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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  05 Equinox - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By bconner4 - August 23 - 6:20 pm

  So...I bought my 2005 equinox in 2011, and since then I have had to replace...fuel pump, shocks, struts, radio, antenna, starter, and now the computer!!! This is outside of tires, brakes, rooters, and calipers...Also the 15 mpg city sucks, especially when newer Suburbans get 20 city. I will never buy another one ever again.

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  Could be better but age has something to do with that. - 2006 Chevrolet Impala
  By markb873 - August 17 - 9:23 pm

  Purchased a 2006 Impala in December of 2012 at 67,000 miles. Pulled the service history from Chevy and found no major issues in the vehicles past. Someone ripped the connector off the rear window defrost so that needed to be re-attached. This Impala had the factory fluid in the transmission causing the delayed shift issue common to these. Managed to eliminate that with a few transmission flushes, additives, and filter changes. Had to replace the lower intake gaskets as the engine was leaking coolant internally. Somebody tried to fix that with a few bottles of stop leak so the coolant looked like mud. Head gaskets have some external oil leaks but I havent replaced them yet.

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  Great Car. - 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By markb873 - August 17 - 9:01 pm

  I bought a 2008 Cobalt at 77,000 miles in the summer of 2011. Just rolled over 100,000 miles. Had a few common problems. Transmission had to be rebuilt under GM Powertrain, both front speakers failed, lower control arms. This is all things I would expect with a disposable GM vehicle. I noticed in the snow that maintaining a proper alignment was key to driving straight, and adjusting the rear brakes was key to stopping. The paint still looks brand new even after $4,000 of paintless dent removal. The car has always been dependable and I dont plan to trade mine in.

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  Fantastic Car 60k miles and still going strong! - 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By smithg89 - August 15 - 9:07 am

  Bought this car brand new in 2007. Since then there have been no major repairs required. No check engine lights nothing. Still on the factory break pads and theyre still fine! Factory battery lasted five years before we replaced it to be safe. And, after being in a front end collision, the body is durable and the car is safe. I do have a minor electrical problem with the radio but its nothing worth writing home about. Paid $18k out the door for it (warrantied to the ceiling) and havent looked back! Great car, sad they replaced it with the Cruize.

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  A couple things need improvement - 2013 Chevrolet Equinox
  By notsocool - August 14 - 9:44 am

  Overall good car. 2 things I think need improvement. One is the front seat construction. The plastic side piece comes way up the cushion so that when I get out it squishes my thigh and hurts unless I snake sideways and slip out of the car, but that gives me a panty wedgy every time. Secondly and most important is the vibrating rear view mirror. They have replaced the mirror but to no avail. After driving 2 more new cars on the lot we discovered the same issue. Must be a poor design. Bad. It actually deters me from looking in my rear as often as Id like.

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  Impressed so far... - 2013 Chevrolet Malibu
  By tlimbert65 - August 9 - 9:00 am

  This car has some pretty stiff competition in the Camry, Accord, Altima and Sonata, but I wanted to buy American from a local dealer, if I could. After comparing, I was impressed enough to buy the Malibu. Its roomy, quiet, comfortable, powerful, and pretty nice looking. The electronics features (OnStar, Bluetooth phone integration, XM radio, driver info system) are handy and work great. Fuel economy was a concern for me, based on ratings, but Ive been averaging 31 in my daily commuting (mostly highway) and Ive measured tanks of 34 and 36.

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  6 months in with the Volt - 2013 Chevrolet Volt
  By chris_v - August 8 - 3:14 pm

  6000 miles and I love the car. Have driven it from February and temps under 20 degrees F to August and temps over 100 degrees F. Full charge shows 44-45 miles available on electric, but I rarely go over 30 miles. Hold mode is great for 2013, as it adds the ability to drive to the highway on electric, then switch to hold mode to maintain the charge and get upwards of 50+ mpg with the gas generator running, then switch back to electric when you get off the highway. Sport mode is fun, and I leave it in L all the time, even on the highway, to take advantage of the aggressive regen to gain back range. So far I havent put gas in it in almost 5 months of daily driving.

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  2012 Traverse - 2012 Chevrolet Traverse
  By jla1466 - August 7 - 3:15 pm

  Overall, I am very pleased with the purchase of this vehicle. However, there are a couple of things that I have found perplexing to say the least. First, the check engine light continues to come on at various times. It does not stay on continuously, but will remain on for a day or so then not come on at all for a day or more. The Chev service department keeps telling me it must be the gas cap since nothing else is showing up when they run the diagnostics. Another issue has been the power steering, which becomes difficult when making the initial turn after backing up. Again, Chev maintenance has been unable to determine why this is happening and attempts to fix have been unsuccessful.

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  This is an awesome car, But!!!!!!! - 2013 Chevrolet Spark
  By whoknew1985 - August 7 - 12:58 pm

  I can be really happy and satisfied with this car if General Motors fixes the A/C issues that some of them are having. The A/C works while driving, but blows warm air at idle. I do not enjoy driving this car in the city at this time. I love the styling and charm of the design of the car. It is fun to drive and handles longer trips really well, in my opinion. The colors that are available gives this car its unique place in my day to day travels. I will update this review and mark this car with higher scores once General Motors finds a resolution for the A/C problems. I have the LS model with the 5-speed transmission. It is Jalapeno Green.

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  3 years/70k miles and still going strong - 2010 Chevrolet Malibu
  By setht37 - August 6 - 10:59 am

  I have had this car for 3 years and it now has over 70k miles on it and I have not had any issues with it. There are a couple squeaks and rattles here and there and sometimes the right turn signal does not go off when turning but I figure it is not a luxury car so what do you expect. I feel this car is just as reliable as a Toyota Camry or Honda Accord. When I first got the car it did not get good gas mileage now that the engine is broken in it gets good mileage. I have gotten 33 mpg doing 80 with 5 people in the car and luggage in the trunk.