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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  Air cond vents & actual gas mileage - 2011 Chevrolet Equinox
  By rheda - July 31 - 2:21 pm

  1) The placement of air conditioner vents on the dash is bad. If you are the driver, both of your vents are positioned where the air only hits your hands & the back of the steering wheel. I did not notice this when I bought the vehicle or I would not have purchased it. If they would have left out the little storage compartment & put the vents closer to the middle of the dash, you could feel the a/c but as it is, your face gets hot and your hands freeze. 2) Most importantly, this car DOES NOT get close to 32 MPH. Ive driven it for nearly 2 years now and even on long trips, the best mileage Ive ever gotten was 23.5. They need to be more realistic in advertising.

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  Key Stuck Problems - 2009 Chevrolet HHR
  By kingshahid - July 31 - 2:10 pm

  I bought this car in April 2012. My battery died and so I called GM. GM boosted the car with their roadside assistance resulting in a stiff steering wheel that couldnt be turned. My keys got stuck in the ignition as well. Both problems where resolved but my auto starter (oem) was blown in the process that was not fixed by local Chevrolet Bob Myers. So I had let the issue go with them since I thought they had done enough for me. 2 weeks later (mind you I barely drove the car in this period) the keys are stuck again in the car. Car is at 88,000 km.

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  RE-VOLT - 2012 Chevrolet Volt
  By revolt - July 27 - 1:54 am

  Being an auto enthusiast and race driver, I have one basic safety criteria for a car beyond the standard crash testing. This is collision avoidance and includes: handling, breaking, and acceleration. The Volt exceeds these needs. After looking at the available hybrids last year, my wife purchase a Volt. 6500 miles later and averaging over 250mpg, the car is great! She loves the car, averages 38mi/chg, has numerous places to plug-in on her daily routine and rarely uses gas. When I replaced my vehicle, I looked at what was available and purchased our second Volt. 1500 mi later, I have only used 3.1gal of gas, and average 42mi/chg 240V charger is a must have for multiple trips.

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  pretty good car. - 2010 Chevrolet Malibu
  By shotgun1496 - July 26 - 2:40 am

  have had tons of issues but thats from tons of driving every day. car wasnt running good lately but then it hit a truck tire on the freeway, tore the crap out of the bottom of the car, got it fixed for $4000, but this car has never ran so great, i love it now rides smooth and quietly, runs good but to small of an engine for the car.

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  great affordable family car - 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By shotgun1496 - July 26 - 2:34 am

  love the car. there is power when you need it, rides good, got rather loud over the years, my only complaint it the brakes they squeal all the time, the even did it about a week after buying it. the cheap plastic interior sucks, but its a good car

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  6 speed manual convertible - 1999 Chevrolet Corvette
  By carguy2021 - July 25 - 2:20 pm

  I loved this car! That being said, I had some serious issues. I bought it with 44k miles, and owned it through 65k miles. Right away, it was popping out of 6th gear. Luckily I had an extended warranty. This required a trans rebuild which was $5-6k. I had an issue with the steering column lock motor -- it failed, requiring the car to be towed to the dealership. The welds on the exhaust break over time, requiring repair or replacement. Other than the problems, the car is smooth, insanely fast, and gets great gas mileage - I got as high as 33 mpg at 70mph. The stereo is amazing - Bose.

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  Chevy dont FAIL me now!! - 2008 Chevrolet Impala
  By iluvchevys - July 24 - 2:26 pm

  I have owned my 2008 for a little over 2 years and at first I loved it but now Im starting to have problems. Feels like my transmission is slipping, if Im at a dead stop when I press on the gas it is kinda hesitant (seems to only do this in the hot weather) When I run my ac it has less power, my back locks dont work. A year ago I had the reduce engine power show up but I let me car sit for the weekend and havent had the message again (knock on wood) I still have 3 years left on my lease and Im starting to get worried. My first car I bought was a complete lemon thought I was doing the smart thing going to a "major dealership" but the warranty that you buy seems to not cover anything.

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  Great truck-built with low quality components - 1998 Chevrolet Suburban
  By jbaggins - July 22 - 11:23 am

  Granted I did buy this in 2010 with 200,000 miles on it. Interior door handles broke inside. cheap plastic parts throughout break way too easily. Great interior space. Have 4 kids so we all fit comfortably. Rear heat works great, tinted windows and lots of power. It was starting to nickel and dime. Rear end differential parts broke, transmission wouldnt stay in overdrive, lots of electric gremlins left interior lights on randomly due to shorts behind dash. Intake manifold gasket went ($600 repair). Horrible gas mileage. Rusting in bad spots due to poor rust proofing. Water leaks into blower, rusting it out insid. I liked driving it but it was going to bankrupt me keeping it up.

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  2012 Camaro 2LT - 2012 Chevrolet Camaro
  By robertrcollins - July 20 - 8:08 pm

  I purchase a new 2012 Camaro 2LT Convertible. The car has the top problems, rub marks, and started cutting a hole in its top. GM has no fix for this. The car was very nice, but overpriced for what you get. I had the recall done, still had problems. I have since sold the car.

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  Equinox LTZ - 2012 Chevrolet Equinox
  By norwin - July 18 - 11:20 pm

  We bought the 4 cyl LTZ in May 2012 and we are happy with the performance and styling of the vehicle.I was a little leery of buying a 4 banger but after a 900 mile trip was pleasantly surprised with performance and gas mileage. The first tank (in ECO mode) got 31.4mpg at 65 to 75mph with ac on,2 people and luggage on board. Sure, its not going to perform like the big boys, but I feel comfortable with its power in traffic and never feel like I have to "get over get run over." Subsequent mileage checks for the type of driving we do are in 28-29mpg range.