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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  What a horrible Piece of Junk! - 1994 Chevrolet S-10
  By Hate thisTruck - May 28 - 2:00 am

  I have owned over 20 vehicles in my life but this is the worst by far (and I owned a Pinto). I bought this truck new - LS 4x4, auto, cruise etc. I maintain the vehicle very well and dont drive it hard at all. Things that have broken under warranty (towed to dealer 5 times under warranty) Battery, radio, fuel pump, door misadjusted and wore paint off jamb,front end part wore and car wouldnt track straight. And then - under my cost - fuel pump $725, oil cooler line $600, intake mannifold gasket $600, hydralic lifter failure $650, All service parts are expensive (its cheaper to fix my BMW 540) I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER GM MADE VEHICLE IN MY LIFE.

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  bad - 1995 Chevrolet Lumina
  By mjr - May 28 - 2:00 am

  These cars have a bad engine. They usually leak coolant into the engine.

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  ALL WET - 2003 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By mmelyssa - May 25 - 2:00 am

  Since we have purchased this vehicle it has spent more time in the shop then on the road. Somewhere in the front of the vehicle there is a leak that no one can find. Every time it rains, the entire front floor pannel gets soaked. My car smells like mildew and GM is not being all that cooperative with helping us out. I am not the only trailblazer owner that is having this problem. DO NOT GET THIS CAR

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  Bunch of Crap from Coggins Chevrolet - 2001 Chevrolet S-10
  By WilliamRFranklin - April 30 - 2:00 am

  The truck is not a very reliable truck I"ve had nothing but trouble from it and the quality of work from the the Dealer (Coggins Chevrolet in kissimmee Fl.) has been a real piece of work My seat lumbar busted t 27000. miles and they used bailing wire and wire ties to put it back together. I put in for brakes and a oil change and they tore into my dash a week latter I had to put a new battery and altnator in go figure right

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  Bad Chevy - 1996 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By Usedtolikechevys - March 28 - 2:00 am

  Bought this car still under factory warrenty. Immediately the lifters started knocking, interior rattled, muffler began making an obnoxious rattle. Right after Chevy sent a notice that the head gaskets were defective the engine blew up. Next engine has had nothing but problems - emissions and drivability. 2 dealers and 1 independant shop cannot figure it out.

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  poor - 1990 Chevrolet Corsica
  By d/g - March 25 - 2:00 am

  this was a supid choice. who whold want a car that the engine is louder than you voice. the desighning is alful inside and out. the way this car is than goodness they dont make them any more.

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  Biggest piece of crap on the road - 1999 Chevrolet Venture
  By quag - March 16 - 5:20 pm

  This car was junk nothing more to say

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  very nice functional car - 2011 Chevrolet Cruze
  By Scott Thompson - January 31 - 5:43 pm

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  Stay away - 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By texrock - January 22 - 5:19 am

  Where do I even begin? This truck is a nightmare. The only thing worse is GMs response or lack thereof. 1.Moving/shifting drivers seat; GM failed to fix it three times. 2.Missing lights on radio; GM states theyre not on this truck(LTZ) even though it clearly shows the lights in all the brochures and the Sierra has it. 3.Condensation in the headlights. 4.Fluctuating RPMs and rough idle; GM cant fix it. 5.Heated seats dont function properly. 6.Poor radio reception. 7.Rear power sliding window motor constantly breaking. 8.Thin spots on the paint. 9.Loose column shifter. I will never purchase another GM product again.

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  Buy Something Else - 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By basmartass - December 17 - 10:00 am

  The only reason I bought this car is because I could walk to the dealer and it was cheap. But you get what you paid for. The sales rep was classic; comb-over, tie tack, tried to engage in small talk. I hate traffic lights because it gives me the time to notice mis-aligned panels, cheap materials and poor design. I should have bought a Honda or Toyota.