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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  EPA mileage a joke -- but I love the SUV - 2012 Chevrolet Equinox
  By d2h2o - June 28 - 1:34 pm

  Picked up mine on December 1, 2011 -- and have enjoyed the ride ever since. Right now I almost have 7000 miles on it and no problems what so ever! I appreciate the room for the driver and passengers. Love the radio, automatic air setting. Drivers seat is very comfortable.

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  Bad milage - 2012 Chevrolet Equinox
  By sheila428 - June 27 - 3:59 pm

  I just purchased this car 2 weeks ago. I purchased it because i believed the gas was great. Well, its not! i am only getting about 16 or 17 mpg and the tank is not a 18.8 gal. I filled it up and it was only 14.8 gal, which means that the tank size is probably only about 15 or 16. What a hugh lie. I am so upset right now. This was one of my hugh reasons for purchasing it. Please Chevy stop with the lies. Its not a good look. I should have purchased the Crv or sorento. I will be traveling next week and the bill is going to kill me. What a mess of lies.

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  Gas King - 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By winglimit - June 27 - 12:32 pm

  Ive had my Cobalt since 2007 and the only major problem Ive had was my fault (dinged the oil pan). Replaced the engine for less than $1,000 and was back on the road again. Gas mileage is unparalleled. I usually get 35mpg+, sometimes up to 40mpg on long trips. I drive the hell out of this car and it never skips a beat. My largest complaints are aesthetic: the model I have (2005 sedan, energy blue) looks cheapish. The interior seats arent the most comfortable, but its really only noticeable from the passenger side. >) As this car ages, a few benign electrical problems have popped up, but nothing serious. Great value if youre looking for a cheap investment and long-term savings.

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  Few Problems - 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By javaanimal - June 25 - 2:01 pm

  Speakers are.. well, theyre there. LS Coupe is considered a sports car (Grr..) and it lacks a lot of power my 2000 Malibu had. The front of it is dated.. but the body itself is magnificent. It says 25 mpg BUT my readings say 23. The LS I purchased has no cruise control or power windows/doors. BUT. For the price of this car, its great. Fun fun to drive once you get up in mph and it hugs the curves with its spoiler. Breaks are great, it turns heads, and you get away with people believing youre in a sports car. This is NOT for tall/wide people. Its a very narrow car. It is GREAT for safety- everything is solid.

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  2007 Impala LTZ - 2007 Chevrolet Impala
  By ericjp - June 23 - 10:28 am

  I have owned my Impala LTZ for three years and have 107,000 miles. Just paid $1000 to have trasmission valve body replaced, whatever that is. Bottom line, do not buy an Impala. I know it is tempting because they are cheap and look decent. The LTZ has all the bells and whistles. The 3.9l v6 has good performance and gas mileage. The problem is build quality. The transmissions are prown to have all kinds of problems. I have never had this many problems with any car. GM uses cheap parts. Head gaskets were replaced and the list goes on and on. Avoid Chevrolet products. You get what you pay for. Buy a Honda, Toyota or Hyundai instead.

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  Disappointing City MPG, Good Highway - 2011 Chevrolet Equinox
  By mallit38 - June 22 - 12:10 pm

  Despite people complaining about MPG, I bought my Equinox about 6 weeks ago. My city mileage has been significantly below the 22 MPG EPA rating, but surprisingly, I did get 32 MPG on a long road trip with a fully loaded vehicle. So far, I have enjoyed driving my Equinox, having upgraded from an 09 Pontiac Torrent. The vents dont blow right on me, but the A/C is capable and delivers very cold air. Im not super tall, but if it werent for the steering wheel controls, I would have a heck of a time operating the radio. Beware, the drivers side has a bad blind spot, but having the same issue with my Torrent, I am used to it. Use your mirrors and look over your shoulder and itll be fine.

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  Nice Car for the Price. - 2009 Chevrolet Malibu
  By chevy4life1 - June 18 - 3:40 pm

  We bought the car used at the Ford dealership where I work, so we were able to get less than what KBB suggested that it costs. We fell in love with the overall look to begin with. Both the sleak yet aggressive exterior and the luxury type interior. We have made a long distance run across two states on vacation so far, since we bought the car a month ago. It performed very well on hwy, we averaged around 27-28 due to hills and stop and go traffic. With the 2.4L it was a hesitation getting up hills and accelerating, so I slapped a Jet Performance module on there and saw improvement with acceleration and horsepower.

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  Love the car but hate the problems - 2007 Chevrolet Suburban
  By 4babies2luv - June 13 - 6:58 pm

  We purchased this car back in 2007. we have a large family and we always have extra people with us. We started having problems with it like the battery dying. So the dealership replaced the battery. That happened a few times. Then we have the hid away running boards and the motor went out a few times and they replaced that. And now for the last 3 year the radio shorts out. we will be driving and all of a sudden the radio goes off the doors lock up the dash shuts off. All the electronics turns off. We are still able to drive but we cant get out of the car. They replaced the radio and they found 2 shorts and they supposebly fixed the problem but they didnt.

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  Mostly better than last model - 2013 Chevrolet Malibu
  By g_davis52 - June 3 - 12:10 pm

  I traded my 2010 Malibu LTZ for the 2013 ECO, and was expecting better fuel economy. While the upgraded interior and quality of materials are vastly improved, I cant understand why Chevy put in an inferior Pioneer stereo. I listen to the stereo every time I get in the car, and admittedly pretty loud with the windows down. The Pioneer has really bad distorcion cranked all the way up and I never had that problem in my 2010 LTZ.

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  Very Reliable - 2000 Chevrolet Malibu
  By easy48 - June 2 - 11:39 am

  I bought this car brand new in 2000, and it has been a good car. As with all cars theres maintenance and repairs that need to be done, especially after driving it over 100K miles. It is still running good after 111K and I am confident it will go to 200K. The biggest issue with this car was the anti-theft system. At about 75K it became so sensitive that when I turned the key to start it, the system would turn on, and I would have to wait 5 minutes before it would start. I had the ignition switch replaced and never had the issue again. Also, the cruise control does not stay locked in, but dont use anyway so its not a problem for me.