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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  Fantastic - 1995 Chevrolet Blazer
  By ineedgasrightnow - February 25 - 1:39 am

  This car is amazing. It has lasted thirteen years of merciless punishment, and come out spotless. I live in the mountains, and my car has to deal with storms, mudslides, fallen trees, potholes, and deer.

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  Chevy Diehard - 2003 Chevrolet Suburban
  By BenGrainger - February 24 - 4:41 pm

  I have driven Chevys all my life. But this one may send me away. Nothing but dash problem everything has to be serviced because of lights coming on even after I have it serviced. Airbag went out right after warranty. Goes into 4 wheel low by itself. Replaced Horn, entire AC. DVD player in roof causing whole roof to droop. I love my truck but it is driving me crazy with expenses and dash lights always on. I always have things flushed and take care of my vehicles. $1000 dollars for air bag replacement now is out of my budget. Can not afford to take in to figure out why it goes into 4 wheel on its own. New horn now has problems again. This is at least my 7th Chevy could be last.

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  Gravel and Head Spinning - 2014 Chevrolet Equinox
  By LGC - February 24 - 2:28 am

  SOLD - NO LONGER HAVE - REMOVE MY NAME! Specifically asked sales person/manager about the ability of this vehicle to go UP my gravel driveway (sales person was familiar with drive). No problem was the answer. Wrong!!!! I have owned this vehicle for 7 weeks and ave spun out more than 6 times. I have googled many sites trying to find out about how or issues for driving UP but only found info for driving DOWN. Not only driving up the drive but also reversing up slight incline (out of cover). The hill is NOT very steep - and is not straight up, has several flat areas, and several turns. I cannot begin to describe how disappointed I am with this vehicle. I spent over a month researching vehicles and went for over a dozen test drives of different vehicles. I feel like I wasted my time and energy. I will attempt to talk with the manager about trading this for a vehicle that will actually DO what I need it to do. I am returning to dealer because manager and his staff are very good to work with and I have been doing business with them for over 4 years with another vehicle, with wonderful results. My head is spinning trying to figure out how to operate the Infotainment system. And yes, I read the manual specific to the system. All I want to do is listen to my Ipod through the speakers; hooking up to the USB port in center console.

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  very disapointed - 1997 Chevrolet Lumina
  By very disapointed - February 23 - 10:51 am

  Very expsensive car to own. I have had this car just a short time. 121,000 miles when I bought it, and in less than 6mos I have made some very costly repairs (close to $2000) with some repairs labor free because I did some myself. intake gasket, egr valve, catalytic coverter, trans flush new brakes. the check engine light comes on everytime I fix one thing something else sets light on. I really think this is a good example of a modern day disposable car. If I could aford to, I would just throw it away to the junkyard where it belongs. poor engineering altogether. Just a legal lemon, and a piece of junk.

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  1999 Suburban - OK, but could be better - 1999 Chevrolet Suburban
  By Helpsuburban - February 23 - 8:57 am

  My wife bought used in July 2007 from used car dealer. Looked good on lot, everything appeared to work. Dealer said transmission had already been replaced. As previous postings said - door locks and actuators not working properly. Would not start, could not find problem. After major tune-up restarted. Had to replace brakes. Serpentine belt broke. Its OK, but could be better for the money.

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  Reliable and Practical - 2001 Chevrolet Prizm
  By E. Sears - February 23 - 8:42 am

  I did lots of research before I bought this car, and it paid off. As many probably know, its basically a Corolla with a Chevy emblem slapped on it -it has the same great reliability as a Toyota but is significantly cheaper. I own the 5-spd manual, which accelerates reasonably well and gets good gas mileage. There have been no problems with this vehicle. All Ive had to do was regular maintenance. This is a basic economy car, so if youre looking for excitement and luxury, look elsewhere. That said, it is a reasonably comfortable ride, but the back is lacking leg space. I would highly recommend getting the manual transmission if you want improved gas mileage and quicker acceleration.

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  Best performance car for the money! - 2001 Chevrolet Corvette
  By 2001 ZO6 - February 23 - 5:42 am

  For an all around sports that can just about beat anything that costs twice as much, you cant go wrong with a ZO6. It is civilized enough to drive everyday unlike a vVper and gets as many looks and compliments. I have never have had a problem. The car has 28000 miles and runs flawlessly. The only down fall is that it likes to eat up rear tires as the rear end tends to slip the rear tires quite easily when shifting into second even when driving conservitly. Truly a great car.

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  Great Car for the money - 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By Joe - February 22 - 9:50 pm

  I just bought my Cobalt back in February and I cant complain about it at all. The Cobalt is decades better than the Cavalier and you cannot compare the two. The car handles so nice and the build quality is excellent. As well, the car has plenty of power with the 2.2L, especially on the highway in the higher RPMs.

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  Some unexpected problems - 2000 Chevrolet Prizm
  By Danielle - February 22 - 6:41 pm

  This car was purchased new, but always burned engine oil too rapidly, and became quicker over time so I must carry oil with me. The front end alignment pulls to the right and noone can seem to fix it. 3 years ago (summer of 2005) A/C broke. I had to buy a new A/C unit which works so much better than the one the car originally came with. In November 2006 with just over 100,000 miles on the car, the catalytic converter went out - Major Bucks to fix this, and required for DMV renewal. After passing smog, only months later the check engine light is on again meaning I cannot register it this year unless it gets repaired again! Needless to say - time to buy a new car.

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  A beast of comfort and reliability. - 1999 Chevrolet Suburban
  By father of four - February 22 - 5:47 pm

  Yes, these times might make you say to yourself - my gosh, can I afford the gas. Well, if you can find a vehicle that can haul as much as this can, can motor across most any surface - dry, slick, or wet, and can haul this many folks in comfort all while getting better gas mileage, well, I say go for it. I have had this vehicle since it was new, and I swear by it. Yep, itll eat brakes, but its about 4 tons of truck so thats to be expected. Comfort is an understatement. Safety is an understatement. Put the kids in their seats and strap them in and youre fine. And I have had no real issues with relability, just normal maintenance issues that were easily fixed.