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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  SS= Severely Sucks - 2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By Loring Russell - September 30 - 2:00 am

  very unimpressive, nothing great about this vehicle.....gone are the days of the awesome Chevrolet Monte SS that were fun to own and drive. This vehicle is nothing more than a larger Cavilier. The Yugo has been reborn, it is now called a Monte Carlo. Purchase price 10 months ago 29K, current trade in value 15K. I guess their reputation has spread.

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  Dangerous car with huge blind spot - 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By Ryan - September 24 - 6:56 pm

  The coupe gets great gas mileage and I should have got the sedan. This car is very dangerous to switch lanes as the rear window is extremely small and you can barely see out of it when checking your blind spot. Youll probably want to get one of those small round mirrors to put on the side mirror or cut off the roof (of course not possible, but sure would be safer) as Im hesitant to drive freeways unless my girlfriend is with me to check the traffic in the right lane.

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  Piece of junk - 1996 Chevrolet S-10
  By ptlytch07 - September 20 - 4:04 pm

  I purchased this truck with about 80,000 miles on it from a private seller. I only kept the vehicle for 6 months because it was constantly having problems. A/C went out, transmission had to be repaired, radiator had to be replaced, etc. Of course, none of the repairs were cheap or simple. I finally got all the bugs out and got rid of it before something else could go wrong. I wouldnt buy another one of these if I had to. I would rather walk! Piece of junk!

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  Boo - 1995 Chevrolet Blazer
  By J.B. - September 12 - 8:13 pm

  The worst thing I ever did was buy a beautifully kept up Blazer for a move across country. After over $1,000 in repairs before I got out of town (brakes, brakes, new radiator, brakes again.. egr shmee-g-r, oil change, etc) and another $350 on the road, in the middle of nowhere, for a new fuel pump, the thing lasted only 5 months thru the winter (without 4WD, which wouldnt work) before the engine blew. This car was very well taken care of by the previous owner and myself. Who knew? I knew there was a reason my Dad made that face when I said I was buying a Chevy. I guess after the Citation in the 80s he knew what was up.

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  Bad Brakes and Poor Service! - 2008 Chevrolet Impala
  By Coleen Stevey - September 6 - 4:53 am

  See alot of happy SS buyers here. Must be a different car. Had a 2002 Impala, wish we had it back. Car has been in the shop 2 times since bought. Going on second week. SUBSTANDARD BRAKES that are very front heavy! DEALER CUT BRAKE ROTORS TO FIX> 200 MILES ON CAR! Open rear windows if test driving and u will find heavy earsplitting wind noise. GAS ECONOMY MUCH LOWER than listed. XM SATELITE is not FREE, PRICE IS IN STICKER! Motor runs rough and motor peripherals whine upon starting when cold. Rear leg room very limited! SHOCKS substandard, feel like used making for bad turning. Phantom clunk in front end. GM says nothing in writing, stuck with car. Get it in writing!

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  LS Should Mean, "Lousy Seat" - 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By Tony - September 5 - 6:56 pm

  Worst vehicle I ever owned. Steering intermediate shaft needs lubed every 3000 miles. Engine knocks when first started. I get maybe,12 MPG. Seats are the worst I ever had the misfortune to sit in. If ninety % use their vehicle for transport of the driver only, why dont these idiot engineers design a vehicle that a person over 52" can get comfortable in. I mean does it make sense to cram a person in a cocoon shaped drivers compartment with their feet stuck in one position, the floor curved, so their feet are never on a flat surface, a steering wheel that will not adjust fwd and aft, seats that only adjust the bottom half, arm rest that stick in the air when top half is reclined.

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  Gas Mileage - 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By Don Stroud - September 3 - 5:30 am

  Getting 14 to 22 miles to the gallon of gas. Have taken vehicle back to dealer and they say they cannot do any thing about the problem because there are no codes showing. GM will not even talk about the gas mileage.

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  Do not buy - 2004 Chevrolet Aveo
  By gtown317 - September 2 - 3:51 pm

  I have only been happy with the mechanical performance of this vehicle. I think It is one of the worst cars to drive on the road today. It is all over the place and It does not get great gas mileage for its size. It is an ugly car also. There is a lot of room in the back seat.

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  Nothing but bad news - 1996 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By Nannygoat - August 26 - 10:00 am

  It has been nothing but problems: alternator, spark plug wires (twice), spark plugs, power windows (twice), power door locks, drivers reclining mechanism, door padding, center console, power steering, transmission. I have sunk about $5-6K into this car in the 4.5 years of ownership. Only 67K miles. Dont bother seeking a refuge with GM "customer service" either. They just tell you to get lost.

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  Terrible Car - 2006 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Ken - August 18 - 12:12 pm

  Poorly made. Cheap plastic all over the inside. Seat already falling apart. Middle console made of cheap plastic. A/C compresser locked up, threw a belt, overheated. Two weeks to get a part due to backorder (which should tell you that there are problems with this vehicle). I should have never purchased GM. Im going back to Honda and Toyota.