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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  1ST YEAR REVIEW - 2013 Chevrolet Equinox
  By mjdozie - July 24 - 5:16 pm

  My gf bought a 2013 Equinox just over 1 year ago & we have enjoyed it as our daily commuter. We enjoy the cargo space as we have filled it up, probably too much, several times over the past year with room to spare. The Chevy MyLink system is good & bluetooth calling & entertainment system works well. My gfs favorite feature are the heated seats. They get very warm very quickly which she enjoys for her back. Driving is not very exciting due to lack of steering feel & you can feel the base 182 hps lack of power in some situations, though it always gets the job done. We are always comfortable & you have lots of personal space which is great, especially for those trips with several passengers.

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  Started right up after sitting dead for 9mo - 2001 Chevrolet Lumina
  By damieboo - July 22 - 8:12 pm

  What can I say? This car started right up after a 5 minute charge after Id let it sit for over 9 months with a dead battery and old gasoline. Bought it titleless and the DMVs been totally unhelpful so unfortunately I couldnt drive it that whole time. Here Id been trying to find a cheap battery to replace the one that certainly shouldve been dead, but said "Hey...why not see if it starts?" so I let it charge for maybe 5 minutes and what do you know, that sucker roared to life! I drove this car 2,000 miles from Wisconsin to California and havent had to fix a thing on it. No repairs in the 2 years Ive owned it besides oil and brakes. 10/10 for reliability.

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  320,000 miles and still running - 2001 Chevrolet Malibu
  By mercuryhater - July 21 - 1:48 pm

  We bought this car in 2004 to replace our Chevy venture the car had about 20,000 miles ours has the sunroof and rear spoiler it is dark blue and has the awful Chevy pattern on the seat. the trunk doesnt align right and always leaks and rattles the suspension is bad. the rear seat is very cramped. the sunroof is very loud when fully open but we normally just keep it on vent mode. the abs light is on i dont think it works anymore. at 290,000 we got back in after pumping gas the car wouldnt start the head gasket was blown needed a new engine which we did. the air conditioning also doesnt work well on 1 2 5 fan settings only 3 4 ???? our vehicle was just included in the Chevy recalls of 2014

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  For the price, there is NO better - 2011 Chevrolet Aveo
  By riahrachelle - July 21 - 7:15 am

  Quote honestly, I thought I was making a mistake by buying my used Chevy instead of a newer Hyundai, but surprisingly this small car is amazing. The paint holds up and has wonderful shine, e inside is big enough to hold me comfortably, breaking system out of this world. The only complaint I have is the slower acceleration and the difficulty when on the interstate with hesitant shifting. With 108 hp though, who can really expect anymore.? This is a commuter car and should be reviewed as such. For the price, Ive never felt such reliability, no issues with anything and Im about to hit 60,000 miles. Love this car and my next purchase will certainly be a Chevy!

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  Great Van - 2001 Chevrolet Venture
  By paulie69 - July 19 - 8:26 am

  I have now owned my no frills van for 5yrs and have 160K miles on it. It has been very reliable and I have had to do no major work to it, just new tires and tie rod ends last year. It still runs like a new car although I now need to replace the ball joints and the ac stopped working this summer. It isnt fancy and has very few power options but it is the most dependable vehicle Ive had and I have always driven imports before. I wish Chevy still made this vehicle.

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  not great ,but ok - 2014 Chevrolet Cruze
  By bischy - July 18 - 9:12 pm

  i bought the ltz, which i thought everything would come standard on, i was sorry to learn if i wanted a sun roof or spoiler, that would be an extra charge, and they put these puny splash guards on the car and charge you 170 .00,for things that barely even do the job, yes the car has a lot of room, i have been getting 35 mph with just about all highway driving. the radio is not worth the price either, if you drive in highway traffic with the window down, you can barely hear whats on the radio, i have been a Chevy owner for 24 years, next car i get will not be a Chevy!!!

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  Reliable car - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By el68lie - July 17 - 12:25 pm

  Bought this Equinox new in 2005. Have owned it for almost 10 years. We have pretty low mileage on the car just over 60,000 miles, but we have had minimal problems with this vehicle. Had a head gasket early on, but other than that it has been just maintenance. Change the tires, change the oil every 3,000. One tune up. I am not a fan of the drive train set up. The wheel base is set back so the car does not turn tightly at all. Dont care for the set up of the console between the front seats. Everything falls down along the seats and you cant get you hand down there easily. Not a good design. Dont like the cup holders. Cheap. Otherwise, good reliable car.

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  04 Trailblazer not as good as my 06 Tahoe - 2004 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By 4l60e - July 17 - 4:12 am

  I bought my 04 Trailblazer n 08. It had 65,000 miles on it. The 1st. problem I notice was the a/c took to long to cool down. I check the trans fluid and the dip stick had rust on it. I forgot about the rust and bought it anyway. The CEL came on a few weeks later and I had to replace the thermostat. A few months down the road the trans begin to slip going to 3rd. gear. I had to replace the clutch fan to fix the a/c and installed a corvette servo to fix the slip. Ive had to replace a motor mount, 2 water pumps and an instrument cluster. Last X-mas, I rebuilt the valve body to fix a TCC jerk @ 65mph. Now I need a rear end @ 134,000 miles.

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  A Lot For The Money - 2014 Chevrolet Traverse
  By qualitycop - July 15 - 4:00 am

  Copy of E-Mail sent Dear UAW 602, I understand that your members are those employed at the Lansing Delta Township Assembly Plant that built our new 2014 Chevrolet Traverse LTZ. After logging almost 3500 miles in 7 days with my family on vacation in this vehicle, I feel the need to send you this note and say a very well deserved "GREAT JOB" !!! The engineering, design, fit, finish, build quality of this vehicle are all excellant !!! All systems and features performed perfectly. The ride, handling and comfort superb !!! This by far is the most competant and nicest Chevy Ive ever owned. Even my wife likes it and thats says it all !!! We could not be happier with it !!! Ken R.

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  Great Value for the $ - 2012 Chevrolet Impala
  By derrickg61 - July 12 - 1:51 pm

  I love this car. Bought it in 2013 with 16K miles and now have 48K on it. Ive read many reviews suggesting that the Impala has lackluster handling. I wonder if these reviewers have really driven an LTZ. It has GMs FE3 suspension which is also standard on SS Camaros of the same year. This car handles well, but the ride is a little stiff. One big improvement would not be using the Goodyear Eagle RS-A tires. While these tires have worn well, especially for the lead foot driving I do, they are a true hazard on wet roads. One of the worst wet handling tires Ive ever owned. Oh, and the Bose sound system...Wow!