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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  uplander gas gauge/sliding door problems - 2007 Chevrolet Uplander
  By dawn - May 12 - 5:28 pm

  Help!Just purchased a few months ago-this car has been in the shop 6 times for the gas gauge-it floats- never gives the exact amount of gas you have. I called gm they said it is this cars issue not defect! They dont know how to fix it-I am just stuck with it like that!The sliding doors close then pop back open!

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  I fell for a slick marketing campaign - 2008 Chevrolet Malibu
  By TDD - May 12 - 2:53 pm

  I had abandoned Chevy in 2001, having back to back Nissans (Maxima & Altima) until 2008, when I was lured back to Chevy with heavy incentives. "The Car You Cant Ignore" ads were on every 5 minutes. The car was fun at first, but I swear it gets less responsive the more I drive it. Acceleration is reluctant, and steering is stiffer than when new. Just found out the steering gear is failing at only 16K miles. Rear seat doesnt latch properly, and if you stare at the sheet metal too hard, you can dent it with sheer will-power. (how did I get a door-ding on the roof?) No tactile response on the center stack you have to take your eyes off the road to operate heater/radio. I tried, GM/Chevy......

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  I expected more from Chevy - 1999 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Scott - May 9 - 8:43 am

  The 1999 V6 Malibus have many known engineering flaws. I purchased mine new with less than 20 miles on it and its going strong at around 90 thousand miles with numerous repairs. My problems are quite common from reading these forums. Replaced the brakes/rotors at least 7-10 times over the past decade at a conservative cost of about $5000-$7000 and Im not an aggressive driver. Ive had the head gasket replaced due to the known Dex cool antifreeze problem ($700), had the alternator changed once, the pass key theft system needed to be replaced ($300) Power windows stick in the heat, A/C went bad.... I thought Chevy had a reputation as a reliable car, guess not the 1999 Malibus.

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  RATTLE BOX - 2016 Chevrolet Malibu
  By ronald lakatos - April 29 - 5:49 pm

  Miles per gallon were better then epa estimates. My Malibu has way to many rattles and interior vibrations for a new car. Dealer made half of a attempt to fix then. car left me stranded for 2 hours with check engine programming issue with auto stop start technology. The Bose speaker sound system is not all that good.

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  Discontinued for good reason. - 2003 Chevrolet Venture
  By Iversjohnson - April 23 - 3:48 pm

  Year one - transmission rebuild, brakes gone at 22000, interior lighting failing, engine overheating in summer. Year two - additional interior lighting failure, power door locks no longer function, lift gate strap pulls off, arm rests come loose on driver door and front passenger door, engine still overheating after several repairs. Year three - down to two or three dash lights no center console lights left, engine still overheating after additional repairs, transmission shifting hard and clunking (dealer replacement in year one). Year four plus - barely driveable despite regular maintenance and numerous dealer repairs.

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  Disappointing! - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Sooo Disappointed! - April 21 - 7:59 am

  I fell in love with the sleek style, beautiful on the outside..but thats as far as it goes! After having this vehicle for 2 weeks I began experiencing problems my car wouldnt start! It would turn over but wouldnt start completely then stall out. I took it to the dealership and they "couldnt figure it out" 6 visits/7 months later they still dont know whats wrong? The worst part about it-the fact that in my most recent visit the was one towed there another sitting there waiting to get fixed with that same problem as mine! Besides the starting issue, my car will not reverse,breaks/roters grind(didnt need to be replaced), car dings even when keys arent in the ignition!

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  junk - 1999 Chevrolet Suburban
  By David - April 16 - 8:34 am

  Had a 78 and a 90 burb, loved them both. Very surprised to see the good reviews for this truck. Mechanically speaking this truck was junk. Constant problems, most very expensive to fix. Door lock acuaters, two fuel pumps, door handles, a/c, two flywheels, oxygen sensors, both batteries, abs braking system, wiper motor. When I finally got rid of it it still ran like crap, the transmission was slipping and the gm service center could not figure out why it ran so bad. I would love to have another burb but I will be very diligent about my research of model years before I buy another one. My father has a 99 with the same opinion of his. I just looked at a used 99 for sale, ran like crap, engine light on.

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  2007 impala - 2007 Chevrolet Impala
  By 07honey - April 15 - 9:44 pm

  window wind noisy. loud road noise, shifting is not smooth, very uncomfortable, small things seem to always go wrong.

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  Toy car - 2004 Chevrolet Aveo
  By Konstantine - April 14 - 1:07 pm

  This car is awful, timing belt snapped at 4500 miles, replaced engine and never worked the same again. Multiple problems in the design yet GM still doesnt do anything about it. Dont be fooled, this is NOT an American-made car. Its a Daewoo Lanos in a Suzuki designed body. I cringe every time I see one on the road now, GM should scrap it as it is giving them a terrible reputation.

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  Tire Monitor System a royal pain - 2007 Chevrolet Impala
  By andrew - April 14 - 12:19 am

  Car has been serviced regularly at Chevy dealership and tire rotations followed to the tee--result? New tires and alignment at 31K...terrible. Had steering shaft replaced and air filter box under hood simply fell apart...as well as several visits to address Tire Monitor System which does not operate properly--and they cannot seem to fix it so thats bad stuff too...bought American why?