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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  Anemic - 2005 Chevrolet Aveo
  By Mark - October 3 - 2:28 pm

  Since my purchase of a 2005 Aveo, I have been greatly disappointed. I had a Geo Metro Hatchback (3 Cyl) that had more get up and go than this car with 15mpg more than what I am now receiving. The tires wore out in 25000 miles of highway driving. The A/C is marginal, and the auto- transmission is absolutely the worst. I also have a Plymouth Voyager, it gets almost the same gas mileage as the 1000lb smaller car with 2 more cyclinders to feed gas. Im lucky to get 25 mpg in city, a corvette will get the same driven moderately. This is one of the poorest cars GM has put their badge on, period. For the same amount of money, go buy a Honda Accord or Civic.

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  Never!! - 2011 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Lee Jones - September 24 - 5:18 am

  Dont buy an Equinox! Super unreliable with absolutely little acceleration.

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  colorado "NORMAL" - 2007 Chevrolet Colorado
  By polebender1 - September 16 - 7:39 pm

  well this is about mom and dad age 74- 76,mom had a few little problems like acid rain drops that wouldn`t come off- and she on one of her times in there (to shop) said something about the 5 speed not wanting to go into reverse...the reply was 2 peaces of paper that said--(A customer can expect a blocked reverse shift 10 in 50 attempts(1 in 5).Engineering has determined that this condition is a inherit characteristic(06-07) and should be considered NORMAL they give a procedure for getting it into reverse.1)shift into 1st gear 2)move vehicle forward 3)stop and shift to reverse.so that means you need to go into traffic to get it to reverse WRONG well i drive a stick and it (colorado) doesn`t work

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  Paint is like SNOW there it gos.... - 1996 Chevrolet Corsica
  By AMW - September 16 - 1:12 am

  My car ran ok at first then problems came out of nowhere it runs bbad and the paint just keeps flying off driving down the freeway or at a car wash so embarssing might as well be snowing. Sometimes it wont even go over 25 MPH. I have two kids and its a shame so much is going worng and no money to fix it. The PW windows wont go down or if they go down you cant get them up. It lugs through town I want a new car and why such abad paint job on 96s?? Yet we get from point a to point b so cant complain to much. I would never by another Chevy though hearing bad storys on there paint!! AMW

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  Poor Choice for family vehicle - 1995 Chevrolet Blazer
  By ms.sills - September 13 - 8:15 pm

  Anything that could go wrong with this vehicle did go wrong. Although I was religious about regular maintance, there were always problems. Major Transmission problems, Major Brake problems and constant AC problems. I spent a good $3000 a year fixing and refixing the constant problems. Im not buying another one of these vehicles ever again

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  Internal problems of the serious kind - 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By Alex Williamsom - September 8 - 8:14 pm

  I liked the vehicle when I purchased it in May of 2006. The truck is a 2007. I have had some major problems with it, like the main electrical switch for the door and window operations has been intermittent for some time. My air conditioner blew hot and cold simutaneously. The transmission has some major missed in it going forward and backward. Everyone can hear it, they just dont know what to do with it and how to fix it. It is at the dealer now, they thought it was finished but when we went to pick ip up, it is making the same noises in the shifting gears and they are quite loud. What does it take to get your truck fixed? We buy fleet sales for construction crews so please fix it!

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  LT tahoe - 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By 02duty - September 8 - 3:12 pm

  I purchased my 2005 tahoe LT with every possible option (Navi, leather,sunroof,DVD, 5.3 V8,etc). The vehicle runs great but has major flaws. First, the A/C doesnt blow cold when its hot outside.(Not a dealer fix...its just horrible) At highway speeds the wind/road noise is unbearable. The seatbelt chime is so loud I can hear it inside my house if the car is in the driveway. The tranny slips once every so often. (Dealer said this is normal?!?) Third row jump seats are too heavy. $49k sticker and no back-up sensors or keyless pad entry?! Im not a Chevy hater, Ive had them before...but give me a break. I needed the room for kids and now Im suffering. Buy the 07 or buy a toyota sequioa.

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  2007 Chevy Suburban LTZ - Not the Best - 2007 Chevrolet Suburban
  By Jan - September 7 - 11:08 am

  This is our first Chevy SUV. Weve had the Ford Expedition and an Acura MDX. Interior design looks cheap. Weve had numerous issues and recalls to contend with. Key fobs not working, replaced latch on 3rd row seat there is not enough horsepower with the 1500 and in Houston traffic merging onto the freeway is dangerous. The Nav system is designed poorly and ineffective. And, now, latch on other seat is broken. Weve not even had this car for a year yet - and it has been in the dealership for repairs 5-6 times in the first few months. If I wouldnt lose so much, Id trade this car in today for the Expedition EL. Do not buy this car - go for the Expedition EL.

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  Very Disappointed - 1997 Chevrolet Suburban
  By araphel - August 28 - 7:54 pm

  Ive owned this 97 sub SLT for three years. In that time, Ive spent $5000 in repairs and it now needs another $2000. This vehicle has really made me doubt General Motors desire to remain in business. Little things that should be easy to fix end up being expensive. What happened to "built like a rock?"

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  2006 Malibu-"Just a Car" - 2006 Chevrolet Malibu
  By dannielle boilard - August 24 - 10:35 am

  I traded my 2002 Olds Intrigue for the 2006 Malibu which is a roomy small car. It is very light and blows around on the highway...over 100 kph is almost dangerous. I dont drive on the freeway because I cant keep up with the regular flow of traffic which is faster than that. I saved some money by trading in my Olds, but I know that I traded my Automobile for "just a car". It is way below the standard of comfort and performance that I was used to. I cant wait for the lease to end so that I can get rid of it.