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:

• 

  REALLY tires to fast - 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By surround2man - October 31 - 7:20 pm

  With 24775 miles I have replaced all your tires, REALLY. I have never replaced tires so fast and this.is my 3rd tahoe. I am extremely disappointed. Chevrolet has gone cheap on the new tires. Before the tires were great. I am in the same profession I was 16years ago and the distance I drive.to work is 7.2 miles.

• 

  so - 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By Dean - October 26 - 11:12 pm

  only had it a few days. i really like it. looks good, comfortable, runs great so far, I hope its going to be a good car for a while.

• 

  c4 Love!!! - 1994 Chevrolet Corvette
  By rolland1994vette - October 13 - 11:59 am

  Big difference in what was considered TOP state of the art back then and now. But all that considered, its a very nice toy. When its bad, its bad and cost a lot to fix. But, when shes good, shes excellent. You can pull up at ANY event and NEVER be out classed. Gets lots of attention. People always commenting on how "nice" it is, even younger people. Very fast. It can keep up with the horses for sure. I was once told that once you own one, you WILL want another. Thats true!!!

• 

  no vacation - 2010 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Jennifer - October 8 - 1:14 pm

  Only had it two months on 09/28/15 when it stranded me on my way home after working overnight, 13 hour shift, the bolt that holds the guide plate for the timing chain had been loose for a long period of time and created a hole inside the block to big to repair, causing the chain to break and other damage to the engine. Have to buy new engine with vacation money. Not happy at all since its only the second vacation that I would of had in 33 years. I will never buy another Chevy vehicle.

• 

  2015 Malibu Rental Car - 2015 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Mat - October 7 - 7:04 pm

  I rent very often due to work. I think this is the first time in long time that they gave me a Malibu. Most of the time I would ask for something else. It has been a disappointment. Like someone else stated, the drivers seat is one of the most uncomfortable car that I can think of. You are sitting so low that you cannot see over the dashboard. If you raise the seat, your right leg has to press down on the seat to reach the pedals. I guess this car is designed for long legs. Anyway my biggest complaint is the steering. I strongly suspect this is because it is a rental and has been abused but the steering give a step change whenever I turn it slightly right. This is extremely dangerous but I was too lazy to switch it out.

• 

  Animalplants - 2014 Chevrolet Spark
  By luna44@peoplepc.com - October 4 - 7:04 pm

  I bought a 2013 Chevy Spark LS when they first came out. I loved it! Then a recall on the ignition switch, then it was the fuel pump and now this year the air conditioner went out and burned all over my motor. I never heard a recall on that but reading some of the other reviews it should have been. I still Love my car but now It seems so noisy on the road and it sounds like I am driving a tin can. If I hit a speed bump it feels like to me that the front end tires start to shake and the car seems to try to recover..I have the Techno Pink. Hopeful, all the re-calls I had was a good thing and they will make a better car.

• 

  GREAT FOR FIRST 3 YEARS - 2012 Chevrolet Cruze
  By florida len - October 1 - 10:32 pm

  This is a very good car for the money and for the first 3 years was totally reliable. After 3 years, 2 warranty repairs were made, and one month later, the car experienced a major oil leak that was fixed under warranty. Also, at 3 years the brakes required mashing the pedal when crawling forward or background when parking. This was fixed under recall/warranty and once again reoccurred 1 month later. While the dealer experience was great, and the repairs were under warranty, the car is turning into a very unreliable vehicle at 3 years, and we are constantly worried about what will go wrong again.

• 

  Maybe I should have spent a little more - 2009 Chevrolet Aveo
  By Rob - September 30 - 10:34 am

  I bought my aveo new in 2009, taking advantage of cash for clunkers got it for about 8k new so I really cant complain about the price. Over the years ita has treated me alright. During the warranty period I did have to have a gear in the manual transmission replaced which would have been pretty costly if I had to pay for it. Had a spark plug boot recall also which was apparently causing some vehicles to run poorly...never noticed that but got it fixed nonetheless. This car does go through a set of tires in about 30k miles, even less for the cheap ones that came on it new....think I replaced those at about 20k. I have done all maintenance routinely, havent really had any engine trouble. Did have a phantom check engine light at one point and dealer charged me 100$ to tell me that oxygen sensor was stuck in the open position, quoted me about 500$ to fix but after I reset the light the issue never returned. Had to replace a rear axle bushing to the tune of $300 at about 60k. Front disc breaks have held up well still havent even had to change the pads at 65kk, mechanic says they have plenty of life left. Although the rear drums are currently getting replaced along with shoes for $400 because the shoe came off one locking up my wheel and not allowing me to go home from work last night. This car is 6 years old and has 65k miles. For the most part it has been reliable and I plan on getting another couple years out of it, but I do feel like I have had to fix more than should have been necessary on such a new car that has been well taken care of. Next time I will go with something a little higher end. Forgot to mention I average about 30 mpg or a little over so cant complain about that!

• 

  Im just paying off mine and repairs have cost mo! - 2004 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By Mel - September 25 - 1:53 pm

  The trailblazers are to big for the frame they are on. With that being said they usually have a ton of front end problems. II have spent hundreds on repeat repairs on my trailblazer. I got it from a dealership with 64,000 miles on it and now 3 years later I have 212,100 miles on it and I swear I hate it breaking all the time. Mine is the luxury with heated leather seats 3rd row seating running boards sun roof etc. Well I dont drive it rough and I stay with the upkeep on it (frequent oil changes). I have replaced the whole front end. Bearings, struts, shocksshocks,joints, brakes, ball joints, catalac converter, windshield, rear defrost, rear lights, speakers just working when they want (go in and out constantly). The rear wiper doesnt work. Alignments been done and wont stay aligned. Middle row middle seat belt locked and wont go up or down. Window in the rear wont open jammed shut. I will never buy another one of these. I needed a vehicle and I traded in my Saturn Vue for this and I wish I didnt but my family grew so I really had to unfortunately.

• 

  Ok.... But just ok not worth the 36 K I paid! - 2015 Chevrolet Colorado
  By Pascal Walker - September 25 - 2:23 am

  This was my dream truck I waited for a long time and saved and worked and saved and finally after I found it at my local dealership with everything I wanted I finally got to take it home and Ive just been mildly impressesd all the electronics extras cost extra. Now my $500 a month truck payment is $600 a month. Ive taken it to the dealership 5 times in 4 months. Ill be honest my last car was a used BMW 325i. Maybe Im new to the truck market and this is to be expected. My buddy who has the Top of the Line Ford F150 Platinum 4 x4 says my truck is awesome but Ive had so many problems and for a 4 month old truck Im wondering how the hell is this thing going to make it 60 months????? My seats are ripping after 4k miles on a Z71. I would have take leather for what Im paying. The rear end clicks when I push the gas pedal at a stand still.... answer from chevy "oh thats normal there needs to be play in the rear end" really because the 3 other late model El Caminos Ive owned never had play in the rear end! They were built 20 years ago!! Im still a proud Chevy owner but Im just pissed that the brand has fallen so far. Do I need to buy the Silverado Z71 that doesnt look off road worthy at all? Am I crazy The Z71 Silverado doesnt look like it could handle any sort of off road conditions. Dont even get me started about the wind damn in the front of the truck. Ive almost ripped that thing off on curbs. You want me to get this thing stuck Ill come back missing half the damn plastic just from my normal hiking spot. I asked the dealership hey can you take that off? His reply was " Oh you wanted to take this truck off road"? Well it might void your warranty? Really? Because the whole reason I bought this damn truck was to get to the trailheads I couldnt get to with my damn foreign car! Im Legitimately concerned about my truck making it to the 60 month mark. Thats not what american cars, especially trucks are built on and I feel cheated. This might be my reality, but Ill tell you this I didnt work [non-permissible content removed] to cheated for some hard earned steal and muscle that I feel I deserve.