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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  ABS Failure at 70,000Kms - 1997 Chevrolet Lumina
  By GDF - June 13 - 2:00 am

  At approximately 70,000 Kms the ABS, light came on permanently, failure cause? described as requiring a total replacement of the ABS, phone call to " GM Warranty Headquarters" in Canada resulted in being informaed that the vehicle was over the 60,000km warranty period.. The GM Dealer representative , suggested I drive without ABS, returning to the Braking system I have used for the past 50 years... Results, excellent ABS is over advertised as being a safety feature? Good driving habits can provide equal results, in my opinion.

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  1995 Z-28 Convertible - 1995 Chevrolet Camaro
  By Convertible lover - June 13 - 2:00 am

  The ultimate mid life crisis mobile. Wanna feel great-have people look at you and littel kids point-buy this car. Nothing quite like the acceleration and sound of a 5.7 liter V-8 with the roof down. Dont ever-I repeat-ever attempt to drive this car in snow or ice-those great big wheels are useless -)

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  Chevrolet It just Makes Sense - 1996 Chevrolet Blazer
  By Murphy - June 13 - 2:00 am

  I cant say enough about the value of my purchase. I bought from a private seller and came equipped with a CARFAX report. For a little over $7,000 Im in heaven. Designed for comfort and frontal visibility the vehicle has decent pickup and is easy to park and steer. The only slight drawback would be with the blind spots while backing but other than that Im recommited to the Chevy Line.

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  my camaro - 1995 Chevrolet Camaro
  By Scott Wolfe - June 12 - 2:00 am

  95 camaros are great...fun as heck the rear end just doesnt fit the car...theres to much power for such a small rear end... but if your not ganna do burnouts a lot.... this car is the best. but dont worry you can burn out enough safely

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  5th Chevy truck owned - 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By Kevin - June 11 - 6:23 pm

  This has been my 5th Chevy truck since 1990. Ive had some good ones and some not so good ones. This one so far is good except for some squeaks from the extended doors and a clunking noise in the steering. The gas mileage from the 4.8l is good at around 20mpg. The power is there when you need it. Over all this has been a good truck so far. The service department just needs to get a few bugs worked out and Ill be very happy.

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  WOOHOO ! - 2003 Chevrolet Avalanche
  By Graham - June 11 - 2:00 am

  I was surprised to say the least I went from a BMW 325i to this monster and Im loving every minute of it ! Yes the MPGs are horrible ... but overall driving and feeling like you own the road and safety make this a truck/car/whatever Im keeping for years to come. I just wish Chevy had put a diesel in there !

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  Just traded for an Evoy - 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By Pics - June 11 - 2:00 am

  I loved to drive my trailblazer more than my car . At first I had problems with the four wheel drive ,it would try to go into four low going down the road .also had a lot of electrical problems,Doors would lock by themselves,security horn would blow when you unlocked the door. I got decent gas milage 17 to 20 . Just traded for a 2003 GMC Envoy , it has 2;73 gearing only getting 14 to 15 mpg on GMC.The tailgate handle molding ate into the paint, noticed GMC has a rubber seal around it.

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  Work truck. - 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By J Weinstein - June 11 - 1:29 am

  Bought this a month ago and just love it. I am very impressed by the power of the V6 engine. I dragged a 1600 pound empty trailer at 75 mph from Texas to California, loaded 2200 pounds (my gvw was about 9000 lbs. at this point) on it and dragged it back at 75mph bucking a strong headwind with no problems and getting 17.8 mpg roundtrip! That V6 has the power of an old school 350, and Im not sure when Id need the power of the 5.3 V8. Empty and driven conservatively around town Im getting 21mpg. Really like this truck! UPDATE: Still a great truck after 8 months, of course! Mileage is down a bit, probably because I dont drive quite as conservatively as when new.

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  Decent overall - 2000 Chevrolet Astro
  By Marc B - June 10 - 2:00 am

  Take this van for what it is - roomy, practical, relatively inexpensive, no-frills transportation. Van has had its share of minor problems, most of them related to fit and finish items, but no problems with any major component (engine, transmission, electrical, etc.). Very good for towing light trailers and for long-distance hauling with a full load of kids and goodies. Decent gas mileage for its capabilities (16.0 - 21 mpg).

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  My Tahoe - 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By dgf - June 10 - 2:00 am

  My Tahoe came with a set of wind detectors.They are located in the rear wheel wells.You would think the dealer would want to fix this.