Motor & generator operation at widely variable speeds is needed in various applications but hybrid and electric vehicle (HEV) stand out today, as quite a few companies are launching this year their mass production of HEVs. The quest for better starter-generators is far from ended, though. The present review paper unfolds a comparative critical evaluation of various starter-generators and their control for HEV. Induction, interior PM synchronous, transverse-flux PM synchronous, switched reluctance, together with claw-pole and biaxial excitation PM synchronous (BEGA) configurations with their control are all considered in system evaluations.