This paper reviews recent cell-balancing techniques for electric vehicle (EV) battery management systems (BMS). Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are widely used in EVs due to their high power density, long life, and energy density. However, cell imbalance, caused by variations in cell capacity, internal resistance, and aging, can lead to uneven power dissipation, reduced battery life, and safety issues such as thermal runaway. Cell balancing is crucial to maintain cell voltage and state of charge (SOC) within desired ranges, ensuring optimal performance and longevity. The paper discusses various cell-balancing methods, including passive and active balancing, and presents recent advancements in cell-balancing topologies. Passive balancing dissipates excess energy, while active balancing transfers energy between cells. Recent developments include switched-capacitor structures, resonant switched-capacitor equalisers, single inductor bidirectional balancing, coupled inductor balancing, and dual DC-DC converter-based balancing with an auxiliary battery. These methods aim to improve balancing speed, efficiency, and reduce the number of components. The paper also highlights the importance of optimising cell-balancing techniques to address challenges such as high cost, magnetic losses, and the need for precise control. It reviews various topologies, including closed-loop switched-capacitor structures, parallel resonant switched-capacitor equalisers, and single inductor cell balancing with an auxiliary battery. The study shows that the proposed methods can achieve fast balancing speeds, reduce residual voltage imbalance, and improve overall battery performance. The paper concludes that recent cell-balancing topologies are based on inductors, capacitors, and their combinations. These methods aim to enhance efficiency and balancing speed by adding extra components, but they also require more semiconductor switches, which can increase power losses. Some methods use an auxiliary battery to supply or draw energy during balancing, while others use DC-DC converters and resonant converters to reduce switching losses and improve balancing speed. The study also notes that the performance of balancing methods can be further improved by increasing balancing currents or sharing power between battery cells.This paper reviews recent cell-balancing techniques for electric vehicle (EV) battery management systems (BMS). Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are widely used in EVs due to their high power density, long life, and energy density. However, cell imbalance, caused by variations in cell capacity, internal resistance, and aging, can lead to uneven power dissipation, reduced battery life, and safety issues such as thermal runaway. Cell balancing is crucial to maintain cell voltage and state of charge (SOC) within desired ranges, ensuring optimal performance and longevity. The paper discusses various cell-balancing methods, including passive and active balancing, and presents recent advancements in cell-balancing topologies. Passive balancing dissipates excess energy, while active balancing transfers energy between cells. Recent developments include switched-capacitor structures, resonant switched-capacitor equalisers, single inductor bidirectional balancing, coupled inductor balancing, and dual DC-DC converter-based balancing with an auxiliary battery. These methods aim to improve balancing speed, efficiency, and reduce the number of components. The paper also highlights the importance of optimising cell-balancing techniques to address challenges such as high cost, magnetic losses, and the need for precise control. It reviews various topologies, including closed-loop switched-capacitor structures, parallel resonant switched-capacitor equalisers, and single inductor cell balancing with an auxiliary battery. The study shows that the proposed methods can achieve fast balancing speeds, reduce residual voltage imbalance, and improve overall battery performance. The paper concludes that recent cell-balancing topologies are based on inductors, capacitors, and their combinations. These methods aim to enhance efficiency and balancing speed by adding extra components, but they also require more semiconductor switches, which can increase power losses. Some methods use an auxiliary battery to supply or draw energy during balancing, while others use DC-DC converters and resonant converters to reduce switching losses and improve balancing speed. The study also notes that the performance of balancing methods can be further improved by increasing balancing currents or sharing power between battery cells.