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 venture, EVER!!! - 2001 Chevrolet Venture
  By lemonloverx7 - January 29 - 10:10 pm

  It looks nice but its very unreliable. The back seats are so unfordable! Everyone hates sitting in the back two rows. 3 smalls seats jammed in the second row its not comfortable at all. the fronts seat are okay though. we have had so many problem that I cant even remember all of them. But a few big problems were, intake manifold gasket, oil leaks, leaking anti-freeze, temperature regulator, tail light assembly failure, AC stop working randomly, slipping transmission. The intake manifold gasket seems to be a big problem in chevy! Not a good car at all! The LT has to many features that brake alot. The van only has 124,000 miles on it. my friend has a Subaru with 241,000 and its still going!

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  Gets Me From A to B - 2000 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Jeff Mackin - January 29 - 9:22 pm

  This car has a decent amount of pep for a V6 engine. The ABS Brakes stink! Did I mention that I hate the ABS brakes??

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  NOT a Good Car - 2009 Chevrolet Malibu
  By zer - January 27 - 4:07 pm

  On a quick test drive its difficult to see all the flaws, but, this car is an awful drive. Its difficult to stear and maneuver. There is no visibilty in the rear sides and front corners. Gas mileage is poor at best. My car is new and I average about 20 mpg with 80% highway driving. The trunk is the worst design! So anyone can break a front window and pop the trunk open with the drivers side button. The compartment design is also awful! Its a very large at first glance until you try to put luggage in there. The compartment is long and goes far back, but there is no depth to it, so, luggage gets stuck right near the opening.... All in all this car is very frustrating.. I feel very misled for the $

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  not reliableI - 2009 Chevrolet Equinox
  By chevylemon - January 23 - 11:03 am

  I have had major problems with this vehicle, the ABS light, brake light and 4 wheel drive not working light continuously appear on the dashboard. The dealer has tried to fix the problem multiple times but is unable to. The vehicle has been out of service for more than 30 days. I am trying to return it under the lemon law but GM is fighting me. I would not purchase a GM vehicle again.

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  Not Worth the $$$ - 2002 Chevrolet Malibu
  By summergal126 - January 21 - 8:50 pm

  The theft system on this car is always going off and will not turn on until at least 10 min. later. Took it to the dealership and was told that there was nothing they could do about it. Also the turn signal continually clicks for about 10 seconds after making a turn, Chevy said there was nothing they could do about this either. The car drives well but does not get great gas mileage or do well in snow.

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  Terrible car - 1996 Chevrolet Lumina
  By Peace0072 - January 19 - 12:51 pm

  Only had this car for 8 months and bought it with only 118,000 on it. It now only has 134,000. I replaced radiator, head gaskets, water pump, thermostat and it is completely dead and no one knows whats going on in with it. I am very disappointed and would not recommend anyone buying one.

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  My wifes decision without me - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Doug Canady - January 18 - 9:24 pm

  We just spent over $1400 on engine repairs when all the oil changes were done regularly and we used full synthetic oil which I swear by. I have never had a vehicle need such repairs and Ive owned over 9 vehicles that were not cared for quite as well as this one. My truck has more miles and is older and never needed such work. This is a poor vehicle. Handle like a lawnmower.

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  Not good in the real world - 2007 Chevrolet Aveo
  By Ramblenon - January 17 - 10:34 am

  We have the automatic transmission, and believe me the gas mileage is no where thry say it should be. were lucky if we get 27 -28 on the highway and maybe 19 -21 in the city. Winter driving is even worse and when it gets below 20" the car never really warms up. While it is a fun car to drive the inside is layed out poorly, Of the worst the cup holders are right in front of the controls which makes the controls hard to use. Over all I would never buy another Aveo unles they made major improvements. Ive been A GM owner all My life and this has been one of my worst experiences.

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  Transmission/Shaft Problem - 2005 Chevrolet Impala
  By Kee-Ki - January 14 - 3:59 pm

  Beware! I bought my car back in October 2004 brand new. I have replace steering shaft, all radiator components, brakes, and now my transmission is bad. This car was well kept up, when I fix one thing something else breaks down

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  ok truck - 2003 Chevrolet S-10
  By mattc - January 10 - 6:13 pm

  Its a Nice little truck but for me its not very comfortable (6,3) the extended cab woulda been better also the 2.2 is not a good on gas as I was hoping. I do like it because it gets me where I need to go and any extra work done. I use it every once in awhile to haul and have had no problems with that