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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  Never buy a Chevy again! - 2009 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Webb - February 18 - 5:43 pm

  This car gets terrible gas mileage and has many defects. At 24000 miles the gas gauge quit working, the fan constantly cuts in and out with the AC, and now with just 46000 mikles the transmission seal is leaking (not covered under extended warranty) and a bad spark plug wire fouled a spark plug and ruined the fuel injection system all not covered under warranty! All factory items, had the dealership always change the oil and perform routine maintenance yet the original spark plug and wire is bad. Terrible service and terrible quality. I will never owen another Chevy product again.

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  Worst truck purchase ever! - 2005 Chevrolet Colorado
  By Stephen - February 14 - 7:36 am

  In under 40,000 miles, I have had to change the clutch, have the brakes rebuilt, new tire rods, and live with the wonderful feeling of is the truck going to die on the way to work again. I am currently driving with the check engine light due to faulty vacuum seals. This truck has been used to haul items less than ten times and never over a thousand pounds. the vehicle rattles and does not drive nice, several of the dashboard lights have burnt out. Do not buy one of these vehicles they are not put together well.

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  Dont Waste Your Money - 2002 Chevrolet Impala
  By CLH - February 12 - 8:20 am

  I bought my car new off the lot. It was great at first. The 1st year the entire steering column had to be replaced - it locked up and I could not move it. Once I hit 100,000 - I had to replace the intake gasket, head gasket, bearings, window motor, and fuel pump. I also had to replace the brakes numerous times. Interior design not good - kept finding screws inside the car on the floor. Even my mechanic said that the 3.4 liter engine was not good & all his customers with this car had the same problems.

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  Squeek ,Rattle and Barely Roll - 2003 Chevrolet Avalanche
  By DBLD - February 12 - 7:30 am

  Leather seats are very comfortable but heated seat on drivers side stoped working shortly after purchase. Interior squeaks and rattles all over!!! (dash,console,doors,etc.) MPG is horrible sticker said 12-16, this one gets 12.5 going down hill on the highway and thats on a good day!!Bed cover leaks like its not even there!! Tranny and drive line pops,dangs and jerks carnival ride! Im going bankrupt on fuel, trading for Ford or Dodge ASAP!!

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  2006 Cobalt powerstering and key ignitio - 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By Ash-816 - February 10 - 4:27 pm

  I purchased my 06 cobalt on feb, 2006. At aprox 36,000 miles, 2,000 miles after my warranty expired, one day my key would not release from the ignition.. So I left my key in the car until my brother found a tiny button inside the steering column that release my key. So I have to press it everytime. Then about 1 week later power steering light came on. No big deal right. Turns out it was electrical and the dealer wanted 1500.00 for power steering and 500 to replace key ignition.. Now that cant be normal on a brand new. Gm need to hurry up with a recall.. I would never buy a gm vehicle ever again

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  A lemon - 2009 Chevrolet Aveo
  By Molly - February 9 - 5:09 am

  I purchased the car used with 25K miles. I drove it 200 miles on the hwy and could only get my gas mileage average up to 24mpg. Disappointing. I could not get it to accelerate enough to merge with traffic. Other motorists would honk and flash their lights because the vehicle would slow down traffic. After 10 days of owning it, the check engine light came on during a snow blizzard in Minnesota and the vehicle decelerated to 5 miles per hour nearly causing a traffic accident. This all happened without warning. All of a sudden it seemed as though I was riding in a rocket ship. The engine began to die as I turned the heat on and a cracking sound was heard from the motor. I got rid of it.

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  Too Many Problems - 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By April - February 4 - 9:22 am

  We bought this car new and soon after had AC/Heat problems. Dealer fixed those. Replaced tires not long after that. Car always pulls to the left. Interior is breaking and chipping. Had to have a shifting solenoid replaced. A/C started leaking into the car after the warranty was up. We were told it was over-charged and would correct itself (not true). Had to replace tires again. Shifter wouldnt go into park so unable to turn car off. Way too many problems for a new car.

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  Bad deals - 2006 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By rl - February 3 - 2:03 pm

  My daughter bought a Trailblazer LS from Cal Worthington and had nothing but trouble. They tried to charge her for charging a battery that was dead because there was some problem with the alarm system and she couldnt turn off the radio,etc. Then the engine blows because they said there was no oil in the engine. She had recently had an oil change which she did regularly. These vehicles should be recalled.

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  You get what you pay for... - 2009 Chevrolet Aveo
  By darren - January 30 - 6:51 pm

  I have had this car for about a year and I do highway commuting. I have already put 50000km on the car, 90% of which are highway. I am not a hard driver. I get up to speed set the curse and go. All the maintenance has been done by certified GM techs. In 50000km... I have have a knocking sound in my steering when I turn right. My transmission is slipping in and out of fourth. The HOLD mode turns on randomly The car randomly down shifts The seals around the door leak I have had time where the car will not start The radio always reset itself The rear wiper was not receive fluid The check engine light came on because it detected a issue with an O2 sensor..

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  Never Again! Rather buy a Yugo - 2006 Chevrolet Uplander
  By rather buy a YUGO - January 30 - 3:14 pm

  It was our first new car.So excited until a month later. lights flicker was told that it was due to a smaller than recommended alternator. Wasnt the case computer problem.Brakes replaced at 23,000 check engine,tie rods hubs@28000 automatic slider wouldnt close at times had to disable,o2 sensor which causes the check engine light still not replaced not paying $200 for extended warranty work to get it fixed.brakes still vibrating ignition problems.