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:

• 

  Driving mine for 5 yrs now - 1998 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Dixons - March 17 - 9:14 pm

  I have had mine 5 yrs now. I loved it at first, but it has begun to wear out. It has a 115,000 miles and is still going strong.

• 

  dont buy - 2000 Chevrolet Blazer
  By Theresa - March 15 - 9:13 am

  owned this car 9 years.This is the first new car I bought off the lot. I have had nothing but problems ever since I bought this car.Rear seal replaced, differential, pins in the doors, front seat adjusting handles just break, computer, alternator, battery, gaskets and 5 yes 5 heater cores. The first 2 was covered by GM after I complained enough because the first 3 times i brought into the dealer there was a bulletin to flush the lines, which did no good, the problem ran past the extended warranty and blow out again, gm covered it. The problem came back cuz it was never fixed correctly. I know that GM/Dexcool had a class action law suite regarding Dex cool I signed up $back NEVER AGAIN GM

• 

  Mileage Stinks - 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD
  By Jdgrn4ever - March 14 - 11:43 pm

  Having owned a 01 Duramax, I have to say that Im very disappointed with my 05. Having averaged 22 mpg with my 01, going down to 15 mpg with my 05 is very disturbing. Coupled with the fact that my dealership is encouraging me to purchase an after- market performance chip in the hopes that the mileage may improve 3 or 4 mpg. The trucks ride is much better than a Ford or a Dodge. However, personally, I liked the styling of my 01 better. With the slant-eyed headlights, it would seem that the final design of the 05 front-end came out of Hong Kong. If you dont mind spending 1/2 of your time at the gas station, buy a new Chevy Duramax. Else, do what I am ... consider buying a Ford.

• 

  water leaks, ignition problem - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By jonny1507 - March 9 - 11:40 am

  I have a 2006 HHR i purchased new. First was the water leak problem. after a hard rain, the driver side floor board floods. a seal on the firewall cracks. design flaw. they fixed it. Second was the shifter. a sensor broke that told the ignition the car was no longer in gear. as a result, the key would not turn to the off position. this happened 15000 miles past the warranty. 450.00 out of my pocket for a manufacture defect.

• 

  Warning - 2002 Chevrolet Malibu
  By ms31021 - March 6 - 11:30 am

  I have had many problems with this car intake manifold gasket, brakes and its running hot. At this moment it is in the shop for the third time in 3 years.

• 

  is it what you really wont - 2003 Chevrolet S-10
  By can,t belive gm made - March 4 - 1:50 pm

  I have had nothing but problems. I have had this truck for 3 years. I have replaced at 47,000 as follows battery, tires, heater core, brakes rotors, cv driveaxles, front wheel hub bearings, slave cylinder, clutch assembly, gasket set for upper engine, fuel injectors, fuel pump asy air conditioner compressor, upper and lower ball joints, catalic converter, 3rd door handle (at 50.00 apop I made one out of stainless steel) latest is a mass airflo sensor and a 2nd gear sincro gear and the cheap interior seats ect. Thank god Im an ex- gm tech. I paid no labor! I would feel for someone who had to pay for this fine gm product. I see why they are in the mess they are in.

• 

  vehicle - 2009 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid
  By tekar - March 1 - 4:43 pm

  i bought a 09 malibu hybrid for new york taxicab couple months i like it and suddenly makes noise from engine had to change belt at 36000mile then front two wheel makes noise through bump ,and of course to change headlight bulb youve to take whole front bumper out which cost around $70-80 something happens its expensive to maintain so i would suggest buy regular not green not good gas mileage i wish it 26-34mpg

• 

  Disappointed Owner - 2004 Chevrolet Impala
  By Drew - March 1 - 4:43 pm

  I purchased my 04 Impala brand new and the first year of owning the vehicle I thought it was the best car I ever owned. Year 2 I had to replace the speedometer and the radio, year 3 tie rod, rear hub assembly. Year 4 I had to replace the water pump, rebuild the transmission, and now I am having issues with the coolant system! All in all a major disappointed with GM products, especially a vehicle with a $26,000 sticker price! This is my second Impala, as I had one in 2003 that was wrecked, and I thought this car would last 10 years with no troubles! Boy was I surprised!!!! Chevrolet you need to get it together or Ill have to consider buying a Toyota or Nissan!

• 

  Ups and Downs - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By trafficgoo - February 25 - 5:30 pm

  Well, the car was great to begin with until we started having problems. Ive had the car 7 months now and Im on my 3rd problem. Had a fuel pump problem, the rear door hatch stopped working so you couldnt get the hatch open. No key entry on the hatch itself, stupid idea, and now problems with the turn signals. Im ready to dump it.

• 

  Say No to GM - 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By joewee - February 23 - 8:06 pm

  I have 8700 miles on the car (bought it new 05). I have had that CD player problem randomly, the brakes are pretty crappy, I have had replace the stock tires Conties stink, had two alignments (have never hit anything), the front fenders where they are joined to the inner fender wall are about 2mm out of spec (5.5mm) the front bumper cover never matched the rest of the car after complaining to the point of a coronary they painted it, still doesn’t match. Must be the material they are made of. Now since I got the car back the top end of the engine clatters for about 5-10min on cold start (crappy oil pump) it takes forever to prime.