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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  Has to go - 2007 Chevrolet Equinox
  By HK - September 21 - 2:00 am

  We purchased our Equinox 3 yrs ago brand new. Within the first year, we had an issue with what the dealership called "contaminated hoses?" which caused the transmission fluid to be completely black. Thankfully the warranty covered the fix. Since then we have had issues with our spark plugs going bad 2x, there is a severe leaking problem SOMEWHERE that can not be found that caused a swimming pool in the back spare tire compartment. I realized this one day after a few days of heavy rain, i was going down a steep hill applying my brakes and was amazed at all the water that came gushing out from the back, entire floors soaked! Still have yet to find where it is coming from.

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  Dont Buy From Hare Chevrolet Indiana - 2009 Chevrolet HHR
  By rustychevy - September 21 - 2:00 am

  We have a 2008 HHR that has rust at the bottom of the doors. The dealership Hare Chevrolet refuses to do anything about it and accused me of wrongdoing on my part. Like the car but, dont like the dealership. Again the dealership is Hare Chevrolet Noblesville, Indiana

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  A BIG mistake! - 2009 Chevrolet Aveo
  By Connie - September 20 - 2:00 am

  Such a disappointment! I owned it for 6 months & traded it in. Blows all over the road on a windy day, cant imagine how bad it blows around in the winter months. Loses all power going up a hill - by the time you get to the top you could walk faster. Low tire pressure light keeps coming on even though pressure is right. Radio is poor. Cup holder is a joke. All in all just feels junky.

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  A bit too pricey - 2009 Chevrolet Aveo
  By Elwapo72 - September 20 - 2:00 am

  I have had my Chevy Aveo for about 1 year now. I havent had any major problems. The very first problem I had was that the Onstar wasnt working. Second problem I am still having is that at times it will not start. I usually have to wait about a minute or two then try again and it usually starts. The other thing is how hard it is to find oil filters for it. Sometimes the filters are a little pricey.

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  LOVE IT - 2010 Chevrolet Aveo
  By Gary - September 20 - 2:00 am

  Well just picked it up few days ago, but in that time i see a car that compared to its competitors is very capable, cant say about fuel mileage but style exterior and interior i feel is great, looked at others in this category compared to the Aveo more money warranty not as good, in short for the money cant go wrong will see soon so far extremely happy.

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  Vibration Issues - 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By RANDY NABAL - September 20 - 2:00 am

  I purchased my truck for $50K loaded. I have been complaining of vibration issues since day one. I have owned 2 Yukons and wanted a change and purchased a Tahoe. The only difference was this truck had 20" tires/rims. The sole of problem. I have had several places tell me the rims and tires are O.K. after Autoway changed them on my truck 7 times. They had the truck the first 3 weeks I owned the vehicle. If you put the 17" tires on the truck it does not vibrate. I have been told that the drive shaft is not balanced but GM will not do anything about it. I now have 63K miles on the truck and cant stand to do highway speeds especially with customers in my truck. Everyone but GM notice problem.

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  Great overall car - 2008 Chevrolet Malibu
  By al - September 20 - 2:00 am

  I love my 08 metallic black 2lt malibu. The exterior and interior are great looking, i have had people misjudge my malibu to be a Mercedes numerous times. car looks like it should cost a lot more. The 4cylinder is not a performance motor at all, gas mileage is decent in city 24.6 average but it is great on the highway. I can drive from new jersey to north carolina on 1 tank of gas. I have not had any quality issues, very reliable, trustworthy car. At 37,000 miles the car finally seems to have broken in it runs great I LOVE IT!

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  Fun car to drive - 2009 Chevrolet Impala
  By Pat - September 20 - 2:00 am

  Chevy SS is a great handling and performance car I am 71 yrs old but driving SS you fell like a teen again.

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  JWOO - 2011 Chevrolet Camaro
  By JWOO - September 20 - 2:00 am

  I love the exterior design, great job well done. Awesome dash lighting. Fun to drive and very quick. Downfall is the drivers seat is creaking and popping, noisy !

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  My 2001 Prizm experience - 2001 Chevrolet Prizm
  By howie12021 - September 19 - 2:00 am

  Overall a good car with a variety of small faults: 1-upholstery gets holes from cigarette ash too easily. 2-headliner becoming unglued front/back windows. 3-rear cup holder flimsy. 4-dash light between tach/speedometer out very expensive dashboard dis-assembly to replace. 5-all dash lighting is terrible*too faint/hard to read. 6-center storage box*awkward to use. 7-window mechanism: drivers replaced* passengers sticks [slam door]to un-stick?! 8-interior plastic strip above left rear door slowly shredding pieces. 9-Dashboard arrangement is poor, e.g., have to look to operate radio selections. 10-rear wiper a +. 11-bumper paint if touched flakes off to reveal black undercoat.