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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  What else can go wrong? - 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By reallybadcar - August 22 - 1:49 pm

  I have had the most trouble with this car, i bought it with 2k miles. Then everything started going wrong. The windows motors stopped at 3k. The steering column had locked up and needed to be replaced, at 12k. At 24k miles, a horrible knocking sound started up, the dealership, said the 2 front struts were faulty, the manifold had a leak in it and needed to be replaced, and the wheel bearings in the front dif were faulty, and of course the supercharger was faulty and was replaced. Cant forget the boost gauge meter went out and needed to be replaced at 8k miles. And now the big pool of water that comes from the leaking ac unit, this is my new fun thing to get fixed, but now its out of warranty

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  Needed new engine ay 71,00 miles - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By WCS_in_SM - August 22 - 12:15 pm

  Updates "Smooth Ride" 7/22/09. 1,000 city miles after new oil cooler, HHR overheated, towed back to Rydell in Van Nuys. No compression. Diagnosis: head gasket, cost $3000, estimated 4 days in shop. Week later, still in shop, they said the engine block was cracked, needs new engine, cost $6,000, ready five days later. So $1,100 for the oil cooler and service and $6,000 for the engine. Wish I had bought a 100,000 mile warranty. HHR is well maintained, mostly L.A. city driving. Only possible explanation for block cracking is quarterly 800 mile round trip at 75-80 mph. Too much for 4 cyl engine? Would not buy another American car without long warranty.

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  Fell short of the hype! - 2017 Chevrolet Cruze
  By Debra Svitko - August 22 - 9:18 am

  The car sits very low to he ground and is very light weighted so I had to add sandbags to the trunk for weight. You can’t wash the interior to keep it clean without it falling apart. Great in gas. Comfortable interior.

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  Love it - 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 3500
  By Rocket9871 - August 22 - 2:00 am

  The only real problem I have found is that it wants to push while turning in 4W. Other than that it pulls the camper with no problem and with most of my camping done in the Western Maryland and West Virgina (Appalachian Mountains) You can understand the workout the 4w drive gets while pulling a 36 5th wheel camper

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  My New Chevy in an "Ice Storm" - 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 2500
  By jlarsonfam - August 22 - 2:00 am

  The truck handled easliy and the 6.0 Vortec 6000 V8 engine was very responsive. The power seats worked great. The four door crew cab is a plus in hauling around adult relatives in comfort. My first weekend we ran into an ice storm that continued all night. This enabled me to use the real strength of this truck. I put the truck in auto four wheel drive and it handled the ice and downed tree limbs with ease. The heated seats and auto climate control were also greatly appreciated. As was the steering wheel mounted controls for the built in driver information center and XM Satellite system. Although this is a new vehicle every system has worked well.

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  Loving our Monte SS Supercharged 2004 - 2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By johnnysangel - August 22 - 2:00 am

  We traded our 2002 SS in for the 2004, and could not be happier. Did not think they could make it any nicer, but with the supercharged engine and the comfort - knowing we have onstar and if we have any trouble our dealer will be there for us.

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  My car - 2004 Chevrolet Avalanche
  By Lanita - August 22 - 2:00 am

  My car is very exciting in all kind of ways. It is exciting to drvie, the interior and exterior. The color is red. I have been every where in this car it never lets me down. Ive been to Branson,MO, Disney World, Gatlinburg,TN Memphis,TN and lots of other places. My Avalanche is an excellent car.It also pulls my 28ft. camper. I have been toalot of places with it too.

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  THIS IS IT -- NO REGRETS - BUY ONE - 2004 Chevrolet Avalanche
  By Ved A Vanlin - August 22 - 2:00 am

  Quiet, responsive, safe. Good riding in comfort. We avoided a headon collision involving a careless construction worker who was leaving work early. He thought all lanes were one way travel. He was wrong, heading straight into our Avalanche. Our snap extremely quick and harsh turn resulted in the Avalance and workers car stopped, side by side, almost touching. (No sign of the Avalanche tipping over.) RESPONSIVE AVALANCHE. SAFE AVALANCHE.

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  best truck ever built - 2004 Chevrolet Avalanche
  By Hilario - August 22 - 2:00 am

  This is by far one of the versital trucks ever built. Im somewhat of a do-it-yourselfer and have had no problems transporting 4x8 sheets of drywall, all without it being exposed to the rain. Fun to drive truck gives you both a pickup truck and sportutility all in one.

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  Driving a Dream - 2004 Chevrolet Corvette
  By tanjarine - August 22 - 2:00 am

  This car is like driving a dream. Not only is it extremely fun to drive, it is such a sexy car!! no matter where youre going, or what you are wearing, the car just makes you arrive in style !! and FORGET about the POWER this car has... it is UNBELEIEVABLE !! i love my car and i wouldnt trade it in for any other. i am so happy with it.