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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  Best Chevy I have drove yet! - 2012 Chevrolet Cruze
  By usspecialist - October 9 - 3:31 pm

  The window tag stated 38 mpg, I have been geting around 42. What a money saver! Also, the design and comfort are amazing. The seats hug you my wife says.

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  Its a love/hate relationship! - 2008 Chevrolet Impala
  By dustinjoe - October 7 - 12:38 am

  Love my car. I am the 2nd owner. Its fun to drive, reliable, and its a head-turner. I have the LTZ. Its bright red and got all the chrome around it and drives a lot of attention. At 49000 the car started using two quarts of oil around every 2000 miles. The salesman said it was normal. Yeah right. My door locks have began to act up and the a/c system doesnt work right sometimes. I love my car, but im afraid its going to start using more oil. No leak can to be found and it doesnt seem to be burning the oil. Thats really my only concern. I absolutely love driving the car. It gets excellent gas mileage and is very comfortable. Will buy again when all the bugs are worked out of it.

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  the car is a Beast - 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By beebopboo - October 4 - 5:20 pm

  i couldnt have asked for a better first car, the cavelier gets a crappy rap but its really a decent, reliable car. mine has just gotten over the 100,000 mile mark and it hasent given me any problems. just like any car if you treat it right and take good care of it youll get the maximum preformance. so all you people who talk down on the cavelier, maybe its not the car at all maybe its just the way you run it..

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  Great vehicle all around, but... - 2012 Chevrolet Equinox
  By candurandu - October 2 - 5:46 pm

  I use the Equinox for work and drive it in all conditions like rain, snow and total darkness. Like others have said, acceleration is adequate and MPG is so-so. The exterior look is handsome, if somewhat generic and reliability has been outstanding. The only real beef I have is a personal taste issue and it has to do with interior color choices. My Chevy has a black interior with a weird gray fabric on the seats and backrest all set off with red stitching. Really? Someone looked at this design and decided middle America would go crazy over this tonal mishmash? I think many sales have been lost due to this corporate decision as it appears to not be very stain resistant.

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  Love the Avalanche but last 10,000 miles has been difficult! - 2003 Chevrolet Avalanche
  By bill4516 - September 29 - 5:26 am

  It is the best of both worlds. An SUV with the ability to haul stuff that you would not want in the back of your SUV. I ve hauled trees, plants, bags of fertilizer, and rocks.I own a 2003 Z66 with the cladding on the sides. At about the 100,000 mile mark the wheels just fell off. Not literally of course but it seemed that little stuff was going wrong all the time. My water pump went out, then my CD player, then my dash board lights, then the ever popular popping noise in the front end when you turn at slow speeds. Now I have a noise by my glovebox that sounds like someone dropping BBs on a tile floor over an over again. Still waiting on a fix for the popping noise. I still like it.

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  Nice SUV - 2000 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By djlarroc - September 25 - 1:01 am

  Bought my Tahoe w/175k in 2008. Yes, 175k. Had all the service records, so felt it was treated right. Has been fairly reliable in the last 25k. Oil pump went out, battery died on a hot summer day, 4x4 electrical selector switch went out ($20 @rockauto - 10 min fix). Now, I can hear the air ride constantly running, so im sure the shocks are leaking, but overall, Im still happy w/this truck. Has TONS of room, 5.3 has nice power, and Im getting about 16MPG city. Not bad for al you get. Ride is very nice and comfy. Great for road trips. Winter driving is awesome. LT has leather package, and is nicely put together. Great truck!

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  ISSUES THROUGHT THE YEARS.... - 2005 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By nolaredgirl - September 24 - 3:48 pm

  My husband purchased me this SUV brand new in the year of 2005. Two years later, the mile reader went bad. After getting that issue repaired, the gas gauge went out. Since then, I started to drive the SUV by the mileage because I refuse to pay between $600-$1200 to get it repaired. After writing to Chevrolet, I was promised a returned call but that never happened. Because I went over the mileage for the warranty, Chevrolet could not cover the repair. Now four years later, in Sept 2011, I get a letter from Chevrolet stating that they will cover 50% of the cost to get the gas gauge repaired. Are you kidding me??? Im about ready to trade this SUV in specially now that the TRANSMISSION went bad

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  Love the car, but have had better - 2001 Chevrolet Malibu
  By johntesh71 - September 22 - 10:58 am

  Bought this car in early 2011 for 1000 bucks with 148,000 miles on it.....once I dropped a couple hundred into it was like a gift from the heavens. Car drives very well, excellent gas mileage about 23 combined, very dependable, torquey V6 engine. Has a very boring interior design and the exterior started losing paint and rusting very badly after only 2 months of driving. The engine then melted through both intake manifold gaskets and sprang a very bad leak, The alternator blew and the fuel line began leaking. Luckily a few days in my garage and alot of tears and sweat she ran like a dream again. Recommend as a great first car or just as a daily driver.

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  An absolute Juggernaut - 1997 Chevrolet Suburban
  By james_nicklin - September 20 - 3:33 pm

  Purchased used for $5k @ 150,000 miles. 20,000 miles later I still think it is the Best truck I have ever owned. I have carried two families of 8 (4 car seats and 4 adults). I have hauled 1,500 lbs of equipment with space to spare. I pulled a friends crew cab truck out of 3 1/2 feet of running water (interior and bed flooded) uphill on gravel at idle. It has protected my family through two car accidents in which the other vehicles were totaled and the Suburban withstood cosmetic/no damage. Fantastic comfort for long drives, 3 leather rows. Moving from Tacoma Wa to Phoenix AZ took two tank-fulls for a 1,600 mile drive. Over my 20k miles I have averaged 16.3 mpg and maxed at 19.3

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  Good value - 2010 Chevrolet Impala
  By joew80 - September 20 - 1:31 pm

  I bought this car August of 2010. It was between the Malibu and Impala. I was able to get the Impala cheaper than the Malibu. So I got more for my money. As of today I have 21,000 miles on it. This car has been great except of the steering was squeeking and the rear struts where squeeking after owning it for three months. But I took it in and the greased the steering nuckle and replaced the rear struts. No other problems since. That could have been the problem. I recently noticed that my front rotors needs to be turned, but the way we drive in detroit, it happens to all the cars I own lol. I get 29mpg, and thats great for the way I drive.