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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  Bought it for the long haul - 2017 Chevrolet Cruze
  By Iowa Stater - January 13 - 9:13 pm

  Put over 10,000 miles on the car in the first 3 months. 200 to 1400 mile trips on highway and interstate. Have had from 36 mpg to 44 mpg with an average just below 40. Odometer mileage shows just a little better than actual. Wish you could disable auto stop and buttons on steering wheel need to be raised a little more so you arent feeling around or looking at the wheel. But it does what I bought it for. Good mileage in relative comfort. Good commuter car.

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  10 years old and still 26mpg - 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By Dan Brown - January 13 - 7:35 pm

  Have used the 8 foot bed for hauling hay, feed, moving furniture, travel, camping, spreading fertilizer, stretching fence, etc. Unladen, it still gets 26mpg on the highway. Still gets 19-23mpg on errands in a very hilly town (1000 elevation changes 2X daily). I credit the 6 cyl engine and manual transmission and 2 wheel drive for that. Without a load, it gets a little light in the back end, so needs ballast for winter driving. Never felt the need for 8 cyl engine, even with a ton+ of hay on board. But I never tried to tow anything, either, so take that into consideration. Bought it used for 8K in 2009; happy with it. I have not found any full sized pickup with similar fuel efficiency. Bring back the stick shift GM!

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  I Love My Monte! - 1996 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By Anra - January 13 - 5:06 pm

  I bought my Monte 2.5 years ago with 70,000miles. It now has 102k and other than regular maintenance and 1 battery my Monte has been wonderful to me. Best luck I have had buying a used car. It has run solid and still does. I am getting ready to sell it and I will miss it terrible. Only reason Im selling is I now have a company car and dont need to pay to kep it on road. I am surprised to hear all the bad. This car has been reliable, and fun to drive. I would definitely buy one again. Also I must have been lucky, mine has 2 cup holders. One folds out of armrest other pulls out under radio console. 96 Monte is a good solid car!

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  Good Truck, but... - 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By Mike - January 8 - 11:46 pm

  Bought in Feb 09. With 29 miles on it, it started having extended start problems. After 4 months and 5 trips to repair, they finally realized the fuel injectors were leaking and replaced all eight; seemed to fix the problem. Other than that very nice truck. Could be a little plusher inside and provide more storage, particularly in the rear seat area. Drives as good or better than my 09 Honda Pilot. Fuel economy not great, but hoping to improve. The brakes squeal quite a bit, but only after sitting for a day or two.

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  Have Fun Buy the 2.0 Turbo, LT - 2018 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Dave - January 5 - 6:55 pm

  Ok, Im a car guy, love cars, have had over 50, all new, not bragging I drive a ton, and dont want to deal with break downs. The last 2 cars Ive had have gone back under the California Lemon Law (Manufacturers call it a "Repurchase"), a 2015 Subaru Forester XT, and a 2016 Hyundai Tucson Sport 1.5 Turbo. Both because of software problems, the Subaru had the horrible CVT, and the turbo had severe hesitation on the freeway mostly. The Hyundai was a great car, but the 7 speed DCT is dangerous, talked to many other owners at gas stations, and car washes, they ALL had the same problem. From a stop when you got to about 10-15mph everything would stop nothing from the gas pedal, making a left turn almost got hit twice because it was dead stalled. The problem is so bad, and Hyundai has so many "Repurchases", I had a loaner for over 2 months. Now the Equinox, bad first, seats not great, but I am 62", 280lbs, and the thumb, thumb noise I do have like another reviewer mentioned, but will be fixed. Drove everything, Rav 4, Honda CRV, Escape, Kia Sportage, Tucson without the 7 sp. DCT, Subaru Outback, VW Tiguan, nothing was really a stand out, and every time I drove the CVT I hated it (CRV. Outback), all had 4 cylinders, and were slow, and noisy. The 2.0 Turbo in the Equinox with the 9 speed is special, quiet, fast, and easy to get 30mpg on the highway, and no it was not $40,000, MSRP $31,800, has blind spot, Android car play, rear hatch is automatic, rear camera, with audible alert, the things I need, no AWD, in Cali dont need it. Firm ride, but not harsh, very quick and fun for a CUV, and the best part got it for $24,000, dealer discount $2,000, rebates $2,000, and last get a GM credit card through Capital one, 3 or 4 times a year they send you a coupon for $3,000 on almost any GM car, or truck. So after all that less than any car I mentioned above, go drive the others, and drive this last you will see the difference, I did.

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  2014 Chevy Silverado LT All-Star Edition Z/71 Double Cab-5.3 V-8 - 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By canadaverde - January 5 - 5:25 am

  Got my new truck 2 weeks ago. I dont drive my personal vehicles very much and now I am a retired Deputy Sheriff with disabilities. I sold my 2004 Chevy 2500HD-LT-SWB-Extended Cab 4X4 with the 6-1/2 foot bed with the Duramax/Allison in February 2013. It only had 28,000 miles on it with almost 9 years of ownership. I like most things about my new pickup, except the Active Fuel Management system and poor fuel economy. It only has about 250 miles on it now. I used a SuperChips programmer on a 2006 Dodge Charger I was assigned to add power and deactivated the AFM system. The car ran better and got better MPGs, so I ordered one for my new Chevy truck. We will see how it works on the pickup.

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  Close to a lemon - 2003 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By Devante Schartzbaum - January 3 - 10:00 am

  Since buying my TB last Jan 03, Ive had to take it in 4 times for service: door latches making funny noises, wiper motor burned out, engine problems, A/C stopped working. Taking it back again because there are rust spots all over the paint on all sides of the vehicle. This vehicle may just be cursed, if it werent for the problems, I wouldve rated the TB with 9s across the board.

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  Surprised - 2008 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Jim - December 30 - 3:26 pm

  I bought this car to get out from under a Chevy truck. It was the best deal I could get at the time. I not a big fan of American cars, but the Malibu has surprised me. I get very good gas mpg, around 25 city and 33hy. Very quiet for a car under 21K. It has all the things you see in Toyoya, Honda, Nissan, etc. Its a mid size car but gets Honda cCvic gas mpg and is very quiet unlike the Honda. Toys are a different matter. I think they are a little better but this is subjective. I ride in both models (Malibu/Camry). Car fan is loud when set on 3 or higher. AC is OK, not great but gets the job done. Ive had better. It takes a litte time to get use to but overall a good value for the money.

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  98 Monte Carlo - 1998 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By Richard Black - December 29 - 10:00 am

  Nice smooth running reliable car.

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  Als mid life joy - 2003 Chevrolet Corvette
  By Al Clem - December 29 - 10:00 am

  All that power and it still gets me almost 30 mpg on the highway (@70 to75). Now thats better mpg than a Toyota Camry V-6. So I can rationalize that I "had to" get this car to help the environment and do my part to stop our dependency on foreign oil. Isnt American technology grand and how about my rational?