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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  Not a good car but it works. - 2005 Chevrolet Malibu
  By bigbearsfan - November 8 - 12:06 am

  This is the cheapest quality car I have ever owned. We decided to buy this instead of a new Accord because it saved money (a great deal after rebates). I have owned 2 Mazdas, an Altima, and a CR-V and the build quality of this car doesnt even stand up to my old 96 626. After 28k miles this car has several interior rattles, a mushy brake pedal and suspension, and overboosted steering. Everything inside the car feels and sounds cheap to the touch and the doors dont stay open by themselves even on the slightest incline. This is not a great car. It has lots of potential but GM cheaped out again. And some folks wonder why we lose to the Asian car companies. Get the Impala, its better.

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  Pure J.U.N.K. - 2003 Chevrolet Avalanche
  By Chebby - November 1 - 10:00 am

  Sorry I ever saw one of these things. Seemed pretty cool at first but quickly got ugly. Sucks gas like my old Hemi Cuda of 1970 vintage. Poor build quality and generally worthless design. Not really a truck and not really an SUV. It gets increasingly uglier every day and the plastic trim everywhere, inside and out, wont stay attached. Will dump it on the used car market soon. Certainly, Dodge and Ford have the edge.

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  SSR Super Stinky Roadster - 2004 Chevrolet SSR
  By kajunteddy - October 12 - 3:11 am

  It looks real good sitting beside the road while you wait for the tow truck. It looks good in the dealership repair shop. It would even look good in your garage if you could get it from the dealer to your garage. This is the worst made GM product and least stood behind. Forget the three year/ 36 K mile roadside towing assistance,(Which you will need) because GM will not honor it. If you want a quality built $50K vehicle, buy foreign.

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  Last GM for me - 2001 Chevrolet Blazer
  By j smith - October 11 - 12:03 am

  In the last 10 years I have bought 10 new GM cars or trucks, and I have owned 25 GMs in my life, This Blazer is the main reason I will no longer buy GM. It had two sections of the body repainted in the factoy. Can now be seen due to low clear coat mils that have lost their gloss and some over spray. When I reported the problem to GM, they told me the paint only had a 2 year warranty. It has what feels like an out of balance tire since day one that has never gone away no mater who or how offen the tires were balanced, same for the second set of tires. The seats will not stay locked down and will slide back and forth if gas or brakes are applied hard.

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  Stop Living In The Past - 1994 Chevrolet Impala
  By banx - October 10 - 9:29 am

  I owned this car for a year in 96. Compared to todays cars, its a slug. Curb weight was 4200 lbs and with only 260 hp, 0-60 was almost 8 seconds. Almost any car today can do that. Handling was great for the time, but a new car would run rings around it now. It was relatively easy to maintain, but not well assembled. I loved the aggressive look then. Today it looks like a brick on wheels. The best part of the SS was its ability to hold so many passengers and their equipment.

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  2014 silverado vibration - 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By surdi - October 9 - 6:11 pm

  I bought a 2014 Chevy Silverado back in Feb. Besides the dealership selling me the truck with a recall that I was not told about till I took the truck in for another batch of recalls at a dealer closer to home .I have had the truck in for a radio problem that the first dealership was to take care of and never did,and now there is vibration every time I stay at a steady speed , It seems like the transmission is searching for a gear and stays in a higher gear and not shifting to a lower gear and starts to lug the engine. causing the vibration.I dont know if there is a computer glitch that is not telling the transmission where to shift ,but it seams to be getting worse. I want my 2000 GMC back

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  Last One - 1998 Chevrolet Blazer
  By LASTONE - October 2 - 7:59 pm

  Poor quality in overall woorkmanship. Seat adjustment handle broke off. All brakes and calipers changed after 100,000 miles. Windshield wiper module replaced (not recalled). Waterpump replaced 110,000. Oil leak from hoses to filter (25,000miles. Transmission tubes replaced come loose.

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  Undesirable Aspects - 2010 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Gary St. Hilaire - October 2 - 9:23 am

  Blind spots on drivers side make this a scary vehicle to drive. Dont expect passing gear to kick in and take right off when you are changing lanes on the freeway and really need it to kick in at that moment. It swallows one or two times first. Many driver seat combinations block the view of the speedometer in the 40-70 mph range. Drivers window up too high and leaning your arm out the window has your shoulder close to your ear or higher. Hardest riding, nosiest vehicle I have ever owned (Im 56). Although the vehicle has deft steering, turning off the Traction Control seems to help with the stability or whatever that odd feeling is with the vehicle. Glad I only leased it for 3 years.

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  Keep Looking! - 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By SarahB - October 2 - 8:46 am

  Ive had this car for five months and needed to replace the head gasket and coolant system. The car has run warmer than it should since I got it, and just recently finally decided to overheat. This car is only at 51,000 miles. Keep searching for other cars!

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  Get Quads - 2007 Chevrolet Suburban
  By Brian Stokes - October 1 - 10:50 am

  Lots of little cabin noises. You feel every little bump in the road like a sports car. Front passengers sit like a compact thanks to the ever trendy (monster) center console, while the rear is like a school bus. 2nd bench seat is in an unconfortable,upright,fixed position (wont recline). 3rd seat is very difficult to acess. Every time you adjust the AC or turn the car off and on, the AC reycycle turns off. My 06 Silverado does the same thing. We live in Atlanta and use recycle because it cools much better and wont pull in cigarette and exhaust smoke in stop and go traffic.