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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  Solid work car, with plenty of quirks. - 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By hpcrowley - December 25 - 12:23 pm

  Bought this car from a buy here-pay here lot with $160k miles for a ridiculous price. Been reliable so far, but has SOOO many little problems. When I first bought it, the instrument cluster would go haywire at at random times, which was later attributed to moisture in the electronics. The climate control has an annoying click on any setting but recirculate, and the knobs broke to boot. the shifter has a disconcerting grind in it going into fourth gear. The interior is virtually destroyed, and the body isnt much better. okay, so now for the positives: its been unwaveringly reliable for the past 6 months! The only expense Ive had has been tires. All in all, a solid driver.

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  Saved my Dads life - 2010 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By pb4128 - December 25 - 8:13 am

  I am the car guy in the family. I have always been a fan of Chevy trucks, and I talked my Dad into buying his 2010 Tahoe in August of 2010. He planned on keeping it until the wheels fell off little did we know that it would meet an early death, but it truly saved his life. Last year, just before Christmas, another driver lost control of their vehicle and came flying across multiple lanes of traffic on the highway and t-boned the drivers side of my Dads Tahoe while he was driving 60 mph. I lowered the suspension 3 inches when he bought it, so that probably contributed to it not flipping. Every airbag deployed, yet the damage was just moderate. No other vehicle could have performed as well.

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  Great car - 2006 Chevrolet Impala
  By mopardave - December 23 - 8:29 pm

  I have 260 000 km on the car. The car still runs great. The low oil pressure warning came on, mine was easy fix, changed the switch ($37) and thermostat (run hot, ac off warning) replaced. I hope to get to 400000km. Everything still works well and it drives like the day I bought it.

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  Reluctant Cruze owner - 2014 Chevrolet Cruze
  By oldtimer59 - December 23 - 3:45 am

  I must confess that the Cruze was not my first choice. I came to the Chevy dealership looking at the malibu, but things quickly begin to fall apart on the deal. So I had to regroup and the salesman introduce the cruze as an possibility. First, the deal was right, secondly, after the test drive I was surprised at how it performed and how it looked to the eye. Needles to say I am a cruze owner and looking for this car and driver relationship to last.

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  Good truck, Fun to drive, Terrible GPS - 2015 Chevrolet Colorado
  By kens888 - December 21 - 10:56 pm

  Good basic 4 wheel drive truck, but not really small or mid size darn close to our Sierra. Love the rear view camera. I only have 1,500 miles on it, but the gas mileage is only 17 around town and 24 highway. The 4 wheel drive has to be switched on manually and doesnt engage automatically when conditions require it. The lack of a CD player is compensated for by the 4 USB ports, although 2 are accessible from in the back seat. The seat heat seems to be a warmer at best, no real heat in the cold weather. Remote starting is a great feature, although we have only had the opportunity to warm the truck and not cool it. The GPS system is a wast of money, its like a 1990s Garmin. Adequately powered

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  A Very Questionable Investment - 2011 Chevrolet Equinox
  By erthfriend - December 17 - 8:57 am

  I was surprised seeing that this car rated 4 out of 5 stars. The gas mileage was supposed to be 32, but we never got better than 23 mpg. Even allowing for the AWD, we expected upper 20s. There was always a rattling coming from the engine that sounded like pins and needles shaking in a tin can. At 60K, I took it in for an oil change and the dealer could find no oil on the stick at all. No oil pressure guage. No warning light. At 80K, the oil use was only worsening. The dealer said it warranted a ring job. Since the warranty was expiring at 100K, we traded it in on a Prius V, taking a $6K hit. The GM people are some of the best. Too bad this is a crappy car.

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  Loving it - 2008 Chevrolet Equinox
  By rsobien - December 17 - 4:20 am

  Got this SUV in Feb 2014. Been very pleased with it. Took it on a road trip from Albuquerque to LA and San Diego with fiance and future mother in law recently - did very well, and my future mother in law who sat in the back the whole way commented about how comfortable it was. Its got reasonable muscle, rides smoothly, and can handle light off roading (dont get too crazy, though). Good cargo space, and just a great overall SUV. Great for those camping trips to places where the campgrounds arent all paved over.

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  Nice mid-size SUV a few disappointing surprises - 2015 Chevrolet Equinox
  By ellery_davies - December 15 - 11:41 am

  I have owned a long list of small and mid-size SUVs, both foreign and domestic. Until now, I have always purchased the high-end luxury trim, typically "Ltd" or a name-branded premium package, such as "Eddie Bauer"). This time I chose the plain base model with AWD as the only addition. The 2015 Equinox LS is anything but plain! Perhaps it is a sign of the times, but this baby feels quiet & luxurious. It includes everything you would expect on a higher end package, except sunroof. With Onstar for 6 months, it even sports turn-by-turn navigation. The ride is comfortable, suspension seems tight and tires are terrific. But there were some disappointing surprises. Read on...

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  1.4 turbo LT auto sedan a good buy, a few niggles - 2014 Chevrolet Sonic
  By shorebreeze - December 10 - 7:38 pm

  This review is for the 1.4 turbo LT sedan, which isnt offered as an option by Edmunds so I have flagged this in the title. Fun to drive generally excellent design, one of the few really good touchscreen entertainment systems, excellent on safety, peppy if you get the turbo, a lot of space for the money, larger (but fortunately for parking no longer) than a standard subcompact and the sedan is actually well into the EPA compact category by volume, unusually quiet and smooth for the class. But a number of niggles front seat comfort issues, awkward stock tuning of engine and transmission, unrefined rear suspension, and appalling stock tires except on the Dusk Edition.

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  My car sucks - 2000 Chevrolet Prizm
  By bettyboop16 - December 8 - 12:51 am

  I have had my prizm for just over a year and I will NEVER buy another car like it again...it eats oil like crazy,the inner door handle on drivers side is broke,the clear coat on the hood has peeled off, and it does the same as most of the other reviews, it hesitates when you pull out(VERY DANGEROUS) my fuel pump just went out today...cant wait to see whats next!!!!