Permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs) are widely used in electric vehicles due to their high power density, high efficiency, etc. Core losses account for a significant component of the total loss in PMSMs. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully consider it when designing PMSMs according to actual scientific research project applications. This paper extracts the characteristic operating points of the PMSMs under different operating conditions at different speeds. Then a harmonic analysis of air-gap flux density, phase current, core loss was completed, and detailed comparative analysis was performed. A novel method for comprehensively analyzing the stator core loss of PMSMs for vehicles is proposed, which reveals the law of the core loss of the PMSM under Maximum-Torque-Per-Ampere (MTPA) and Space Vector Pulse Width Modulation (SVPWM). The method was verified by a prototype experiment where the actual core loss of PMSMs was measured to verify the correctness of the method. This research provides a reference for accurately predicting core loss during the forward design of PMSMs and completing core loss evaluation for existing PMSMs.