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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  Leaky Sun Roof - 2013 Chevrolet Equinox
  By rickoh1 - April 17 - 10:01 am

  I purchased a 2013 Chevy Equinox new in February 2013. If you wash the car at home in your driveway everything is fine, but it starts snowing and you try to take it through a car wash, the sun roof leaks and you get all wet. I have taken it back twice to the dealer and talked to GM, both say that is the way the car is made, all 2012 and 2013 Equinox sun roofs leak when you take them through a car wash. My recommendation if you live where you have bad weather and take your car through a car wash, dont get a sun roof or buy something else.

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  Huge leaps forward... - 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By big_g - April 15 - 5:36 pm

  Had a 12, now have the 15. The difference is a great surprise between the two. Its quieter, handles better and is more comfortable then the previous one. This time I have the 4x4 and Im still getting better gas mileage than I was on the 12 4x2. 600 miles so far and averaging 19, and I live up a steep incline. Nav system is WAY better than previous. Mine is sliver with gray leather, 22" wheels with the luxury package

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  mirror trim keeps falling off - 2014 Chevrolet Impala
  By browzer - April 13 - 8:24 am

  Ok - this is admittedly a weird problem. The exterior forward facing chrome-colored plastic mirror trim has disappeared twice from the passenger side of my 2014 Impala. There is absolutely no damage to the remaining mirror so Im pretty sure nothing hit it. I think it just fell off by itself. anyone else experience this?

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  Wiring harness issues - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By jngavin - April 10 - 5:45 pm

  I recently have been having issues with the windows not working. Or working intermittently. Also have a buzzing in the radio. I did a google search and discovered a few comments pertaining to the wiring harness between the door and the body. The harness in this area is prone to breaking. I figured what the heck. I removed the rubber boot and to my surprise I found 5 wires broken. I wish now that I hadnt spent the money on a new window motor. Im now trying to find a way to get in there and repair the wires. Im a bit afraid to look at the other 3 doors. If this has been a longtime issues with design, it shouldve been fixed while it was still under warranty. We bought it brand new.

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  Great all-around car - 2013 Chevrolet Cruze
  By nathanto - April 10 - 12:19 pm

  our organisation purchased 5 Chevy cruzes at the beginning of 2013. I personally drove 3 of them for extended periods of time. In the first year of owning these cars, we put roughly 30,000 miles on them. We never had any serious problems with the vehicles. There was only one time that a light came on in one of the turbo diesel cruzes and it was just the self-clean feature for the engine. If that ever happens, just let the car run for about 30 minutes at 2000 RPMs.

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  1001.1 - 2006 Chevrolet Impala
  By dwilcox - April 8 - 10:34 pm

  i wrote a reveiw back in 2010,the car had 93,000 miles, it now has 194,000 miles,still runs good,uses a little oil,havent changed the brakes or the spark plugs yet. did have to replace the passenger side wheel bearing hub assy. and the water pump and the tie rod ends . i did all of this myself. i need the driver door window regulator replaced.once i awhile the low oil pressure light comes on at start up,i just shut off the motor and re-start and it doesnt come back on. the a/c vent door clicks too but goes away.otherwise it runs good and i average 25 miles to the gallon. and i own it now . feels good.

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  It is what it is - 2007 Chevrolet Uplander
  By rob5001 - April 8 - 6:34 pm

  It is a terrible car, Contantly overheats, Even in freezing weather. Radio is nice, But doors dont work at all. I do not recommend this car.

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  Boring, But Very Reliable - 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By _only - April 8 - 1:11 pm

  (not a manual, BTW) Ive had my 2005 Cavalier for almost 10 years and 130k miles now. I bought it used from the dealer with 30k miles in 2006, and its been extremely reliable and dependable ever since. Besides normal obligatory replacement parts like tires and brake pads, the only things Ive had to fix/replace were the instrument cluster gauges at 110k miles, and the fuel pump at 125k or so. My struts also are very weak now at over 130k miles and need replacing. Long story short, this car shouldnt give you any issues well over 100k miles, even if you have been bad at oil change maintenance, etc. The engine will be the last of your issues with this car, which is the most important note.

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  Best small car yet - 2013 Chevrolet Cruze
  By blomidon2013 - April 7 - 7:19 pm

  My wife and I have been driving cars for 45+ years. Until 2013, we had not bought a Chev for well over 25 years. Before buying a Cruze, we had an Elantra, a Focus, a Volks Golf, and a Dodge Caravan (to name the last 4). We test drove the Elantra, the Focus, Mazda and Toyota, and decided on the Cruze 6 speed standard. We have not been disappointed 10 months later, and have put approx. 20,000 miles on the car to date, with no problem to date.

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  Amazing value for the price paid - 2014 Chevrolet Sonic
  By kayemtee - April 6 - 8:54 pm

  Ive only had the car for a few days so my enthusiasm may be subject to change. We just took delivery of a LTZ sedan with the 1.4 turbo and a six-speed manual transmission. Im very impressed. Quite peppy in city driving. We just took a highway ride and ran at speeds up to 80 mph and averaged 39 mpg. Amazing! Very solid ride and quiet with little wind noise. Amazing amount of legroom and headroom for driver and front seat passenger. Im six-two and had to move the seat up and had tons of headroom. I liked the look of the hatchback better but lower price and huge trunk made me pick ther sedan. We paid less than 18K I cant think of any car out there to offer this value.