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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  I had hoped for more . . . - 2012 Chevrolet Sonic
  By kebleil - January 22 - 11:57 pm

  We purchased this car - actually its the LT Turbo 6m - in July 2012. Right away we were disappointed with the mpg and the discrepancies with the digital read-out. On average, we probably get 2-3 mpg less than what the car says we do. It seems like the mpgs are all over the place as you read the reviews. Some getting fantastic - some getting terrible mileages. We are usually in the 30-32mpg range. What is confusing is that we got better mileage at first but it seems to be declining. We are nearly 7000 miles. The disappointment was accentuated when after 7 weeks of ownership we were pelted with extensive hail damage - not gms fault, of course, but it lowered our excitement.

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  Good Value / Decent Mileage - 2012 Chevrolet Cruze
  By csb4 - January 22 - 5:59 pm

  My 12 Cruze LS gets mileage as advertised. Mileage depends *heavily* on driving style. This weekend I drove the family to Disney and got 40 mpg round trip (EPA = 38 mpg highway). Driving more aggressively, Id get 34-36 mpg highway. Like any car, numerous factors are at play: More passengers / more gas in tank = lower mpg. Lower temperatures = lower mpg. Air conditioner = lower mpg. More uphill than downhill = lower mpg (I therefore rely more on round trip values). I have even noticed mpg variations depending on the quality of the road. Some of the comments Ive read probably dont account for these variables, and the many others, that do affect mpg.

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  2012 LT Auto - 2012 Chevrolet Cruze
  By efunk1 - January 21 - 2:51 pm

  I have the 1.4 turbo with 20,000 milesw bought brand new. Fuel mileage is 35.2 on 16,000 miles and avg 38 on hwy under 70 mph. One problem that has come up is when driving down hwy the car drifts a little to the left and when I try to steer back the steering has a catch, (kink) in it. It happens atleast 8 times in a 50 mile drive. Talked to dealer and they said they havnt heard of that happing. I googled steering problem and seen many others with same problem which they all state dealer ran codes and found no problem other than 1 guy had said the dealer was replacing entire front end. I think GM has a big problem and their not letting the cat out of the bag!

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  Its been a great car! - 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By silveeto - January 21 - 2:32 pm

  Ive had my Cobalt for 3 years. Bought with 80,000km and now have 155,000km on it. Aside from oil changes and regular maintenance I havent had to do a thing to this car. Its fun, zippy, good on gas, and being fully loaded with leather and heated seats I really cant complain about much. The only problem is one that many 2005 gm cars had - intermediate steering shaft gets sloppy. Kind of annoying, but have never felt unsafe... just a 1/4" of play in the steering wheel. My mechanic said it was safe to drive as is or I could spend a small fortune replacing it, so obviously I went the free route, lol. Other than that its been a fantastic car!

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  uncomfortable drivers seat - 2013 Chevrolet Malibu
  By al1234 - January 19 - 1:54 pm

  I have the LT model with the "upgraded interior", bought in mid-Dec 2012. I find that I am absolutely unable to get the power drivers seat into a comfortable back position, no matter how I adjust the many electric controls. The lumbar adjustment is completely crazy. It sticks out WAY too much, even on the most "reduced" setting. Otherwise, I have had only 2 issues: 1) Brake lights would not go out after releasing brake pedal because pedal was not coming back up on its own (needed a new pedal assembly) 2) Steering wheel not centered wheel was positioned slightly to the right as car was driven straight (needed alignment)

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  Volt rocks! - 2013 Chevrolet Volt
  By tdj1 - January 18 - 7:53 pm

  I have driven my Chevy Volt about 2000 miles so far. Ive used about 2 gallons of gas. The car handles well and has very good acceleration. This is my first American car. Previously Honda/Acura guy. I can honestly say that Im very happy with the car.

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  Very Dissapointed - 2011 Chevrolet Colorado
  By nickb85 - January 17 - 2:37 pm

  After having 2 friends buying colorados and the good review i went and bought a new one in august 2011. I just bought the lt1 2wd with auto trans. For first month everything was great. Then when starting truck it would spit and sputter until it made this weird vacuum noise. took to dealer and they put new parts on and still didnt help. Then my turn signal switch started messing up. Last but not least when starting it makes a bad chain dragging noise that we have yet to figure out. this happened with less then 4k miles and i keep extra good care of my vehicles. Looking to trade in for a import truck. my 95z28 with 130k miles has no problems. but a new truck has a lot. I wouldnt buy again.

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  Bought for a spare, cant stop driving and love fixing it up - 1995 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By davolas46 - January 17 - 1:14 am

  I bought my 95 Chevy Tahoe being the umpteenth owner of it, I had been dumped at our shops lot sitting for a few years with over 350000 miles on it. The Tahoe had seen alot of battle, rot spots places, front end worn out, rear end hummed. I bought it off my shop for $1500 to replace my Chevy S-10, the first few weeks of having it I fell in love with it even with 350000 on the odometer on it. I learned it was a throttle body injection system and being an auto technician for 7 years I knew it was a very easy model to service. I have put 20000 miles on it, I still own it and love taking care of it.

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  Over all Its been a good car. - 2003 Chevrolet Impala
  By bedog - January 16 - 9:03 pm

  I bought this car with 40,000 miles on it. Around 70,000 miles I had to replace my intake manifold gasket. I took it to a mechanic, not the dealership. He installed a quality after market gasket. I had brake rotor issues with this car until I did the brakes myself. I replaced the rotors with quality after market. The wheel lugs need to be torqued to proper specs, this will prolong rotor life. You need to flush and fill the radiator every 1 or 2 years despite dexcool specs. I keep it very clean. This car requires regular oil changes and cooling flushes. Synthetic oil and regular cooling flushes will keep it going. By using synthetic oil you dont need to change every 3K. Let the sensor work.

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  Great Little Car! - 2013 Chevrolet Spark
  By golfgti4789 - January 14 - 5:44 pm

  Comming from a Dodge Ram, I bought this vehicle due to a new job with a long commute. I bought the manual so I can suck out all the power I could. Thinking I would regret going down to a car that is 4 inches shorter than a mini, the car is a little gem! It easily beats the mpg estimate of 32/38, Im getting 40 mpg per tank without really trying! Easy to park, comfortable enough, fits 4 adults in a pinch. Not terribly fast but gets the job done. "Sparks" a lot of interest of people asking what it is. MyLink with bluetooth integration works amazing! Overall a great car, and much better then expected.