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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  Not a bad little car. - 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By joe_e - May 28 - 9:26 pm

  Bought my 07 in 09 as a certified GM used vehicle with 33k miles, upped the warranty to 75k. At first, I was somewhat disinterested. Styling could stand to be less Cavalier-ey, but I needed something to get 25+ on the highway. During my tenure of ownership (through 2012) it performed flawlessly. I put almost 43k miles on it in 3 years, and while it was never an awesome car, it far, far exceeded my expectations. Wife traded it for an Avenger, and the car sold before we even got the new car off the lot. Ill miss this one.

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  CJ Cruze Eco Automatic - 2012 Chevrolet Cruze
  By cjcruze - May 28 - 12:00 pm

  I have driven the Cruze 5000 miles since purchase in late Jan., 12. I am very pleased with the car. No problems on delivery or since then. The car is comfortable, quiet, and economical. I have had several Chevys over 45 years of driving. The Cruze is by far the best Chevy I have owned. Measured gas mileage (not computer based) is 38.5 in a mixture of urban, exurban, and interstate driving. I do drive carefully to achieve high mileage and rarely engage the turbo or exceed 65 mph. I would not hesitate to purchase another Cruze.

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  So many kinks with first year of new/improved models - 2007 Chevrolet Impala
  By sounditout - May 27 - 8:49 pm

  Leaky transmission fluid. Broken Rear window defroster. Sticky emergency brake and parking brake combination. Tire Pressure Monitoring System replaced 4 times. Wears through tires too fast, same with brake pads. Car trembles upon reaching 65 mph. Car battery died this past thanksgiving, not even cold outside. Mufflers rotted out from top down? Doesnt make sense since they were stainless steel, plus the bottom would have been exposed to the elements, so theoretically should have rotted out from bottom up. Mufflers not covered under warranty since thats not supposed to happen, but GM payed for replacement (not labor though)

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  Get What You Pay For - 2008 Chevrolet HHR
  By mrsyam - May 26 - 4:11 pm

  We bought this car after our first child was born. We bought it used with 25K miles on it and save a bunch of money than buying it new. It was great at first, but then all sorts of issues started popping up. The rotors have needed replaced 3 different times due to grinding. The CD player stopped working for some reason, but the dealership replaced it for free. The drivers side lock always sticks and Ive gotten locked out of my car before with my children in the car because the key fobs also are cheaply made and dont work properly. The newest issue is that the Passlock feature is malfunctioning due to a microchip error in the ignition!!! Trading in for something else.

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  so far so good - 2012 Chevrolet Equinox
  By tcs4886 - May 21 - 7:06 pm

  bought this vehicle on 1/19/12, it has 4,700 miles on it and havent had any problems with it. Fuel economey has been about 24 mpg around town. I downgraded from a 2004 Tahoe to try and get rid of paying $120 a week in gas. I pick apart every vehicle I own and havent found to many things i dont like so far. Biggest downside is the lack of power. Downgrading from a V8 in my old vehicle to a 4 cyl was hard enough, but it really could use a little more power. It is a very comfortable vehicle with plenty of front and rear leg room and do i dare say..its ACTUALLY pretty fun to drive. no trips to the shop except for an oil change. best vehicle I have had yet in snow. hopefully the good luck goes on

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  Am a big baller - 2010 Chevrolet Malibu
  By baller10 - May 20 - 9:48 pm

  I love my bu, I dont have any problems with my malibu, I bought it from an auction with 22k miles on it now it got 38k miles with no problems. I had a dvd with navigation installed and standing on 20 rims,fog light installed and replace the front and rear OEM speakers, and my mpg is still great. damn, my baby is all pimped out, it makes me feel like a big baller lol

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  Looked Great but total PIA - 2008 Chevrolet Equinox
  By kwhit1 - May 20 - 9:33 am

  The Equinox drives good for the most part but has tons of issues. My biggest issue is the tire sensors are always going off. Had the sensor issue replaced 3 times under warranty in only a year. Warranty ran out and sensor now doesnt read pressure right. Also have a big issue with when you replace the brakes you have to replace the whole thing. It would be fine if it was rare but you have to do this every 40k miles approximately. At 70k you than get to replace the belts too. The headlights are impossible to replace on your own you have to find a dealer or a good mechanic to figure it out. Good thing my brake lights never went out because they look more difficult.. Wasnt worth the money!

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  Great ride - 1995 Chevrolet Corvette
  By smit60 - May 4 - 5:34 pm

  I have been looking for a long time in buying a corvette.I found a 95 coupe that was everything i was looking for.Every one loves the look of the. the ride is nice and easy to get use to driving.anyone would be happy to have 95 corvette.

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  HHR: Great Little Utility Vehicle - 2011 Chevrolet HHR
  By neh1 - May 3 - 1:54 pm

  Own a 2009 2LT version. It does everything I wanted it to. Id only change a few things: 1. install four wheel disc brakes instead of the "disc/drum" brake combination. 2. install the full roof rack instead of just half of it and expecting the buyer to purchase the other half as an aftermarket option. 3. upgrade the radio/cd player so its more robust. CDs keep sticking inside the player necessitating playing games to get them unstuck. 4. change the engine intake air filter housing design. The housing removal is a major pain when you want to change out filters.

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  Its an OK van - 2005 Chevrolet Uplander
  By roy71 - May 3 - 8:44 am

  I wrote a review about a year ago when we first purchased our uplander at 78,000 miles...it now has just under 90,000 and some of my opinions of the van have changed...all in all its a nice van. In the past year we have had to change some sensor by the gas tank which required the mechanics to drop the entire gas tank. we also had to replace the rear brakes because they were down to the metal but the van never even gave us warning that they were so low. then we had to have the exhaust shield fixed because it rattled when we closed the doors. Also the front struts rattle constantly, the transmission acts wierd and doesnt always shift smooth even with new fluid, and now the engine is pinging.