Abstract: With the development of motor drive system of new energy vehicle and the increase in complexity and integration，testing of motor drive system has become an important part of vehicle development. But high-power motor drive testing is more difficult and has higher risks，especially for motor control system，traditional bench and real vehicle tests often fail to meet demand. An overview was provided from the three aspects of signal hardware-inthe-loop and power hardware-in-the-loop simulation structures，real-time simulation models and applications. By comparing the advantages and disadvantages of hardware-in-the-loop simulation and traditional bench testing，the advantages of accuracy and flexibility of motor hardware-in-the-loop simulation were clarified，and the superiority of the motor hardware-in-the-loop simulation test method was reflected. 

     Key words: motor emulation；motor drive；hardware-in-the-loop test；power motor emulator