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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  Worst Car Ive Ever Owned - 2013 Chevrolet Cruze
  By cpson - August 23 - 6:41 pm

  Numerous problems as others have mentioned. Hesitant, jerky transmission that never shifts when you need it, like merging, lane changing, or accelerating after a turn. Transmission bucks while cruising at constant speeds. Car occasionally lurches forward, or hops with the brake pedal fully pressed. Steering wheel is off-center and car pulls to one side. Thinly padded seats offer no thigh or back support. Rear seats are even more uncomfortable and very cramped. MyLink randomly restarts and drops Bluetooth connections frequently, and radio reception is spotty. Sub-par 25 MPG in city driving. Steering wheel obstructs view of gauges. Bad blind spots. This will be my last GM vehicle.

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  Never Again! - 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By madashell11 - May 22 - 3:01 pm

  where to start...hmmm 2007 4 dr cobalt , parts going after 3 mnths transmission synchro mesh No it is not my driving, suspension all of it replaced , battery has died, starter once , brakes are all kinds of messed up stabilizing link pooched ...worst car ever owned had a 500 $ car once that was more reliable!

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  Worst Car Ever.... - 2007 Chevrolet Uplander
  By leola30 - February 13 - 10:12 am

  I bought this car in January 2011 and it has giving me nothing but trouble since. First, The sliding door went. Then, the when it rained the heat and the windows wouldnt work. Then the gas gouge was broke because It will say it had a half tank of gas then the car would stop and it would be because theres no gas...Then the Glove box broke off. And then I woke up and the car is not starting. The car has went completely hay wire....The car might look nice but It is a piece of junk.

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  Another piece of GM junk - 2005 Chevrolet Impala
  By kandis67 - January 6 - 12:57 pm

  I bought this car in 2011 with 54k miles on it. I now have ~78k and it has just been one problem after another since day one. Huge lack of power, stopping on a slight incline on the road would cause me to roll backward when releasing the brake. Transmission jumps and skips. Cant get it to start 85% of the time. Fuel regulator began spitting out gasoline at 60k ($180 fix). Tie rods are crap. Wiper motor is seized. Heat randomly shuts on and off.

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  Cruze to a crash - 2012 Chevrolet Cruze
  By jwestbrooke - December 24 - 8:46 pm

  The 2011 Chevy Cruze is the absolute worst vehicle to ever come out of Detroit. The 2012 Chevy Cruze is not quite as bad. It will prove to be the most rear-ended car ever built. Whenever you are in town, the computer can take control from the driver and make hopelessly stupid mistakes. If you are doing 35 mph and back off the throttle by as much as one milimeter, the computer can take control of the vehicle and decide "Oh, he must want to stop. Here, I will help you." The computer radically downshifts the transmission, shuts down the fuel injectors, alters the ignition timing, and will slow the vehicle to 20 mph within 2 seconds. The computer has taken control. You are helpless.

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  Emmission problemm not reported by cheve to customer - 2006 Chevrolet Colorado
  By nabid - December 4 - 11:43 am

  I have 2006 cheve colorado pick up,it failed several time smog test,i spent a lot of money to the local mechanics for diagnose,it came as internal leak,missfiring.it was a major manufacture deffect but Cheve never send me any letter to infor for any recall,finally when i took to dealer they told me there is a memo that this model has a deffect,they have to open all engine to fix the problem..i was shocked WHY CHEVE DID NOT INFORMED ME AND OTHERS CUSTMERS AND WERE CHEATING.ITS SHAME FOR CHEVE AND THEIR MANAGEMANT..WILL NEVER TRUST CHEVE AGAIN.

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  This vehicle has no power - 2011 Chevrolet Equinox
  By angrychevy - November 30 - 8:57 pm

  Been in the shop 2 times and is not recommended. It has no power and now the worst part is that the dealer cannot fix my issue. Day 5 and Im still waiting. They are not even sure how to fix it. It is a 2011 so how can they not know how to fix and program a BCM???? WOW GM! GOOD JOB, I WILL NOT BE RECOMMENDING YOU TO OTHERS!

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  Waste of Money - 2005 Chevrolet Impala
  By kgates75 - October 11 - 2:59 pm

  I bought this car in 2007. It was 2005 and had 14k what a deal I thought. At 50k I had to replace the motor. It had an issue that the dealer stated *Never happens* now at 115k the car needs a new transmission and will not pass emissions. I still owe a years payments on this car. I contacted GM, they apparently do not care that they make crap! Every year I owned this pile I have dumped too much money into it. Engine, suspension, exhaust, tie rod ends, not to mention the regular maintenance. If I could go back I would have bought the Dodge instead. Never will I waste money on a GM vehicle.

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  Lemon Alert - 2007 Chevrolet Uplander
  By dadenska - August 15 - 2:49 am

  We bought this 2007 Chevy Uplander used from a dealership. Weve had nothing but trouble with it since we bought it. The doors were the first to go. Then the hub bearings. The computer board had to be replaced. Glove compartment broke off after a few weeks. The interior leather is cracked on drivers side arm rest. Weve spent thousands since weve gotten it on repairs. Cant wait to trade it in. Buyers beware. This has been our nightmare vehicle. Ill never buy another Chevy again based solely on this vans poor performance.

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  Worst Car Ive Ever Owned/Driven - 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By apex32 - August 4 - 8:50 am

  Just purchased this from ailing grandma. Ive driven and owned both American and foreign cars. Long and short of it, a 99 Ford Focus with 190Kmiles and a broken head gasket drives better than the cobalt with less than 16K miles on it. The cars braking is unresponsive and frighteningly unsafe on the interstate and city. The power steering is more of a suggestion than an actual option. Terrible understeer. Most days I can only attempt to "guide" it rather than steer it. Its a small cramped vehicle and Im 55 150lbs, no features, uncomfortable, unsafe to drive, and no Anti-Lock Breaks? What is this? The 1980s? Seems like ABS should be a standard safety feature as of 2005.