The vehicle's driving performances is determined by the control strategies and constructions of hybrid electric vehicles (HEV). The constructions of HEV are classified according to the change of state of charge of battery pack, and a study on current situation and trend of control strategies for HEV is presented in this paper. The research indicated that the current control strategies for HEV are not perfect and need further optimization. The control strategies should realize the optimum match among engine, motor, battery and transmission according to the characteristics of each component and vehicle's driving conditions. Many aspects including the fuel economy, emission, the life of battery pack, drivability, the reliability of each component and HEV's manufacture cost should be considered in the control strategies. A study on the control strategies and its optimization that take account of the aspects mentioned above is a work emphasis in the future. This paper also points out the PHEV equipped with small motor, small engine and continuously variable transmission is an ideal system construction for getting optimal fuel economy, lower emissions, steady drivability, lower manufacture cost and HEV's mass.