Permanent magnet traction motor has the advantages of high efficiency, high power density, high torque density and quick dynamic response, which has been widely used in the traction field of electric vehicle. The high-performance control of permanent magnet traction motor depends on accurate rotor position information, which is usually obtained by using mechanical position sensors such as hall sensor, encoder and rotary transformer. However, the traditional mechanical sensor has the disadvantages of high cost, large volume and poor anti-interference ability, which limits the application of permanent magnet motor. The sensorless control technology is an effective way to solve the above-mentioned problem. Firstly, the sensorless control techniques of permanent magnet motor are classified. The sensorless control techniques of permanent magnet motor for rotor initial position, zero-low speed range, medium-high speed range and full speed range are deeply described and compared. Finally, the development trend of sensorless control technology of permanent magnet traction motor is prospected.