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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  Just a nightmare - 2004 Chevrolet Impala
  By krzykowski - February 4 - 9:14 pm

  Where do I start? Bought it with 28K miles in 2006, and sold it for junk last week. Passlock problems, oil in the coolant, gauges that are all over the map. People who seem to know what theyre talking about say the 3.4 engine is the problem...that the other engines are fine. But before dying, my children referred to this car as the Adventuremobile because more often than not a trip in the Impala was an adventure. Stay away from the 3.4 engine!

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  Nice car, but... - 2007 Chevrolet HHR
  By cbeck3 - February 2 - 7:40 pm

  This car is attractive, but thats about it. GM made a poor engine choice with the 2.4l I4. Any attempt at acceleration will result in a whole lot of noise, and thats it. We started to have problems with the front end at around 30,000. It made a clunking noise whenever even the slightest bump was hit. The car was taken to the dealer at least five times with this, and they were never able to fix it. The seats werent the most comfortable thing in the world, and it was impossible to use the sun visors because the windshield was so small. The wind deflector on the moonroof also broke. Also, the dash felt like it was made of cheap plastic. The car was recently traded for a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze.

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  My 2010 Lemon - 2010 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By angela30 - January 21 - 7:45 am

  My new 2010 Tahoe begin breaking down at 3500 miles. At 3500 the oil pressure guage was replaced and within 24 hrs it broke down again. When I took it in it had 100 malfunction codes now denied by Alexandria Chevy. I have returned the vehicle numerous times to the same dealership who claim each and every time there is nothing wrong. The vehicles dash has gone out, the doors lock by themselves, the radio changes stations by itself, the oil and tach gauge bob and swing. Now the brakes squeak. The car has 9000 miles on it and its been an absolute nightmare dealing with these problems.

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  wish i could trade - 2010 Chevrolet Aveo
  By kat427 - January 10 - 7:15 pm

  My aveo i had now for a year and a half . had sparks changed, all four tires are now bad and pr oblems with going up a hill. Sounds awful in morning ..wish i would have done a better job of looking around

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  Overinflated Gas Mileage - 2011 Chevrolet Cruze
  By arizonaeyes - January 6 - 3:19 am

  I bought this car for the gas mileage because I drive over 700 miles per week. I had an SUV that was getting 21 miles per gallon and was promised at least 42 or more miles per gallon with the Cruze. I have never come close to this gas mileage. I drove from Wisconsin to Texas and back . My mileage was 24 miles per gallon. The acceleration on this car is sluggish, there is wind noise that is extreme, the vehicle is not comfortable for any trips longer than an hour.

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  Unfortunate vehicle by General Motors - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By bmduffield - January 5 - 2:19 pm

  Purchased a 05 Equinox in May 2006 with just under 26k miles on it. I assumed I was just in the right place at the right time and signed on the dotted line. The problems began immediately, but the real problem has been the engine. In 2008 with less than 60k miles on it the head gasket blew. GM refused to do anything, I paid 2,500 for the repair. Yesterday included, the heads have blown 4 times since purchasing. I complain to GM every.time and while they are aware of the known issue they continue to do nothing to rectify the situation. A quick internet search and you will find how common the head gasket problem is on these vehicles. I do not recommend anyone purchasing this vehicle.

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  Never again - 1998 Chevrolet S-10
  By compaqter - January 5 - 4:51 am

  I should have never bought this piece of junk. This truck will be my first and last GM vehicle I will ever own. The 4cyl engine is awfully underpowered and automatic transmission is sluggish. The cheap material used in this truck is overwhelming, the dashboard is falling apart. The interior rattles all the time. The seat recliner handles broke off, I bought new ones and those broke. A lot of wind noise and rain water occasionally drips inside. The engine service light is always on. Replacing the spark plugs is a nightmare. Heater core leaked and replacing that is also difficult. AC doesnt work. Shocks and struts need to be replaced. Beginning to rust. Low resale value. Poor design.

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  Aveo Manual shift - 2009 Chevrolet Aveo
  By powen1 - January 3 - 2:05 pm

  You must have a dealer change the oil & filter as the clutch assembly is wedged against the filter housing. It is absurd. After a year finally got a dealer tech. to admit is was a poor design from chevy & they stopped making such. However, chevy never told us about this problem or did a recall. Also the dealers now tell us that they only can change the oil as the whole clutch assembly must be dropped and the filter itself cost extra. Also there is always residual oil drops from the change and the burning smell in the engine. Our idea was to have an inexpensive & easily maintained car, which it is not, it is just cheap! We have received NO satisfaction from the dealers.

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  junk from day one - 2008 Chevrolet Impala
  By tankzulla - December 28 - 4:30 am

  bought certified pre owned 2008 with 34k miles. 3 months in the ball join and control arm break replaced for free. november hits and snow falls car is uncontrollable in any snow or wet conditions even at 10 mph. 2 times car has flown across highway turning sideways almost crashed both times. i take it and the tires are worn to the medal on the inside of the tread out of pocket 250 for new ones with no explanation of why only the inside was worn down took it back out in the snow and lost it again. dealership has no solution and gm says its not awd thats why. when i could take my 95 turbo supra out and do better. such a pathetic company makes me sick any one else having this problem?

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  stay away - 2012 Chevrolet Equinox
  By ajcraighead - December 27 - 6:18 pm

  I picked up the 2012 Equinox in Oct of 2011, it was a down grade from the Toyota Tundra for me. This car I got for the fuel economy, well I do get better gas millage then with the Tundra and I thought was letÂ’s buy American. Well that was a huge mistake. Sense I got this car 3 months ago IÂ’ve been in the shop 6 times and they still canÂ’t figure out what is going on with it. Each time IÂ’ve taken it in, IÂ’ve been there for 6-8 hours each time. Some engineer for Chevy decided to not include brackets or mounts for future add onÂ’s. So now that I want to add factory fog lights on my 1LT I canÂ’t. Thanks Chevy. I first got the 4 cylinder which had no pick up on inclines at all, plus just to get me into a car, they wanted to do an aftermarket sunroof. I brought that on back and they put me in the 6 cylinder, that one has no pick up either, but now IÂ’m stuck. The engine is so computerized now there is no way to do anything on the car yourself. Bottom line I Hate This Car!!!!!!!!!