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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  Great car - except for a few things - 2015 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Bob Woliver - August 30 - 12:45 pm

  Have had a 2015 Malibu LS for about a month. Great gas mileage, decent power (but it is no dragster), reasonable handling but lacks road feel. Cons: poor rear visibility, no spare tire, a bunch of electronics piled on top of the battery making it difficult to check water level (something you do in a very hot climate like mine) and lots of road noise. Transmission seems to occasionally hunt gears at mid throttle going about 40-50 mph. I hated auto stop on my 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid and dislike it on this car - maybe Im just old school. I personally prefer my older 2009 Malibu with 90K miles on it. I would characterize this car as a typical American 5 passenger car from which they have engineered out every possible cost and I am only marginally satisfied with this car.

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  very old car, but very cheap and minor repairs . - 2001 Chevrolet Prizm
  By Chuck Dulin - August 30 - 12:48 am

  cheap and effective. This car will be the train that just keeps on going.

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  Big Annoying mistake - 2006 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Val - August 28 - 4:46 pm

  The dealer kinda pushed this car on me cause I needed a vehicle to carry my stuff and my 70lb husky...that worked but my car has 80000 miles on it and the repairs are more than the things worth now. All I asked was that it gets me from point A to point B and now it over heats about every 20 minutes of driving. I see why the dealer wanted to get rid of this thing so much I NEVER WANT TO OWN ANOTHER ONE OF THESE [non-permissible content removed] AGAIN!!! they have non standard tires and a pain in butt to change the head lights and it takes forever to heat up in the winter and enjoy less than standard tire size.

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  Car was designed to fail after warranty runs out. - 2010 Chevrolet HHR
  By So this is what chevy is all about - August 27 - 2:35 pm

  I will state the car never stranded me but once save the recalled ignition seizing up. ALL recalls effected my vehicle, the ignition one was amazing on how long it took the dealership to replace, I kept getting notices in the mail and each time I called they either were not approved to do the recall, out of parts or some other reason why they couldnt get it in. It finally took me saying its going to get dropped off tonight whether your ready or not! Because my cars ignition will not turn. Remind you this is 6 months after I initially called and each time was told they would call me when they can get it in. Now going into that you would think they would have offered a rental....no. They had it for a week while I drove a family members car, after a week I finally had enough called back and they said they still cant get the part in...I demanded a rental...they said ok with some hesitation. 2 minutes later they call back and miraculously they found the part and I could pick it up in 30 mins. Fast forward 3 months...now my power steering intermittently starts cutting out. I search online and see there is recall for that...not wanting to go through the same deal I just went through I just dealt with it. Fast forward again, I see another recall for the air bag, this was an issue I brought up during the warranty that the light would intermittently turn on that it needs service...they looked at it twice...no shipshape. There was another issue with the door that kept it from closing some plastic pc that they charged me 350.00 after the warranty was up. It broke yet again so I took it to a mom and pop garage... 18 bucks to replace....so much for good service. Car only has 94,000 miles on it I change the oil often and run mobile 1 synthetic. And I have 2 rear doors which I barely ever used that no children were getting in and out of slamming it but they wont stay shut unless I rig them to stay closed. This week my car randomly acts like its stuck in 3rd gear and will not take off from a stop occasionally, even stalling once, once up to 35mph or higher it acted fine. Check engine light also illuminated he next day so I RELUCTANLY schedule them to take a look at it and see whats wrong with the trany and fix the recalls...thank god I made the powertrain warranty of 100k only being at 94k Wrong because the previous owner bought the car in 2009 the 5 year is up, I bought in Nov 2010 btw. with 20k miles., that the powertrain would not cover it...so I say fine whats wrong with it? Well they cant tell without dropping the tranny, thats out of the question, they charged me 350.00 to replace pc of plastic I can only imagine what that would run me just to check the problem. Long story short I have a car that I owe money on still that may very well be shot, that I cant afford to fix. Not to mention they may try to charge me 98.00 to run a diagnostic...good luck with that btw. My only hope is I can role the negative equity with a trade to the Ford dealer across the street with nothing down, because I for damn sure will not deal with this Chevy dealer again. Or likey any other Chevy dealer for that matter.

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  Boogy Car - 2015 Chevrolet Spark
  By Brenda Lawrence - August 27 - 11:53 am

  Compare the other cars to this one inside and you will find that this little car has BIG room inside. I am tall and this car fit me with room to grow. No more crouching my shoulders and head to drive.. On the express way it Boogys , fast, with tight control . This car is Super fun to drive. I recommend this car to all the people who want to be free from the MOM VAN ERA...BORING.!!!! lIVE A LITTLE, OR LIVE A LOT..THE CHOICE IS YOURS.

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  "Timex" keeps on ticking - 1999 Chevrolet Suburban
  By C. R. Hiebert - August 26 - 8:05 pm

  Great family vehicle. Bought used with less than 100,000 miles when the kids were home, kids are all grown and the odometer is at 290,000. Have hauled children and their gear all over, survived County Fairs and innumerable 4-H animal projects. Pulled the Horse trailer up to the State Fair through City traffic, loaded with camping gear for the week, she made it just fine. A car ran into her side, spun her around, totaled the car, bent the Suburbans rear-axel, passengers shook-up but a-OK, she drove home & got repaired. Three deer have bounced off the grill guard in the front and the only damage is a dent in the corner of the hood. She has driven me back and forth through roads and weather that has been just plain nasty, definitely dependable and reliable. Chevy dealer in town is fantastic about keeping her serviced and running. Well worth the money.

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  A 12 year review - 2002 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Jason - August 26 - 6:57 pm

  I bought my Malibu in 2003 when the transmission in my old Grand Prix started to go. It was a rental previously, and I knew this going in. I will say though, despite its faults, I have a hard time saying the car is complete junk, because my kids (ages 9-11) rode in it when they were babies. I will start with what I believe to be the minor faults, but they can cost: 1. 15 inch tires are getting hard to come by now, and being FWD, it eats up tires quick, if not rotated properly. 2. It only uses the front disc brakes for stopping, thus eats brake pads fast. The drums are only used for parking brake. That said, I will now go into the more expensive repairs I have had: 1. Fuel pump went out 5 years ago, driving down the road. 2. The starter has a safety switch, that will go bad in time, and require replacement, unless yu know how to bypass it, which I did. 3. The biggest....the head gaskets from the factory, are junk and a ticking time bomb. He manifold gaskets are plastic and will crack in time. You will start to lose oil and coolant once they do. I overheated the car 2 winters ago, causing the heads to warp, which required mill work, than changed the gaskets with Fel-Pro gaskets, use regular coolant, and since than, the car drives almost like new. It was a complete PITA to get the top half off and put back together. Just beware that if you have one, and are approaching 150k miles, you have a time bomb on your hands. I recommend flushing the cooling system, to help slow down erosion of the gaskets. Total time and money, we spent 4 days, and around $400 to fix. 4. The fan sensor, which turns the electric fan on and off, went bad, which caused my overheating problem. Would have cost $500 for a new one, but rigged a wire and toggle switch, and it now works. I just have to remember to shut it off, or I will have a dead battery. Interior: Not much, very basic, which I like. Over the years, the arm rest on the drivers door has developed a hole, a couple holes in the driver seat, and the headliner is starting to droop some. All in all, I would have to say that through it all, I should have considered more when buying a car, but I cant complain 100%, because after some work and money put in it, it still runs. Would I recommend it to anyone else? No, especially for anyone wanting a car that lasts a while. The only reason we put money into it, is because we couldnt afford to buy a new vehicle. After the first of the year, the Malibu will be retired to a local driving car only, and one used for a backup, as I will hopefully have a new vehicle.

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  Best Used Car you can buy - 2015 Chevrolet Volt
  By ThatGuy - August 26 - 2:56 pm

  While i would never buy one new, because lets face it i purchased mine with 12k miles for 16,995 and it was new at 41k bucks.. i dont recommend a new one.. But i will say.. WOW.. I am really generally amazed by this car.. Not only is it a blast to drive, it is incredibly cheap to run, and the fit and finish, and quality of the interior,.. build quality, it is frankly amazing.. After owning nothing but Toyotas until having a major issue with one, and writing that company off, i never thought another car could meet the quality.. While only time will tell if it holds up to a 200k mile life of driving without falling apart, i am completely satisfied by the car currently, which is more than i have been by Toyota of recent.. There are however a few things that i dont like.. But that is much like any car.. 1. I hate where the cup holders are located, they are in a bad place, and should be up close to the center console. 2. The car is entirely too low to the ground, i have had slammed civics when i was a kid, this is lower. 3. the headlights are horrible.. At night, you would be better off guessing where things are.. Aside from these things though, the car is really amazing.. quiet, no rattles anywhere, good stereo, very comfortable, efficient, it costs me about 12.00 a month on .06 cents per kilowatt hour. This in English is a savings of over 300.00 a month on gas compared to my Toyota Sienna. While no where near as big,.. I can deal with its size for what i save. Anyone looking at a Prius, or a Civic Hybrid should honestly look at this first.. While not as big as the Prius, it makes up for it in the driving dynamics and position.. It is also a much more solid feeling car than anything Honda makes.

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  Best vehicle ever owned - still love it! - 2001 Chevrolet Blazer
  By Linda - August 26 - 10:34 am

  We purchased this 2001 Blazer with the special Trailblazer trim package in 2004 (as the 2nd owner) with 40,000 miles on it and have had it ever since. For our other vehicle, weve gone through many other vehicles but cant part with this one because of how dependable and reliable it has been. With only routine maintenance expenses, it has 212,000 miles and is still going strong. I hear so many horror stories about the newer vehicles and am thankful Ive stayed with my trustworthy Blazer. The leather still looks great for its age and Ive never had a crack in the dash or anywhere else for that matter. Cant say enough good things about what a workhorse it has been over the years.

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  Tire pressure sensor meltdown - 2015 Chevrolet Cruze
  By Daniel Jensen - August 25 - 11:07 pm

  After only 80 miles in my brand new 2015 cruze 3 of my tire pressure sensors already malfunctioned:/.. The door handles are so cheap and feel like they will fall/rip off at any time. The center consul is not connected to the floor. Blue tooth does not connect to phone for music.