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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  My third & final review - 2011 Chevrolet Cruze
  By tat1739 - February 4 - 9:00 am

  I now am looking forward to selling my Cruze. Tomorrow I will be back in the garage for a third transmission leak issue. In addition to a water pump recall and an additional leak, and a radiator leak, and a recall on brakes, and a loose motor mount, I am officially done with this car. I remain satisfied with the interior, but feel that the exterior is looking dated with new car styles coming out. It does still get 40 mpg, when I drive on cruise, within the speed limit, on flat hwys and without cargo or passengers. Otherwise, expect 27-32 mpg. As a former Civic owner of 10 years without even one single issue, the car does not impress.

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  Mislead - 2008 Chevrolet HHR
  By cmmarob - February 3 - 10:26 am

  I owned a VW Passat wagon. I was getting 26-28 MPG on the highway. A friend told me about the HHR and that I would receive better gas mileage. I traded for the HHR and got between 24 and 26 MPG. Very disappointing to say the least! Also the space in the back with the seat down is probably around 12 cubic feet smaller than the Passat. Another great disappointment. The interior uses a lot of cheap plastics and the window switches are on the center console. I have owned the car for 2 years and I still have to look for the switches every time I go to use them.

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  2014 Equinox, my worst nightmare becomes a reality - 2014 Chevrolet Equinox
  By johnford - January 30 - 11:44 am

  3 weeks ago I purchased a 2014 Chevy Equinox 2LT, 4 cylinder front wheel drive. Listed price is: $33,800 Current Mileage: 1,400 I have always been a "Buy American" supporter, that is until the mid-2000s when I had my last GM product which was as bad of a car as you could ask for. Figured its now 2014 and I should give GM a try again after some reviews of similar vehicles seemed to be fairly good, TERRIBLE MISTAKE. I could write an entire list of issues on this car if the review would let me. 1 point I must make is that within the 1,400 miles of owning this car, it has now been towed 2 times to the dealership for leaving me stranded on the road.

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  The car luddites built - 2013 Chevrolet Suburban
  By zorro_oscuro - January 29 - 11:42 am

  Id had a Chevy Tahoe that I basically drove into the ground after 16 years and almost 200k miles, it was time to let it go. I liked the car so decided to go with a Suburban because of the extra room. Biggest financial blunder of my adult life. Ive only had the car about 9 months, so I cant really comment on the bones. I was shocked that so much of the body is now cheap plastic. As far as technology goes, Im surprised it even has a radio. Its so far behind the times that its an embarrassment to drive in Silicon Valley. I kid you not, my motorcycle helmet has a better designed "infotainment" system.

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  Wont buy another GM vehicle. - 2008 Chevrolet Impala
  By md_jake - January 28 - 8:14 pm

  Car was my first new one in over 30 years. Bought new against my usual practice of buying used. This car has the worst blind spots of any vehicle I have ever driven, including my pickup truck with a bed cap on it. I have 73k on it now and have already had to replace all four rotors once, had the bottoms of the front doors and right rear fender in the shop for rust work (under warranty) and now my AC compressor is broken ... in the middle of January of all times. Also, my stereo has never worked properly and only plays music through the rear speakers 99% of the time.I think I will trade it in while it has the most trade-in value and try a foreign car or another Ford product.

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  The Malibu 1LT gives you a lot of value for the price. - 2014 Chevrolet Malibu
  By khk - January 28 - 3:31 pm

  We took delivery of our 2014 Malibu 1LT in early January. It came equipped with the driver convenience package which gives me a lot of extra features such as 8 way power seat, rear vision camera, remote vehicle start, ect. Handling and ride are excellent. Road noise is almost nonexistant. The engine is quite perky for a 4 cylinder, which was a pleasant surprise. Although I was very concerned about the stop/start feature, it has performed flawlessly. It stops and starts so quickly and smoothly, I hardly notice it. It has loads of storage space and convenience features.. It is a very fun car to drive, and we are very pleased with our purchase.

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  2006 Chevrolet HHR 1LT 2.4 5 speed - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By 06hhr - January 28 - 12:04 pm

  Bought April, 2012. When bought it had 50,432 on it, Just short of 2 years later its at just over 90k. Average over 20k miles a year. The clutch still feels new and the 2.4 Ecotec hasnt skipped a beat! All this said, I have done the following: -Thermostat replaced (factory installed coolant caused premature breakdown of OEM part. (known issue) - Fixed broken sunroof wind deflector (common issue) - Replaced/upgraded front rotors (OEM known to warp), upgraded to ceramic pads. Total cost, about $230 to fix, all easily done at home. The one thing I will need to have done is suspension bushings. Theyre shot and make the car creak horribly in cold weather.

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  In Love w/ my Malibu - 2012 Chevrolet Malibu
  By fireguy841 - January 26 - 2:28 pm

  Bought my Malibu used but it rides like a brand new car. On a scale of 1-10 Im at a 9.75. I love the smooth ride it provides along with the great look it has. I bought the top of the line one with chrome 16 inch wheels, chrome door handles, low profile tires, leather/suede interior power everything. Love that it sits low to the ground giving you almost a sports car feel with the feels of a luxury car. Great gas mileage, not to mention it rides great in the snow. Definitely love this car. It is my 4th chevy Ive owned and is my all time favorite.

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  My Luck - 2013 Chevrolet Cruze
  By cd1993 - January 23 - 9:03 am

  Dont know if i got a bad one but bought my Chevy Cruze in May 2013 a month later had to have a new bumper put on noticed the other one popped apart from the frame, speaker had to be replaced, car started leaking under the dash onto the carpet when it would rain had to have a header put on, break light in rear window is very dirty and claim this is normal, rear bow tie popped off at the top had to be replaced and yes when i come to a stop my car jerks too. I dont like that the windshield wiper dispenser wont work when it is very cold outside but i guess that is expected. No light in the glove compartment. And sometimes there is a odor when you have the heat on.

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  Great first car for our college graduate. - 2014 Chevrolet Sonic
  By culpykat - January 22 - 8:33 am

  We were very fortunate to have over $4000 in GM card points that were allowed to be transferred to an immediate family member, so a Chevy or GM product was a definite choice. We looked at several models and the Sonic Sedan was the best choice based on price, safety, features and overall performance. She was able to get a lot of the bells and whistles and still keep the car within her price range.