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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  Dont buy the Uplander - 2008 Chevrolet Uplander
  By Lee - November 18 - 2:00 am

  I bought this vehicle for my wife as she needed a large more reliable vehicle for the family. We have had nothing but problems with this 2008 Uplander. The worst thing is its not reliable. Charging System Failure continue to be a problem. Some days the vehicle will be just fine, and then other days the vehicle wont start. A dealership has replaced the alternator twice, and again we are still having the same issue. Charging System Failure and the vehicle wont start. When you have a family with young kids nothing is more important then reliability. What is so frustrating is if you google problems with 2008 Uplanders you will get several customers with my exact same story. :(

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  Chevy Uplander - Hate it! - 2007 Chevrolet Uplander
  By Bryan - November 17 - 2:00 am

  I have the LS version thinking it was pretty nice. I thought it would at least have armrests on the 2nd row, and ya know how all other minivans had handles on the passenger side, and sometimes on the rear? Well, the uplander (I mean Downloader) does not. I hate it! Cant wait for the lease 2 be up!

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  Hate this car - 2011 Chevrolet Camaro
  By jason - November 14 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car a month ago and I have already had to get rid of it, this car is horrible! The paint is already chipping, the cars performance is lacking, and I did not know when I bought how difficult it was when it came to blind spots. Took the car 3 times to the dealer for mechanical and paint problems and every time I got told there was nothing they could do. For the price of this car it should be top quality, I will never buy another GM product again, traded in and got a Challenger never been happier!

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  Need big pocket book 2 keep it going - 1998 Chevrolet Malibu
  By kevin - November 13 - 2:00 am

  GM messed this one up, needs repairs on everything, very noisy cabin, would not ever buy this model again.

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  What a piece of junk! - 1992 Chevrolet Beretta
  By moppymop - November 11 - 2:00 am

  Where do I start...horrible ergonomics (GM couldnt even be bothered to make the drivers seat line up with the steering wheel), sub-Happy Meal-quality interior trim, interior and exterior parts fell off at random, crappy 3 speed auto sucked out every last iota of performance the 3100 V6 had in it (which wasnt much to begin with), leaked water in the rain, transmission was toast at 70K miles. Unless someone is paying you to take one of these cars, you dont want one.

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  All bad rewiews correct steering - 2006 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Toyotafan - November 7 - 1:00 am

  I bought the car for my wife since her 1996 Ford Taurus was on its last leg. So we drove a used Malibu. Seemed great compared to what we had and a decent price. 1 month later the steering had a knock in it when you turned the wheel parked or at low speeds. Very common problem in many Chevy trucks as well. Dealer ship did a quick fix, and 2 months later it reappeared. Now if I want piece of mind for a real fix $500. Chevrolet has gone down hill with products over last 10 years. Do not buy this car unless you have no other choice. Great power from engine is only good quality about it.

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  Dont buy an Equinox - 2006 Chevrolet Equinox
  By mmiddlles - November 5 - 2:00 am

  Chevy would not honor warranty issues, I have 50k now, front seats have cracked and are pealing off, no I am not over weight, dash light brunt out with in first two years, very poor fuel economy, first two tanks highway an.d city driving not freeway stop and go I got 11 mpg, went to dealer they said nothing and that the EPA sets those, I got it for the fuel economy assuming that my driving I would get around 20 average. Now it has starting problems, and the ignition is binding up and it take three to eight tries just to be able to turn the key to start the car. I have always been a GM owner and have been extremely loyal, but the cheapness of this vehicle I will never look to GM again.

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  Chevy failed again - 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By ncx35 - October 17 - 2:00 am

  Not the worst car Ive ever owned. Decent on gas, cheap plastic interior, cheap everything, minimal features, has been in the shop for major repairs 4 or 5 times in the 4 years Ive had it, I just got it fixed the other day and the stupid check engine light is back. Rides rough, shakes and rattles when coming to a stop, rough idle, slower than a bicycle, less than great gas mileage for a 2.2 liter four cylinder engine. This will be my last American car, ever.

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  Traverse is junk ! - 2009 Chevrolet Traverse
  By Chris Robinson - October 11 - 2:00 am

  For the past 6 mos, have had nothing but trouble. First the dealer said nothing was wrong. When check engine light came on, they had my car for 3 weeks straight. Then timing chain problem turned into transmission problems. Now, you cant accelerate quickly because the tires spin. So much for traction control. the dealer has replaced the software in my transmission 3-4 times now. i would NOT recommend this garbage of a vehicle to anyone. Its no wonder GM went bankrupt, because their customer service really blows. I have spoken to GM numerous times about these issues, but they dont seem to care. Looks like my GM buying days are over.

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  Done with chevy - 2007 Chevrolet Malibu
  By zuesman - October 9 - 2:00 am

  Ive always been a Chevy guy, but i think its time to switch. At only 60,000 miles the dreaded power steering clunk that all malibus are having showed up, the exhaust is leaking very bad , the rattle noise in the dash is driving me nuts, you cannot open the rear windows over 30 mph because the rear panel under the rear window starts to rattle, need i say more . GM says there are no recalls on these issues . Ok who decides to issues a recall? They need to take care of these problems . I dumping this joke , heading to the ford dealership soon. good luck chevy . give me a call next time you need a bailout . NOT