This paper presents the principles of analytical lumped parameter (LP) model for a Synchronous reluctance motor (SynRM) for traction application purposes. Particular focus is put on the calculation of the heat transfer from the machine’s housing during the active and passive cooling. For this purpose, the area-based composite correlations method is proposed. The approach is attractive due to its simplicity and the fact that it closely models the temperature of the machine’s housing. Finally, the proposed thermal model is evaluated experimentally on a totally enclosed fan cooled (TEFC) SynRM, and good correspondence between the analytical and experimental results is obtained.