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:

• 

  trouble - 1999 Chevrolet Blazer
  By becky - June 14 - 9:52 pm

  Bought car with 70,000 miles on it. Now has around 100,000. So, far have had to repair fuel tank, alternator, new tires, new brakes, new wheel bearings, new ball joints two batteries, the cd player doesnt work, the drivers window doesnt work, the drivers exterior molding keeps popping up, the passenger side set adjustment handle is broke off, and I am just waiting for more problems. Also, the gas mileage is terrible.

• 

  be careful - 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By carbuyer - June 13 - 8:59 pm

  Ive put this car through the crash test! At 25k miles, I had experienced some brake problems...eventually, they completely failed and I had $5k of damage to fix when I rearended a car (Chevy said they didnt fail and was my fault). At 35k miles, my radio screen broke, and 14k miles later the replacement broke. Ive had trouble with the key getting stuck and I cant get it out, and once couldnt get it on. Most recently though, I had a bad accident...I can say one thing - this car falls apart fast in accidents, but I walked away with minor injuries in what should have killed me...I wouldnt go chevy again due to all the problems Ive had...

• 

  What a pile of you-know-what!!! - 2006 Chevrolet Malibu
  By killrhedake - June 12 - 4:49 pm

  My wife and I bought this car from our local Chevrolet dealership. We bought it used with 6,000 miles. 8,000- replace front and rear brakes. 10,000 miles- replaced tires because the wore quickly. 25,000 miles- brakes again. This time discovering the passenger side rear pad was broken in half from the force of the caliper. I have never seen that before. 38,000- Brakes and tires again! God awful rattle emitting from the passenger side dash. Windshield leaking now. CD player likes eating CDs and will not fully eject them. Replaced intake with K&N recently. 65000- Check engine light- bad O2 sensor - wheel bearings shot and replaced. Dealership now out of business. No warranty upheld by GM.

• 

  After only 5 years - too many things wrong with it - 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By chevydriver2 - June 10 - 7:47 pm

  Ive enjoyed the truck which I bought new in early 2009. At 1700 miles off warranty, I had to replace rear break cylinders that cost about $1,100 all in. Too much too soon. Ive been burning oil like crazy. I took it in to have that repaired. It turns out there is a dealer bulletin on it. That means they did a big repair job for free because I got it in at under 100K miles. Apparently excessive oil usage was a big and noted problem. On the same visit I replaced to door lock motors $500, to rear window switches $250 and a solenoid that was causing an engine light $400. I just think that this is two long and expensive a list for a truck that is 5 years old with only 86K miles on it.

• 

  Not as great as Magazines say - 2008 Chevrolet Malibu
  By fastrevmd - June 10 - 6:09 pm

  Highway mileage is more like 27mpg than 30mpg that was posted on the sticker. I tested this accurately as I could possibly do but never came close to 30mpg. The power steering went out on mine the 1st week. Also the seats are not very comfortable, I had leather and still not comfortable.

• 

  Mixed Feelings - 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By Jessica - June 10 - 1:43 pm

  Not sure where to start...had my Cobalt for less than a month when I heard a horrible rattling noise. Took it to the dealership only to find that the windshield had been installed upside down and had to be replaced. Got the car out of the shop. Drove it for two weeks and started hearing a horrible noise in the front end. Two compressors later, and I still hear a bug zapper like sound when I run the heat or the air. Dealership swears that they cant hear it, but everyone else who has ever been in the car has commented on it. The car drives okay, but honestly, has been in the shop way to often for a brand new vehicle. As the owner of both an 07 Cobalt and an 07 Malibu LS, Im unhappy w/GM!

• 

  Not pleased with this one - 2005 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By Got a lemon - June 9 - 11:40 am

  Im not very pleased with my 2005 Monte Carlo. I would love to get rid of it, but it has not held its resale value and I owe too much on it. I have owned it for 3 years and it has been in the shop and been worked on 7 times. The belts an pulleys keep breaking. The steering shaft has also went out on it. I work from home and do not drive it everyday and it has been well maintained it only has 28,000 miles on it for a 3 year old car. My dash is also coming apart. I will not buy another one and I will be getting rid of this one as soon as possible.

• 

  Problem after Problem - 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By cdowning - June 9 - 12:14 am

  Broken the day driven off the lot. Now been in the shop 8 times for various problems. PCM/BCM issues biggest trouble. Transmission rebuilt, and still the whole front end sounds like its about to fall apart. Terrible resale value. GM no help.

• 

  Expensive Mechanical Nightmare - 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By smp - June 8 - 8:11 pm

  Paid $47000 including a $3000 extended warranty. Drove for 3 1/2 years before it needed a new radiator and transmission-$4000. Radiator cracked and fluids were mixing. Also found out the ext warranty co. went bankrupt so not only are we out $3000 for warrant but another $4000 for the repair. Now 9 months later needs another $1000 repair, the transfer something or other. Drive switches from 2WD to 4WD at random and no one can find anything wrong with it. Speedometer breaks at random for a few days, usually on a trip, then starts working again. Will NEVER purchase a GM vehicle again. Biggest hunk of junk ever. Fun to drive but a mechanical nightmare.

• 

  It stinks! - 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By Brent - June 7 - 7:25 pm

  This car is not reliable at all. working on it almost every weekend. Engine is very loud makes all kinds of noises. Had to replace Transmission gasket seal, change spark plug wires, a/c unit doesnt work, had to change struts and the headlights are a pain to change. Gm uses very cheap parts to build this car. Dont waste your money on one.