<p>In this paper, a research method for power factor enhancement of variable leakage flux (VLF) PM motor considering driving cycles is proposed, in which the key is utilizing the inverse-saliency-ratio effect of this type of motor. By analyzing the current and voltage constraint circles of the VLF-PM motor considering driving cycles, the relationship between power factor, saliency ratio, and the defined inverse-saliency-ratio degree is deduced and established. Based on this, the flux-path-oriented design method is proposed, where the multilayer flux barriers are cleverly designed along <i>q</i>-axis to guide the magnetic circuit, change the value of saliency ratio until the saliency-ratio is invertible, and thereby enhance the power factor. Moreover, the multi-condition multilayer optimization method is adopted to raise inverse-saliency-ratio degree, so as to further improve power factor. To better evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method, the vital performances of the proposed VLF-PM motor are analyzed in detail, and an existing VLF-PM motor, whose saliency-ratio is not invertible, is included for comparison. Finally, the optimal VLF-PM motor is built and tested.</p>