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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  Ive fallen in love with this work horse - 2004 Chevrolet Blazer
  By habanero84 - December 7 - 9:38 am

  I bought this car cheap roughly 6 years ago with the intention of just using it for the snow. Now I dont think I ever want to trade it in. Its got 140k miles on it and the engine still purrs like a kitten. The interior is comfortable and the controls are simple (perfect!). Best of all: this thing is a god in the snow. For people looking for a great snow vehicle, you cant beat this suv. Nothing scares me while Im driving this. I abuse this car massively - driving over curbs, off-roading, putting the "top heavy" feature to the test on these curvy roads, and treating it like my own personal toboggan in the snow. Did I mention it also has tons of space for hauling? Love love love it.

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  Love my Impala! - 2012 Chevrolet Impala
  By retire2018 - December 6 - 11:42 pm

  Not sure what the complaints are about. This car is a pleasure to drive. I drive a combination of driving and get 24 mpg. The 300hp is amazing! Smooth acceleration and great braking. I dont know about others but I have no problems with parking, good turning radius. The car rides and handles well. As for pricing, I bought the car with 21.4k miles and paid $11900. It is a LT model and was a rental out of Montana. It has tinted windows and a sunroof. As far as handling, I find it to handle quite well for the size of car that it is. My personal opinion is that its a great car and a great value.

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  I LOVE MY TRAVERSE !!!! - 2015 Chevrolet Traverse
  By captv - December 6 - 6:45 pm

  This the second Traverse we have had. The 2011 is now with my daughter, I loved it so much and could not find any vehicle comparable in price and features so I leased a 2015 for myself. Im not worried about it being a GM product. I think they are under so much scrutiny and by now the employees have to know that they cant afford any more screw-ups. So far (about 8 weeks) I have had zero problems with my new Traverse (and we only had one minor, easily corrected issue with the 2011). What can I say, I smile every time I drive the car. It is truly fun and great looking.

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  Quirky, but loveable - 2014 Chevrolet Spark
  By tishpit1 - December 6 - 8:15 am

  Have a 2014 Spark LT1 with nearly 18,000 miles on her (I drive a lot). This car has it +s and -s, thats for sure. PROS: The driving position is comfortable for me and I have a horrible back, so its hard finding a car that doesnt cause me pain. This one is kinda fun to drive and handles very well for an econo-car. Roomy cargo area with nearly-flat folding rear seat. Dash is nice and touch-screen radio also works well. MPG is avg. 38+ in mixed driving in Florida (level, but lots of a/c). Recommend dealer installed fog lights for night/bad weather driving. CONS: had bad hesitation problem and lurching at very slow speeds but "cured" by using 89 octane gas. A/c is poor - weak fan.

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  really? I am the first? - 2014 Chevrolet SS
  By ssshhh - December 5 - 6:14 pm

  Purchased Back in August 2014 with 2700 miles, Has to be the best value I have ever had the opportunity to purchase. Spend a little time reading up on and knowing what this car is about and you would have a very hard time covering more aspects from drivability to curb appeal with any less than wow! sweet car. built In the land down under and no question with pride, you just can not match dollar for dollar, bang for the buck. Its a sleeper Super Sport that gives cars like the BMW5 a run for the money, doing it with dimes to the dollar to boot!I own it, I love it. If you can try to touch one, drive it, step into it! 1st class!

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  Best vehicle I ever had - 1999 Chevrolet Astro
  By rufrch - December 5 - 1:27 pm

  I bought mine new in 2000. drove it to eveywhere, San Fran, Sac town, mountains several times, Ariizona, Utah, Las Vegas,.....You get the point. Like all vehicles the key is maintenance. If you take care of your vehicle, it will take care of you. Dont get me wrong it had some hick ups like I changed the alternator, I did a fuel injector swap, changed the fuel pump but other than that. It ran like a top. Never hard to start. I did do some modes. cold air intake, cat back system and after towing like crazy I decided to change rear leaf springs to high capacity leafs springs. I loved that van, and would still have after 14 years but some idiot ran into it while it was parked and totaled it.

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  Very satisfied until 92,000 - 2010 Chevrolet Traverse
  By bobby22345 - December 2 - 9:33 am

  Bought this Traverse used @ 9000 miles. Really like the car until I took in for an oil change @ 92,000 miles. Advised that one strut was leaking. Replaced both cost $699.00, re-placed brakes $199.00 (which I understand), dealer very liberal in replacing water pump parts @ N/C. rebuilt steering box @ N/C still needs steering gear repaired @ $1289.00 advised today that the timing chain belt needs replacing $2000.00. This car was built in Tenn. Evidently they wanted to use all of their parts before closing the plant whether they were of good quality or not. I feel that this car needs re-built. Not a happy camper!!

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  Subpar. - 2014 Chevrolet Sonic
  By lvcas - November 24 - 8:00 pm

  The 201y Chevy Sonic is a good car. Its good on gas, relatively stylish, very dependable. However, it lacks the over luster of a sub-compact car. The transmission is a joke. Im sure it is set up for economy, but come on Chevy you can do better than that. The engine lacks power...majorly. The overall interior quality is poor. The seats are awkwardly placed and hard to adjust especially if youve never been in the car. The interior is covered in flimsy plastic and hardly any soft touch material. But the worst thing about the entire car is how loud it is. Every bit of road and wind noise enters the cabin. Even on smooth pavement, you would think that you are driving on gravel.

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  Worst Car Ive Ever Owned. No GM Support - 2011 Chevrolet Equinox
  By bradjohnson08 - November 18 - 1:07 pm

  February 2011 – 7,099 miles - Complaint of jerkiness while shifting. Weird shifting. Action taken – Seat belt recall, nothing done concerning our complaint except charge us for an oil change. November 2011 – 17,683 miles - Further shifting issues and chugs while driving. Loud ratting and grinding from under hood by engine. Knocking in back. Slow to take off from a stop. Has stalled 2 times driving. Action taken – Reprogrammed engine control module. Said they couldn’t duplicate the rest. April 2012 – 22,365 miles - Stalled more times. Knocking in engine and rattling. Still shifts incorrectly. Sputters and stalls while driving. Transmission leak.

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  275,000 miles and still running strong. - 1996 Chevrolet Blazer
  By hyonlyph - November 18 - 12:57 pm

  Ive had my Blazer since it was new in 1996. First, the standard mileage charts are way low. In my experience, my car got 25 mpg highway from the first day. And it still gets that same mpg. With the exception of repairing the AC at about 125K and the stereo at 200K, all Ive ever done to this car is change the oil and do basic maintenance. Obviously eventually you have to do a little front end work. Parts wear out. It can still pull a UHaul trailer full of stuff. Its not pretty, Ive never been able to garage the car. Paint fine, Interior still looks great with no holes etc. At this point, the dash is cracking a bit. But overall, its the most dependable car Ive ever owned.