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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  Klunky - 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By JB - August 25 - 12:52 pm

  Bread truck handling, braking, and acceleration. Rattles and clunks. Cheapest kind of plastic and mouse fur interior. Air conditioning takes a long time to cool down on a hot day. That the vent always defaults to "open" doesnt help. The LED multi-function odometer tries to do too much. Noisy engine when pushed. Automatic transmission cant decide which gear it wants to be in. This cars begging for a stick shift. Gas gauge hard to read.

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  Mileage stinks - 2003 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By Jo - August 25 - 10:47 am

  I only have 17,500 miles on this vehicle. I get 11 mph in town and 16 mph highway. I have the v6 engine. Thought about trading it even though it is in mint condition and very well maintained. Decided that the difference in cost for a new vehicle would buy a lot of gas.

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  Should have gone with my gut.. - 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By offroadgoonie - August 25 - 10:27 am

  Im going to lay it straight. This was a solid truck for the first few months of owning it. Owned this for about a year and since purchasing, Ive replaced the engine twice, had a transmission give out, and the heads get completely destroyed. "only" 72k miles on the truck, 2k miles on the new engine and about 1k miles on the transmission. Looks wise, this truck is flawless. Its a crew cab, although it might as well be an extended cab with the leg space.. but the interior is clean and looks amazing. Im mainly concerned because I was told how great gmc/chevy is and how Ford and Dodge suck.. ya ok. Tried it and youve failed so Im going back to my reliability. Piece of crap. No thank you!

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  Fantastic Truck and Amazing Value - 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By TJ - August 25 - 6:26 am

  Some trucks did one thing better than the Silverado but none did everything as well. The technology involved with engine is amazing and the eight to four cylinder shift is not only seamless but transparent to the driver. Having small children I really appreciate the safety features. Although the truck was just picked up I have owned foreign full size trucks and the initial quality is every bit as good if not better.

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  Suprise - 2010 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Don R - August 24 - 4:23 pm

  After test driving Ford, Toyota and a few other models in the same catagory I was surprised how nice the Equinox was, I gave it a better rating than the above for the price, looks and all the features it has. I have 1000 on the vehicle and average 27mpg city and freeway. The interior is great, controls are all visable and easy to reach. I like all safety features, handling is nice and road noise is low.

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  Wow love it! - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Tina - August 24 - 2:25 pm

  Well, this is one vehicle I wont trade in. I love the way it drives, I feel like im driving a fast car. I love the way it makes me feel that it is a SUV. But it dosent feel like it.

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  Wow ....what a car - 2007 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By anita - August 24 - 1:36 pm

  My new ‘07 Monte is so fun to drive I almost bought a SUV but my Monte caught my eye. Its fun to drive looks good, feels good is very dependable fuel economy is good comes standard with great options

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  Used 2013 chevy volt - 2013 Chevrolet Volt
  By Fred - August 24 - 10:02 am

  That its a great car. It is one of the most advanced vehicles on the road and you can buy a used one for a fraction of the original price.

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  Spongebob - 2005 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Citricacidcycle - August 24 - 10:00 am

  I was given this car as a rental while my trusty VW Golf was in the shop. This Chevy drives like a wet sponge. The steering wheel turns as lightly as a phone dial, but the way you turn it doesnt have much in common with the direction the car will go. Turn the wheel a bit to the side and the car will stoically go straight. According to the manual it comes with a 200hp V6 engine. Those 200 horses have been hidden well. When driving off from a red light the 90hp Golf Diesel feels livelier (and it gets you almost twice as far on one tankload). In terms of design, be informed that what looks like cheap plastic is cheap plastic indeed. The engineers must have slept soundly the past decade.

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  Like my Equinox - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By ali1227 - August 24 - 10:00 am

  I like this little truck. I think the plastic for the dashboard can be improved. Needs map lights in front and handles above each door. I also had an issue with hubcaps on this truck. They were making a ticking noise and GM could not figure out how to fix it. My dealer has since swapped the noisy hubcaps with alloy wheels. Problem solved. Dont go through the hassel of hubcaps. Just get the truck with the alloys. Overall, though, I like it. It is a nice ride, and very nice to look at. Sliding back seat a plus for taller friends