Owing to the competitive advantages of fast response speed, large pushing force, high reliability, and high precision, the permanent magnet linear synchronous motor (PMLSM) has played an increasingly vital role in various high-speed and high-precision control systems. However, PMLSM exhibits nonlinear behavior in actual operation, and position tracking precision is negatively affected by friction, load changes, and other external disturbances. To meet the growing demand and solve the position tracking control problem for the PMLSM, the control system is critical. Sliding-mode control (SMC) has been used extensively in nonlinear control systems due to its superior performance characterized by simplicity, good dynamic response and insensitivity to parameter perturbation and external disturbances, and has been implemented in PMLSMs to track practical position. The objective of this article is to classify, scrutinize and review the major sliding-mode control approaches for position control of PMLSM. The three different conventional SMC methods, namely the boundary layer approach, the reaching law approach and the disturbance observer-based SMC, are discussed in detail. The four advanced forms of SMC, namely terminal SMC, super-twisting SMC, adaptive SMC and intelligent SMC, are also presented. A comparison of these approaches is given, in which the advantages and disadvantages of each approach are presented; additionally, they are presented in table form in order to facilitate reading. It is anticipated that this work will serve as a reference and provide important insight into position control of PMLSM systems.