrolet Malibu
  By RonG12 - December 28 - 2:00 am

  THIS CAR IS A DOG. DONT BUY IT. ITS BEEN NOTHING BUT HEADACHES SINCE DAY 1. BRAKES AND ROTARS REPLACED ON FIVE SEPARATE OCCASSIONS (IT NOW HAS 67,000 MILES ON IT). WATER PUMP REPLACED, BLOWER FAN REPLACED, AND TURN SIGNAL SWITCH REPLACED. SPENT OVER $1500 OUT OF POCKET ON ALL OF THESE "NOT NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR" MALFUNCTIONS. GM DOES NOT HELP IN THE LEAST. THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE IS LOUSY. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER GM CAR........NEVER.

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  Bad Snow Country Truck - 2001 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD
  By Ed B - December 8 - 2:35 pm

  2001 Chevy Silverado 4WD LT 6.0L V8. Rust, rust, rust! Safety problem with brake lines rusting out and no braking effort after rupture. Exhaust manifold studs break off due to expansion and contraction, leaving you with an expensive repair bill. That is on top of the brake lines. Go to NHTSA and read the stories of people who lost their brakes in traffic. GM refuses to recall. Many items that were designed incorrectly and GM refuses to step up to the plate.