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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  Push it off a cliff - 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By Ian - August 16 - 9:43 pm

  This is a long review. What I mention can be very important to anyone who is serious about buying this car. Skip to the end if you want my recommendations. In 2010, I bought a base model 2dr Cavalier with a manual transmission for around $4500 with around 104k miles on it. I look back now and I can tell you that it was NOT worth that, even if KBB said so. If Im lucky I could sell this to a dealer for $600. In five years I have put around 41k miles on it and I have grown to loathe it. Good things: its a mode of fairly reliable transportation, heating and A/C still work, road noise isnt too terrible. Bad things currently: rocker panels are rusting badly behind the doors, intermittent wiper mode doesnt work properly (wipers get stuck mid-cycle), suspension, front seats, back seats (anyone taller than 5 9" should NOT sit in the back), seat belt harnesses are uncomfortable in front seats, trunk lid latch (occasionally when going to use the key to unlock the trunk, the key wont be able to open it because the socket for the latch will twist when turning the key and will not allow the latch to release). Bad things in the past: air vent control (Under the right conditions, if you force the air vent control knob, it will bend the cable that it uses to switch between airflow directions. After this, it is stuck in one airflow direction and cannot be changed. The dash has to be removed and a new cable has to be installed.), timing chain (This one worried me. It has been reported in forums that, after 100k miles, the timing chain starts to not get enough oil and the chain breaks causing engine damage. Id like to say I had my chain and other components replaced at around 128k miles.) Driving this car is dreadful. The suspension is soft and corners like a barge. The brakes are there and they get the job done. Acceleration is what you can expect from 2.2L 4cyl. Steering is quite floppy. There is a long throw in gear changes but it shifts smoothly nonetheless. Looking at this car is not much better. I realized later that what I should have had was a hatchback or at least a 4dr vehicle. This car is NOT practical. Yes, you could get yourself a 4dr Cavalier but they look even worse than the 2dr versions. Recommendations: 1. Use it for a winter beater. 2. If you travel less than 5 miles to work every day and you dont plan on ever driving more than that in one trip, you should be fine. 3. DONT BUY THIS CAR! If youre looking for a compact Chevy that isnt built in Korea, look into a 4dr Cobalt. Theyre more practical than the 2dr, they look way better than a 4dr Cavalier, and they arent terribly expensive. Do your research and pick a car that fits you. I clearly made the wrong choice.

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  Cheaply made car - 2010 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Kyle - August 16 - 4:46 pm

  I bought this 2010 Equinox back in December of 2014. Since then I have had my car in the shop over 6 times. Im tired of it all. Plus I was getting about 31 mpg when I first bought the suv since then I am now getting about 22 mpg. Kind of a joke, Im tired of all the crap with Chevrolet. Im done with them and now am looking for another suv all together. Getting away from all of GM vehicles. My previous GMC truck had the same issues and also everything started to break on it one by one

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  Love This Car - 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By bjdittberner1@madisoncollege.edu - August 14 - 11:04 am

  I bought this Car with 75,000 Miles on it. Car Has Never Had an warranty submissions on it. I am A certified mechanic so I know cars in and out. There is a few minor problems like water getting in threw the front windows seals causing the front speakers to go in and out at times. And The Seal On The Front Headlights Can Go out letting moisture fill up the lens. Only 50$ to replace and I did it myself. NOTHING MAJOR. THese cars are bullet proof. Nothing mechanically has ever went wrong with this car at 85,000 miles already.

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  233K Miles and Still Running Like a Champ! - 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By DJwazlo - August 14 - 7:42 am

  I purchased our 04 Chevy Tahoe new from the Chevy dealer in 2004 as our daily driver family car and let me tell you, it gets driven every day. It is the base model with cloth interior. Sticker price at the time was $38K. It is now 2015 and we have put over 233,000 miles on this same vehicle and it is still running like a champ with no mechanical issues what so ever. Praise GOD! The only issues we have had are the instrument cluster gauge went out at about 150K miles, which is typical with GM vehicles, and the A/C blower was replaced at around 180K miles. That is it. We have not had any engine or transmission problems of any kind. And to be quite honest we have never had the transmission service done ever on the vehicle like the dealer recommends, just routine oil changes about every 5K - 7K miles, sometimes we have even gone as far as 10K - 12K miles before the next oil change. Just check the fluid levels , (oil, Transmission fluid, coolant, brake fluid) from time to time and that is it. Needless to say I will be getting another Chevy Tahoe when the time comes, my goal is to get 500K miles out of this wonderful 04 Tahoe before that day comes. :)

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  Id buy another one right now. - 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By Chuck Hays - August 12 - 9:00 pm

  I needed a cheap car to get to work in, found this one for sale nearby. Paid 1800 for it with 228k on it. It was fairly clean and drove well. I have had to do a few things to it to keep everything operational, but I am a mechanic, so no biggie. I drive like I stole it, change the oil regularly and it just turned 309 k. Good value for the money.

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  5dr Sonic Turbo Automatic - 2012 Chevrolet Sonic
  By John - August 12 - 7:31 pm

  I did not pick this car - though I got it brand new - very grateful. But want to save potential buyers from getting duped. This turbo engine is very dangerous to drive - terrible lag. And car will not move when temperature is high. Seems to be worst at 100 degrees or above- but noticeable by 95. Do NOT buy a turbo of you live in a desert climate! Besides danger- it gets 16 mpg city and less than 30 hwy when it is hot! Dealer refuses to address issue or stand behind this car. Has been doing this since new. High temps means dangerous car with horrible gas mileage. I believe it is a design flaw. Also I have had a water pump and broken AC already . Car has 30k from commute and Ive only used premium oil and taken meticulous care of it. Transmission is now going nuts and the entire car rattles like a 67 Buick. Again hwy miles and never abused. I wanted to like this car and give Chevrolet a chance...but after two years I can say Id never buy another Chevrolet. Back to German, or Japanese:Korean if economy. Sonic is very safe and comfortable , spacious and quiet cabin, and has lots of features...but unfortunately the quality just isnt there. I doubt this vehicle will be running to 100 k miles. (Even with most all miles be freeway.) in addition trade in value is already 8 grand on this premium level car( a comparable Honda Fit would be worth much much more. Very high depreciation on sonic as they have become rental cars across the United States I guess) Bottom line is if you DO buy a sonic do not buy the turbo. Yes its more fun to drive because of torque but is annoyingly slow off the line always - and dangerously slow when engine temp is affected by summer weather. I wouldnt recommend anyone buy a Sonic. 16 MPG in town and the dealer says car is fine? Speaks volumes of Chevrolet product.

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  Ive Ditched German Engineering for USA! - 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By Williamsburg Dave - August 12 - 3:26 pm

  After owning 6 Mercedes (and 1 Volvo, 1 Toyota, and 1 BMW,) Ive turned to the good old USA. My last car was a 2009 MB ML 320 Bluetec, and was nothing but serious, expensive trouble. And the main reason I started looking at the American made vehicles was because I just got sick and tired of the constant insane maintenance costs. So my expectations werent super high when I walked into the Chevy dealer. But I was instantly surprised when I got into the new 2015 Tahoe. Now that I have 32K miles on the odometer (I drive a LOT!), I have to say that I love it even more. After all of the supposed "luxury" cars Ive owned over the years, this Tahoe seems to be the best built, most comfortable, and nicest riding car/truck. The ergonomics are excellent. Great stereo, GPS, Rear camera, etc. I do mostly highway driving, and Ive been getting 24-25mpg on the highway, with a high of 26.5mpg. Around town i get 21-22mpg. Handling is spot on, and always feel well controlled and safe. I have towed with it, and actually forgot that the loaded trailer was even back there! Plus, I think it really is a great looking SUV. I wish that the rear floor was lower. Thats my only complaint. The dealers have been great. I have yet to pay for any service, so out of curiosity I recently asked what my oil changes will cost after warranty. About $40! I never escaped from the Mercedes dealer for less than $250! My father has the Ford Expedition, and used to love it until he drove my Tahoe. Now he is Tahoe Shopping.

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  Great for Family and travel - 2015 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Bill B. - August 12 - 3:01 pm

  I was looking for a safe vehicle that was easy to get in and out of and have a lots of room for my family. The chevy equinox is the best choice. It is a complete package. Large and quite inside with more leg room then my Lincoln town car just not as wide. Has air bags both front and sides. And the doors have acoustic glass to keep it quiet and protect you in case of roll over. Equinox comes with active noise cancelation technology to combat the noise of its engine. The system Vallance and his team up with consists of an ANC module that kicks in when the engine is running in the 1,000 to 1,500 rpm range. Two microphones in the vehicle interior measure the amplitude and the phase of the engine noise sound waves and relay this information to the ANC module. To ensure it targets only the unwanted engine noise and not other noise inside the cabin, such as the stereo or passenger conversations, the module also takes into account the engine speed to calculate the target frequency that needs to be cancelled. Seats are very comfortable for my 14 hour trips I take once a month and commuting back and forth to work every day. The four cylinder is smooth, quiet and refined and works well with the 6 speed and seems to have a gear for every need. Does not work hard going over the mountains and still gets 28.4 miles to the gallon every day driving at 65 mph. Has four power ports one USB and one 3.5mm jack. This is an easy vehicle to live with and I would buy another one.

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  Overall one big giant shrug: "meh" - 2012 Chevrolet Volt
  By Maggie B. - August 12 - 12:41 pm

  Having previously owned a second gen Prius, a 2006 Ford Fusion, I got to feel very different rides and experience very different levels of sorrow at the gas station. On the one hand, the Volt will get most folks super far on the just electric mode, but on the other the ride is still hybrid and numb. The efficiency drops when Im in standard city or suburban stop and go traffic, accelerating to 45 on most roads is fine until I have to stop and do it again literally 2 miles later and the electric range just plummets. There is almost no way to recoup ones range by barking or cruising so dont have your hopes up if you previously owned a Prius or other hybrid. Then in dense city areas the efficiency goes up marginally until the city driving is over and then the range just drops as soon as youre back on the highway. That point is especially true for most N Americans outside of largely dense cities. Then there is the technology. Hybrids are the vehicle equivalent of smartphones. The Insight and Prius were the smart phones before Apple iPhone and Volt, Tesla and Leaf are the equivalent of those that came after. Having owned the 2nd Gen Prius it was like having one of the rock solid 3g phones before the iPhone: I thought it would be cooler to upgrade and now I regret it. Sometimes we are too set in our ways to upgrade our hardware, I say this as a millennial btw. The Volt is more like a shiny iPhone 4. One in which you cannot in fact turn off most notifications during meetings. One in which the phone (car) will tell you that you put your phone in your purse or took it out of your pocket or that its about to turn off due to low battery and so on. And these alerts are not mute-able! Imagine that. Its insane the amount of bells, bongs and rings this Volt makes. I remember the backup signal on the Prius, that was the only alert, and it was bothersome but I would appreciate having only that over all the other alerts on the Volt. And to think I havent brought up the entertainment system. You have a smart phone or iPod and plug it in and select your favorite band and then ... wheres the album list... so you select a song. Now that great song is playing and the next song is whichever song is alphabetically later in the song list. So think you can remember that bands best album you loved? No, sorry, scroll through the millions of albums and now the songs will play in Alpha order from the album you just selected. If that sounds "smart" then you my friend belong in a VOLT. The touch controls are sometimes responsive and sometimes require a little extra prodding below the touch screen. So memorizing the touch buttons by feel is now impossible. And if you once had a Prius in the always hot SW, you probably got used to adjusting the climate on the steering wheel, and now you get to shift your eyes away from the road, onto the center console, over the the split climate section and adjust every two seconds since eco mode on the climate control is as effective as having a golden retriever pant on your for cooling. Yay, Volt! Now youre turning left, trying to see past the giant six inch pillars which are still in the way no matter whether you lean left or right and then check your rear view mirror which now is misaligned due to slightly shifting your seat and the rear window couldnt possibly get any higher/narrower/less effective now could it? Sure the Fusion has absolute crap rear-view and so do most chunky-reared sedans, but this here Volt is a purported Hatch! So surely you have more window and a better view.. sorry no, this a Volt and even worse, a Chevy. In summary, SUV drivers may love the fuel efficiency and Prius owners may love to up their smugness with this green-hov-sticker qualifying car but the vast majority hate the numb steering, the dead until youve hit something braking and the lack of visibility due to crash test standards where we absolutely must be able to flip five times into a moving train and live. But honestly, give me a plug-in Golf and lets call it a day. This is still a Chevy after all.

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  No Complaints on MPG - 2015 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Barry Skinner - August 12 - 12:09 pm

  The electronics are great but on-star is very costly added to XM radio it could cost over $55.00 per month. The front seat quit once and dealer replaced fuse, also dealer left seat cover on side hanging off, so not happy about that. Very comfortable ride. Not fast if you are looking for sports car performance but I pass people easily enough, just have to allow more room than say a turbo boosted engine. As for the mileage I average 29 mpg which is great and I have gotten 37 mph for a 50 mile average. All in all I am pretty pleased with my Equinox 1 LT which has back up camera, power driver seat, 7" touch screen, 4G internet, navigation, satellite radio, remote start, and a lot of other features, just no fog lamps, but I only paid 26,000.00 out the door price and it had only 1500 miles on this demo.