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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  Will Never Get Another Chevy - 1999 Chevrolet S-10
  By Michael - December 13 - 2:24 am

  My favorite thing about this truck was selling it! It was a "nice" looking truck, but every time I took it in for a relatively simple thing, several other problems would always emerge. Truck was always well taken care of. At 80000, I had to replace the starter. The seat lever handles had broken off (common), and the center console was smashed in. At about 90,000 miles, I had to take it in to get the transmission rebuilt. At 100,000 miles, it needed new a new idler arm on the drivers side and a set of new shocks. At 110,000, had to replace rear shocks again, replace cross link, and valve cover. The truck got poor mileage and was totally GUTLESS! Low horsepower. Happy to sell is last week!!

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  Get a new truck!! - 2005 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By BioBabie - December 13 - 2:06 am

  Its a reliable truck, howver its horrible on gas. It is a great design by GM, however it i too big of a truck for the V-6 engine. Its very comfortable.

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  Beware the T-Tops! - 1997 Chevrolet Camaro
  By CamaroGuy - December 12 - 8:51 pm

  The GM purists claim the brand died out because of this new body style. This may be true, but as an owner of a 1986 and a 1997, this new design is a classic look nowadays. I get tons of looks in my screaming red ride. I am constantly asked what year it is...how bigs the motr and such. The car is a blast to drive, but is not intended for comfort if you are over 5 foot 9. The only glaring problems is that the T-tops leak and the front side markers and fog lamps go bad quickly and are a pain to trouble shoot by the owner. My interior is ruined by the constant leaking of the T-tops, but I take the good with the bad. As a bonus, nothing rattles when you put a powerful system with 800w subs in it!

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  Piece of junk - 2006 Chevrolet Impala
  By Joe Smith - December 12 - 7:48 pm

  Soon after I bought it the power steering starting leaking and breaking hoses. Rear door wont open. Cant shift out of drive. Key gets stuck in the ignition. Front end feels like its coming apart. Should have been covered under cash for clunkers but presumably it is worth too much.

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  Value received - 2007 Chevrolet HHR
  By John - December 12 - 4:28 pm

  For the price (under $23,000) out the door and every option in the book sans sunroof, how can it be better. 16,000 miles later I have averaged 27+ MPG. With back seats down it carries a prodigious amount of stuff. With the back seats up it will still carry a lot of stuff and 4 TALL passengers with ease. I had an 04 PT Cruiser and it would do neither.

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  Brimstone - 2017 Chevrolet Spark
  By Colton - December 12 - 1:33 am

  I named my little Brimstone car Yoshi. Yoshi is a really nice little car, when I bought him I was just needing something with A/C. But I got a lot more with my little Spark! It has a lot of features for being an entry level car, like Standard Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. And it also has an impressive Stereo system! Yoshi is VERY slow, and pretty average to drive, but MPGs are killer (especially since you have the MPG monitor next to the speedo, you can know where your cars sweet spot is). My fiance drives a 2012 Scion iQ and its much quicker, and a lot more fun to drive. But nonetheless Yoshi is a great little car. In the 2 weeks I owned him, Ive put 300 miles on him.

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  2007 Tahoe - 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By Mike - December 11 - 6:00 pm

  Rides well, plenty of power for daily use, decent fuel economy for vehicle its size, plenty of space for 4 and groceries. Annoying to have to remove 3rd row seats to get storage for large items. Cant figure out why GM cant design one that folds flat. 6 batteries in 2 years and GM still hasnt solved this mystery. Dash Cracked in 4 places. Plastic too thin. GM stated was not manufacturing defect and not their problem.

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  Youd Be Surprised! - 2007 Chevrolet Corvette
  By rcarter20 - December 11 - 4:19 pm

  I purchased my Vette used, with 25K miles. For a driving machine you would have to spend a lot more to better this car. Fast, great handling, reliable all what you expect. But what surprised me was that on long highway road trips I got 30 MPG averaging 75 MPH. My wifes 1.8L turbo VW Jetta doesnt get that. But then my BMW 540 beat her car in road mileage. I average 22 MPG with 50/50 intown/highway around Atlanta. This vehicle is great! The number of vehicles that are faster you can count on your fingers and cost twice the Vettes new retail!

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  Neck Snapping Fast - 2008 Chevrolet Corvette
  By 1st Corvette - December 11 - 2:39 pm

  I have only owned sports cars, and this is the fastest car I have ever owned. Had several Mustangs, Porsches, and now my first Chevrolet. The 6.2 litre is has more horsepower than most will be able to handle. This car could break the tires loose in 4th gear. I almost didnt purchase the car because I thought the interior was kind of cheap looking. But I have adjusted. Car sounds good! Who doesnt like an American V8. Had some issues with heated seats, headlight, and stereo is subpar.

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  Girls want to have fun too! - 2006 Chevrolet Impala
  By Nikki from Chicago - December 11 - 1:50 pm

  I love this car! My husband suggested I buy the car (I believe he wanted the car :) Now he cant keep me out of the it. I have to behave. Ive already received 2 speeding tickets. Overall the car is everything I wanted. The drive is smooth, the look is sporty, the sound system is crystal clear, the power is there when you need it. I would buy another one.