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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  Good Value, Minor Improvements needed - 2006 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Tracy - January 18 - 10:10 am

  This is my company car so Im in it a lot. It has great looks and value for the price. It is very comfortable and powerful enough. It has been very reliable so far with no major repairs. Only exception is the windshield. I think the angle makes it prone to chipping, or the glass is not good enough. Im on my 3RD one! Overall, this is a good car for the money. Blind spots and big turning radius are the only complaints.

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  Extra dependable engine, poor transmission - 2002 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD
  By hillclimber - January 18 - 8:16 am

  Our company bought this truck new. I just parked it last week with 242,683 miles on it. We purchased a 2005 with low miles, speced just my 2002. The 02 has a utility bed with welder, torch set up, worlds of tools. Full of gas, gross weight is 9,650lbs. This 6.0 gas engine has to be one of the best in the world. Ive checked every tank of gas for 6 1/2 years,averaged 13.225, great to be so overloaded. The 410 ratio did a good job for us. The automatic trans. just didnt have the guts for the torque and weight. When I parked it last week, overdrive was out again...trans # four, poor quality trans. Overall, an excellent truck if it had the Allison trans.

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  I love my Aveo - 2005 Chevrolet Aveo
  By ClaiS - January 18 - 4:13 am

  I love this car!! I have had great luck with the car so far and when ever I have had any questions the dealorship was very quick to get the answers. The car is VERY FUN to drive and has incredible room inside, lots of leg room in the back.

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  Great car - 2008 Chevrolet Aveo
  By Bob - January 17 - 8:23 pm

  Have owned for about a month. Am getting 35+miles to the gallon back and forth to work and around. Rural driving not city not highway. Has been super so far. Truth will be down the road. So far it has been everthing I had hoped for. Better than rated mileage I drive very conservative). Much better fit and finish interior and exterior than 2003 Corrlla that I had. Mileage is better also driving the same way. Was Ford and Toyota person. If keeps going like it is I will stay with GM.

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  Outstanding car made in the US - 2009 Chevrolet Malibu
  By John - January 17 - 7:56 pm

  Purchased car about a month ago and enjoy every thing about it. The car ride and handles as good as my BMW. The leg room in front and rear is outstanding. The only thing that I would like to see added is a arm rest in the rear seat area.

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  2006 Super Sport - 2006 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By Remy-Z - January 17 - 3:26 pm

  I traded in a 2001 Buick Regal GS for the SS. I had high hopes after owning the Regal for four years, and without question Im not disappointed by the Monte. The shape of the outside is handsome without being obnoxious. The interior is spacious, especially for a coupe, seats my 65" frame nicely, and the interior is a nice improvement from the Regal, which was already nice. Of course, the focal point of owning a Super Sport is the performance, and this one does not disappoint. Just from the feel, it blows the memory of my 87 Monte SS out of the water.

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  Nice truck, but troublesome - 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By Tom - January 17 - 7:10 am

  I bought this fully loaded Z71 as a demonstrator in November, 2004. A local baseball celebrity had driven it 3,200 miles in six months. The truck is great to drive--quiet, lots of power, and acceptable fuel economy for the vehicle size. I occasionally tow a utility trailer with my dirt bikes (about 1,000 lbs) and you dont even realize it is behind the truck. Unfortunately, the truck only has 35k miles and it has been rather troublesome. The battery completely died several times during the first winter (computer software update fixed it), the steering intermediate shaft has failed twice (20 & 25k), the 4WD system failed (33k--encoder motor) and the water pump is now leaking (35k).

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  If auto shopping steer clear of this expensive car - 2011 Chevrolet Cruze
  By Jeffrey Horstman - January 17 - 1:32 am

  Okay so I bought mine brand new back in July of 2011, literally the first 30,000 miles were okay. First 15,000 miles i had numerous recalls and recalls, about 8 total. At 16,000 miles the car died when backing up into the street? by The time my vehicle reached 35,000 miles , the " check traction control" & " engine power reduced " light illuminated on the dashboard and my vehicle stalled in the parking lot at work. The Throttle Body malfunctioned and failed. Towed to the dealer and a day later it was fixed under power train warranty. Cd player and Navigation screen went out at 47,000 due to some short, so another trip to the dealer Navigation system replaced and new cd player replaced as well as the negative battery cable terminal. At 49,500 miles on the vehicle had to have the coolant system serviced, awful coolant smell in the cabin numerous times, found the leak fixed under warranty. At 51,000 Coolant leak again near the Reservoir tank. Both the hose and tank replaced under power train warranty. At 53,000 miles again Coolant system need flushing because another leak. At 55,000 miles the Coolant system was leaking again near the radiator. At 57,800 miles the coolant Reservoir tank replaced again as well as Radiator cap. At 59,000 miles Coolant serviced again for mysterious vanishing coolant no leak apparant yet horrendous smell in the Cabin. At 65,755 miles the Defrost Actuators failed loud popping sound when changing modes from defrost to feet etc. About $875.00 later fixed. Oil leak at 69,000 miles in multiple places, the oil cooler lines replaced as well as the Valve cover gasket and some seals as well. At 72,000 Speedometer in cabin makes ticking noise and constantly stuck. At 72,800 miles the car mysteriously died at 1 am, no power and key was stuck in the ignition. Towed to the dealer and two days later confirmed no issues and vehicle started for them? Oil leak again at 81,000 miles. At 85,000 miles 90,000 oil leaking again as well as coolant. At 93,000 miles the "Theft alert system" went crazy, car alarm was going off for no reason at sporadic times throughout a couple of days, as well as hood latch broke and trunk latch. At 96,000 miles rear window defogger went out, At 97,500 miles the rear passanger power window broke. At 107,000 Miles the car had to be towed 45 miles to the dealership From Madison due to coolant completely leaked out and left my family and I stranded for two hours in the winter. At 115,000 another coolant leak. At 116,000 Oil leak again, dealer seems to think PCV valve is going bad. Unfortunately i have $5,000 in negative equity Thanks to general Motors or also known as Governement Motors. The value of Cruze is basically Worthless , a lot of Cruzes are sitting on used dealer lots going unsold for this reason. I know Im not alone , Ive heard lots of people have had more problems too! Please do your self a favor, steer clear and buy anything else other than the Cruze. I have always been a Chevrolet man, after my experience with this car, I cant wat until its paid off in two years and i can get out of it! Its a money hog and its pathetic as well as annoying having to be in the service shop what seems to be like every other month or so. I hope the next two years of ownership hurry up!

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  Great little SUV - 2013 Chevrolet Equinox
  By PAUL FOREMAN - January 16 - 9:12 pm

  Easy to drive in any conditions!!! Very comfortable for an average size person. I bought it from a HERTZ Resale lot with 24,000 miles on it and have put on another 39,000 for a total of 63,000 miles. Ive only changed the oil each 5K and put new tires on it at 50K. I keep asking that it be checked thoroughly and my dealer folks say it needs nothing (not even brakes) yet.

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  Excellent truck - 2002 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By mk - January 16 - 1:26 pm

  Bought the truck with a lot of highway miles, still runs like a champ. Had a Ford Ranger 4.0 liter engine that drank gas, this truck with a 5.3 L V-8 gets better gas mileage and will absolutely run like a scared dog up the mountains. Plenty of power to spare, comfortable, and an excellent value. Never had a full size truck, but Chevy makes me proud to own this truck. Classic looks that wont run out in the next few years, but I will own it a lot longer. I am just not interested in a new truck when my old truck runs like this and looks good.