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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  Nephews Camaro, Not Mine - 2013 Chevrolet Camaro
  By weldrup - December 29 - 1:12 pm

  Nephew went to Qatar for a year (Army) and left the car with me. Fun to drive, handles great, rides OK for what it is, mileage is good, good looking car...BUT...preparing the car for his return, after washing and waxing, I see the car has marks under the clear coat which will not come off. I tried different waxes, buffing with 3M Finesse...clear coat is ruined as far as Im concerned. Ive seen this same defect on my 1996 Intrepid and my 2003 Dodge Ram. It must the good old boys at Detroit using the cheap junk because my 2002 Honda (296000 miles) sits in the same driveway, and does NOT have these issues. Im glad we taxpayers just gave GM $10 billion to produce junk!!!

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  Great value - 2013 Chevrolet Cruze
  By kj83 - December 29 - 11:49 am

  The Cruze is a nice, solid car for a great price. I like the exterior styling, and also the simplicity and layout of the interior. The driver has excellent visibility. The key selling feature for me was the top safety ratings, as my daughters would be spending a lot of time driving this car too. The car (1LT, 1.4Turbo) handles competently, and the engine has surprising strength given the fantastic gas mileage. Weve had it for 4 months & 4K miles, and so far no issues. The transmission and controls all work perfectly. I was initially looking for a good used car, and also looked at new Civics & Corollas, but I liked the Cruze the best and am happy to buy an American brand.

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  Sonic Hatch LT with 1.4L - 2013 Chevrolet Sonic
  By jaar819 - December 25 - 6:58 am

  I thought the overall design of both the interior and exterior of the Sonic was very tastefully done. I liked it better than other cars in its class but this is obviously a matter of taste. The 1.4L turbo engine is smooth and fun, 6 speaker sound system which seemed better to me than other cars in class, MyLink system, body of car seemed extremely stiff, much better than Mini Clubman, the last car i owned. I know this because my driveway has a bump which puts torsional stress on the car. the mini creaked. the sonic does not. very smooth ride on highway. very low rpm of engine at highway speeds. very quiet car for subcompact. the suspension system makes car feel more like a luxury car.

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  Tail lights and headlights - 2003 Chevrolet Venture
  By sherrington - December 15 - 1:47 pm

  I see numerous complaints about tail lights and headlights for the Venture here. Ive had and cured both issues. The brake lights burn out becuase of water collecting in the tail light assembly. The seals are unable to keep it out at highways speeds. Drill a 1/4 inch hole in the bottom of the tail light assembly to drain water out. Be sure and drill through the bottom bulb chamber as well. Headlights come filled with nitrogen. Dont as why. If the nitrogen leaks out they will fog up. You can change the bulbs without draining the nitrogen, but a new head light assmebly is available online for about the cost of a new bulb. That said, my Venture is reliable, comfortable and roomy.

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  Better than a Prius by far! - 2014 Chevrolet Volt
  By larry714 - December 12 - 9:36 pm

  I was disappointed at first but my issues were from a dealer lot issue and not the company so Ill try to be fair in my review. I have had a couple of priuses and I have to say the Volt is a better car, its smother, quieter, and feels safer to drive. You do have to read your manuals to fully understand the operational side of the vehicle. I dont think its a five star car but comes close. Performance for a car this small is a four, comfort gets a four needs better seats. Value is a four price needs to come down. Econo car fun to drive gets a four. Interior/exterior gets a three due to missing some things of the assembly line. Build quality a three and Reliability to soon to tell.

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  Good car to own. - 2011 Chevrolet Equinox
  By topg3ar - December 8 - 1:04 am

  i purchased a LT2 2011 Chevy Equinox AWD 4cylander which is 1 step under the v6 a few months ago pre-owned , ive had it for a few months now and have no issue with it , mechanically the vehicle runs perfect , basically fully loaded just not a v6 power , over all its a really great car for new family.

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  Great car for the money! - 2013 Chevrolet Spark
  By hallshop - December 1 - 6:56 pm

  Bought one early, August 2012. LS Manual hatchback. Installed window rain guards, colored side moldings (factory), after market mudflaps, and a light duty trailer hitch to tow a small three rail motorcycle trailer to rides and races. Driving gently and hauling the trailer approx 7,000 miles of the 28,000 that the car had when totaled, was averaging 38.9mpg. Car was cheap to buy, cheap to operate, handled well. Hit a deer at approx 35mph. Locked seat belts, drove radiator back into the exhaust manifold, broke a headlight, kinked hood, kinked right fender. Didnt set air bags off. Some concern for safety, but had the deer contacted the bumper, wouldnt have been as bad. Looking at another one.

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  nox - 2006 Chevrolet Equinox
  By realjackass - November 27 - 11:38 am

  we purchase this vehicule 1 nov of 2010 with 77 000 km . we are today 27 nov 2013 , 3 years after with 149 000 km . we are very very sastified , we did nothing major in repair to this vehicule , change 3 bearing just missing front passenger side and replace brake ( normal maintenance) and a front end part . I did have to sand and prime and paints the rear wheel weld over the rear plastic , a lot of this model do start to rust a this area , it cost me 10 $ , overall very good suv , pretty basic nothing fancy in it .

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  Choose Wisely... - 2013 Chevrolet Malibu
  By panglossian - November 21 - 3:34 pm

  As others, I compared most of the mid-size vehicles. I wanted to buy American (if that is really possible nowadays). Each car has their own benefits, and despite media comments, none really stand out as a clear leader of the pack. Be careful if you select this model. Its still a fine vehicle, though there are some issues. The 13 Eco is one of a kind, as it appears to be discontinued in 14 (the base 2.5L gets the same mpg). Many of the features advertised in the normal vehicles are not in the Eco. Mine was advertised to have 10 airbags, though only has 7. Nor does it have the MyLink radio, so forget about Pandora and the other neat features. I recommend waiting for a 2014.

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  Excellent car but beware if you have an accident! - 2012 Chevrolet Volt
  By urbanlegend711 - November 15 - 8:51 am

  I have been really impressed with the car overall. It has great acceleration, handles beautifully and didnt give me a single problem in 1.5 years and 22k miles. I had a minor front-end collision in September and the car still ran when I left it. Apparently because its a hybrid the electronics need to be disconnected for welding. The car went to a dealer to have this done, the body shop then repaired it, but now...2 and a half months later, the dealer cannot get the car to run at all. Repairs appear to be very involved, expensive and risky with this car.