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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  The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly - 2007 Chevrolet Impala
  By marnet - February 27 - 2:29 am

  The Good: Split bench seat with column shift lever, comfortable suspension, generally good driver visibility, huge trunk. The Bad: Large blind spots at C pillars. The Ugly: 1) Tire pressure monitor / key fob / antenna took 3 tries to fix under recall in first few months. 2) Problem in steering column fixed under recall in first year. 3) Power steering pump failed at 30,000 4) Water pump failed at 35,000 5) Part of wiring harness burned up at 45,000 6) Now at 50,000 fuel pump noisy, a/c/heater blower not working properly, motor mounts broken, and transmission slipping. All these major problems despite adhering to the "severe use" maintenance schedule.

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  Love It- But Not a Family Vehicle. - 2014 Chevrolet Camaro
  By robertwayne04 - February 25 - 12:49 pm

  Im 28, single. I wanted something fun to drive. I state this because there is no qualms about what this is- a fun vehicle to go Ricky Bobby fast on the weekends. The features that bother people- visibility, trunk opening, etc. are not really a consideration when I purchased this vehicle. My concerns, if any, would be the fuel economy. I understood it wouldnt be great upon purchase but it may stab your wallet to death. I just hit 400 mi. this morning and have used 2 tanks on a 19 gallon engine. Purchased with 50mi. on it. Tight budgets beware. Red SS2, loaded w/ sunroof, nav, RS: $37,800 + TTL paid. Also, Im 62 and its kind of a tight fit but you get used to it.

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  Big inside! Bad MPG. - 2010 Chevrolet Aveo
  By mirde98 - February 25 - 12:41 am

  I bought my Aveo5 LT 60 days ago and now i feel i can submit a good review. The vehicle is super spacious inside for such a small car. The fit and finish overall is good. All is hard plastic but soft to the touch and are low gloss. I have the 2LT package with sunroof, rims, cruise, fog lights, and "leather" seats. No abs though. Stereo sounds decent and armrest is good. Car drives smooth and seats are comfortable. Hatchback design helps when need to carry large boxes. Headlights are strong and visibility is very good. MPG is a major issue with this cars. 22 city is simply unacceptable. Full tank gives me merely 250-280 miles.

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  Amazing Cruze - 2013 Chevrolet Cruze
  By joe527 - February 24 - 12:00 pm

  I have owned the 2013 Cruze LT for 6 months, no issues. I love it, so does my wife. It should be better if the CHevrolet can increase the interior space and the armrest.

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  Nothing Exciting - 2012 Chevrolet Sonic
  By nick_scott - February 22 - 5:19 pm

  We bought this car because of the price and advertised MPG. Since owning it, we have noticed that the MPG is no where near what it claims to be, as much at 7 MPG less at times. The look of the car is interesting to be kind. The front end is UGLY and the rest is bland. The inside has some nice features such as leather, heated seats, bluetooth, and power everything. However the cabin is very cramped and the driver seat is painful at times. The arm rests are at different heights which can be awkward. Do not expect to be comfortable if you weigh more than 150lbs. Performance of this car is a joke. The non-turbo has no throttle response at all and struggles on even small hills.

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  subcompact assembled in USA - 2014 Chevrolet Sonic
  By billmo - February 22 - 10:15 am

  I have one whale of buyers remorse. Seems it wont go away. Maybe Sonic needs to go. Transmission works when it wants to, fails to downshift into lower gear when its needed. The automobile has the worse value for a car with 12 thousand miles on it and new Michelin Pilot tires The roof has been painted, suspension parts have been replaced. Car runs ruff in neautral as well in drive idling, have rectified some of ruff idle I use 93 octane seems to help somewhat also synthetic oil has helped to. Gas mileage is just a couple of MPG than my 2000 Nissan Truck, and the truck you couldnt tell it was running. The Sonic idles like the 4 cylinders of 20 years ago. GM should be shot. Selling such junk

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  70000 miles+ Average car - 2011 Chevrolet Cruze
  By stcornish - February 21 - 11:25 am

  I have a 2011 Cruze with 1.8L engine with automatic transmission. I have had the car in for I major issue. The transmission housing broke. Chevy replaced it under warranty. The dealer said it was something they never seen before. The good is the car is quiet and the ride is comfortable. I am needing new tires so 70000 miles is good. Also I got 3 years of oil changes in the deal so I so far have no out of pocket expenses. The bad is the fuel mileage of 27.8 ave. I was hoping for 30+. The ugly is the transmission program. It alway is going to the highest gear as fast as possible. There is a three second delay for down shifting as it finds the right gear which almost got hit.

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  Scared for my life at 10k miles - 2012 Chevrolet Cruze
  By chevycruzeh8er - February 20 - 1:31 pm

  bought my car March 2012, been having hard shifting problems and just last month the transmission module failed completely and had to be replaced (9,500 miles). I was sitting in the car on idle and it felt like a brick was dropped into my engine with a thud, engine light came on and trying to drive it to the side was like driving a golf cart. Still having hard shifting problems, got it back from the dealership yesterday and apparently the hard shifting is a "feature" of the car, I dont even feel safe driving this car anymore because Im scared of getting rear ended when the car hard shifts on the freeway and pulls so hard back that if there was somebody tailing me they would crash into me.

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  2014 Volt Rocks! - 2014 Chevrolet Volt
  By havityourway2 - February 19 - 4:08 pm

  We purchased a new Volt after careful contemplation and evaluation of alternatives available. We have never owned a hybrid or electric car. We havent purchased a new car from a US automaker in over 20 years. We have owned this car for about a month now. So far, it has exceeded our expectations in all regards: comfort, performance (it is quick- particularly in "sport" mode), energy efficiency, build quality.

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  Its a Tank - 2001 Chevrolet Impala
  By beemorsch - February 19 - 12:19 pm

  This car has seen HELL from just from my sister and I driving it alone (after three others). Even though I havent been in any accidents with it (although Ive come pretty close), my sister has gone through 3/4 pretty bad doozies, yet with just a bit of fixing up, its still running. That said, my gas gauge doesnt work, the drivers side heated seat is shot, my radio drains the battery when connected (wiring issue) and a few other things are in need of repair. This being my first car, the length was intimidating after learning to drive in a mini, but I always loved it and have always called it my tank, because its seen so many things and gone through "war."