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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  MPG ratings not accurate - 2012 Chevrolet Equinox
  By gk125963 - November 2 - 3:02 pm

  I am finding the MPG ratings to be way off. I have never even come close to the 33 MPG highway, and am averaging 21 MPG in combined city/highway driving. My driving habits are such that I try to conserve gas, but it does not seem to make a difference.

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  First 1,000 miles in a 13 Volt - 2013 Chevrolet Volt
  By sirboz - October 31 - 8:59 am

  I picked up the Volt as a daily commuter car. Work is 15 miles from the house, and hilly. During the round trip, I normally use about 2/3 of the battery power. Everything people are posting about how fun the car is to drive is accurate. The thing I didnt know about it, even after the test drive, was how much information is presented to you on the center stack display and the driver information center. I would recommend doing some research before buying the car. You can search for, and download, the two main owners manuals the basic one and the one for the infotainment system. The other place to look is www.myvolt.com where you can find excellent short videos of usage and systems.

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  Fantastic Buy For $1000 - 1996 Chevrolet Lumina
  By jamescl - October 31 - 12:23 am

  An amazing purchase, got the car not too long ago and ever since has been driving down the road perfectly. Very smooth riding, gear changing and steady braking and acceleration. Everything on the car works except for AC/cool air but since its soon to be winter, shouldnt be too much of a problem at all for some time. The interior I have seen much better on cars but for what it is, its not bad at all. Exterior design I just love. The overall build quality seems to be pretty solid beside a few things I can name like seatbelt buckles can be pretty difficult at times but still usable, just fiddle with them for a few seconds and theyre good to go. Overall a very good car, recommend!

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  3rd update. - 2005 Chevrolet Uplander
  By roy71 - October 29 - 4:17 pm

  We have had our 2005 Uplander for a year and a half now. Its been an ok van, but a couple problems have shown up..some small, others large. We had a problem with the transmission last year banging into gear when leaving a stop, we took it to the mechanic and they fixed a sensor that seemed to be the problem. The banging went away for a year then recently came back, so back to the mechanic we went, they cleaned out the sensor again and the problem went away...but this time for only a week, then back to slamming into gear. we took it to a transmission shop this time and they found metal flakes all through the trans, so its shot. we are having to get it rebuilt...review continues.....

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  Good SUV - 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By bear63 - October 27 - 1:48 pm

  I just bought this a few months ago, 03 Z71, 138k miles. I love the vehicle but not impressed with mpg. Getting around 14-15 highway. I find it hard to believe people are getting 17-20 mpg. I would be ecstatic if I could get that. Just found out this morning have to have the wheel bearing replaced on the front passenger wheel. Also the heated seat (driver) is coming on by itself. Not sure whats up with that. Other than that, very comfortable, good ride, good handling, nice turn radius. It is a used vehicle so I dont expect it to be perfect.

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  Bulletproof - 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By breannarae - October 26 - 6:17 pm

  I have to agree with Jason2012, I think the real problem you all are experiencing is operator error. My 05 Cobalt Coupe rides, handles, preforms and is more reliable than a lot of new cars my friends own. I have an extremely bad back and long trips in the car never irritate it, I find the seats very comfy. The suspension is unreal, it has nearly 150,000km on it and still runs like new. Never had any problems with it, but I always maintain it. I worked at a GM Dealer for quite a while and these cars dont often have problems. They have a bulletproof drivetrain. You could have this car for 300 000 km + if you maintain it. I just wish I had and upgraded model with more options than base.

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  great looking exterior but wouldnt buy again... - 2010 Chevrolet Malibu
  By wolfmagic7 - October 25 - 6:00 pm

  wife loved it but is easily impressed. ive driven this car for 1 year now and bought it after describing the testdrive as "adequate" to her and the salesman. when i feel different, i will change my review. we bought it from dealer near end of 3 year warranty and the first issue to fix was excess wind noise due to thin metal and windows. it was heaviest in its class so seemed safer against larger vehicles, but feels paper thin. closing doors sounds tinny. poor mileage way never ever coming close to ratings is biggest issue with it.

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  Good car, but some shortcomings - 2012 Chevrolet Malibu
  By brownco4 - October 25 - 2:10 pm

  PROS - Fun to drive (acceleration, handling, seat comfort) I like the power moon roof. Quiet ride and nice, roomy trunk. CONS - Tilt steering wheel is too low (even when it and the seats are adjusted). Mileage on my Buick LeSabre is better than this Malibu. Finally, the trunk release works, but the lifters do not lift, opening it unlike any other car Ive ever had.

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  Great vehicle so far - 2012 Chevrolet Equinox
  By mcclane - October 25 - 12:51 pm

  We bought our equinox new 4000 miles ago and it has been all we hoped it would be. I read a lot of good reviews on it so we decided to take the plunge and buy one. We wanted a bigger vehicle without giving up a lot of mpg. We have the 4 cylinder LT model and average over 29 mpg. The majority of our miles have been highway but on the highway we get between 30 and 31 mpg. Im 62" and its comfortable to take on longer trips. The moving backseat is also fantastic. We have it up the majority of the time to add to the storage and all the way back when we have friends in the back. They have more then enough room (as did I when I tried it out in the back once). Overall, very happy.

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  Best Car ive ever had - 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By miwemiwe - October 19 - 3:42 pm

  I bought my TB in 2004 and it had 80k miles, was a rebuilt and now in 2012 it has 160k miles. Awesome car, barely brakes down other than ussual battery and tire replacelement. The only thing i notices thats begining to break down is the window power but to do date its been awesome car with fog lights still working.