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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  Awesome Truck - 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD
  By jdaniell - July 16 - 2:00 am

  This is my first Chevy and I am very impressed. I drove the Dodge and Ford and the Chevy was much quieter (Duramax Diesel) and the proformance was better than that of the Dodge. Very pleased with my new truck.

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  Test Drive It. - 2004 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By john_a - July 16 - 2:00 am

  Ive drove 4 different makes before I bought my vehicle. The Performance on the Trailblazer was second to none. Drive it and you too will be impressed with all the rebates and incentiveds rates you cant go wrong

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  best truck in the world - 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By lovethistruck - July 16 - 2:00 am

  This is our first truck. We shopped around for a year, and checked out every brand. We knew what we wanted, but no one seemed to have it on their lot. We ordered it and it was built just for my wife. We got the 4.8L V8, with manual transmission, and the 4x4 Z71 package. It is the truck of our dreams, and weve had no problems except the stereo overheating from time to time.

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  Somone is high on this website... - 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By Your_Future_Ex - July 16 - 2:00 am

  This truck is the only truck in the top 3 that isnt blown or has a Viper engine, DUH, of course its not gonna have the HP of the others!! It has AWD though, and no Lim Slip in the back, so if you wanna go toe to toe from the starting line, Im there. Take your heads out of your a$$es and give credit where credit is due. Oh, Im sorry, how much did you pay for that Dodge? And did you get an extended cab with that Ford? Oh yeah, did you want 20" rims? Didnt think so, Ill be seeing you in my rear view mirror...

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  Transmission - 2005 Chevrolet Avalanche
  By Henry - July 16 - 1:04 am

  Purchased the vehicle at 10 miles. Enjoyed the vehicle for almost three years when I started to have problems with the transmission. It would not shift properly. Fixed under extended 75,000 warranty. Few months later tranny went bad again. Bad part about I exceeded the coverage under the warranty and the tranny warranty( The rest is history

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  Thrilled with this car - 2009 Chevrolet Malibu
  By JWR - July 16 - 12:19 am

  I am absolutely thrilled with this car inside and outside! The first thing I noticed was how nicely finished the car is from the outside and how quiet it is on the inside. Having grown up with Corvettes, I opted for the V6 engine, which is plenty of power. Actually, my previous car had 200 horsepower and this is 252. I owned 1997 and 2004 Monte Carlos and put 100,000 on each without requiring repairs prior to turning them in. Chevy certainly did their homework with this car! Its first rate! My father owns a DTS and always buys Cadillacs, but he thinks this car is fantastic as well.

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  Nice vehicle...lacks quality - 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By Notafan2011 - July 16 - 12:04 am

  Bought our Z71 Tahoe as soon as they went on sale. Still very pleased with the looks of the vehicle, but it seems like Chevrolet skimped on the interior quality, lots of hard plastics everywhere and cheap leather. However it has held up pretty well other than a jerking rear end upon take off and squeaky door panels. Current mileage is 61K, lets hope it continues to hold up. Had the Traverse been on sale when I purchased, I probably would have gotten that instead.

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  Holy Cow, What a car - 2009 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Dan - July 15 - 11:42 pm

  My early impressions of our 09 Malibu is very, very positive. Not only does the 4 cylinder do a good job at pulling this car, it gets very good gas mileage (26 city and 35 highway). Yes there are a couple of "blind spots", however, theyre not severe enough to detract from the overall look, inside and out. Plus, the dealership I bought from came up with an aftermarket "SS KIT" and installed it on our car. The kit includes ground effects all the way around, a non working 2nd tailpipe with chrome tip, rear deck spoiler, extra dark tinted windows, and the all important (SS emblem on both front doors and on the trunk. These few cosmetic additions makes it look like a european sports sedan. WOW!

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  Usable comfort - 2005 Chevrolet Suburban
  By dan - July 15 - 3:22 pm

  Bought this 2005 Suburban LT used a year ago with 35000 miles and it now have over 60000. It joined a 07 Quest van as our people hauler and run-about vehicle. The Suburban has won everyones heart and we use it constantly, much more than the Quest. Superbly comfortable, capable and USABLE! Does all the chores including trips from Nebraska to Arizona. We love it. Only improvement would be the 6 speed transmission and a touch more power, but otherwise it has proven to be the best vehicle we have ever purchased. Certainly will not be our last Suburban.

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  Poor vehicle - 2007 Chevrolet Uplander
  By drewpey - July 15 - 2:39 pm

  I rented one with 40k miles, and drove it 3 days before returning it to the rental store. Highway driving is horrible, the cabin is so loud that there is no chance of anyone in the second row of seats hearing the driver unless you are under 30mph or yelling. At 60+ mph even the passenger needs to speak very loudly so the driver can hear. You can hear and feel every bump in the road, its quite sad. We had trouble with both sliding doors. Eventually one of the sliding doors did not shut properly, and when we reopened it, it fell off the track. The dealership seemed unsurprised and just asked us to return it for another. Very cheaply made vehicle!