LiFe 0.99 RE 0.01 PO 4 /C cathode material was synthesized by solid-state reaction method using FeC 2 O 4 β’2H 2 O, Li 2 CO 3 , NH 4 H 2 PO 4 , RE(NO 3 ) 3 β’nH 2 O as raw materials and glucose as a carbon source. The doping effects of rare earth ions, such as La 3+ , Ce 3+ , Nd 3+ , on the structure and electrochemical properties of LiFePO 4 /C cathode material were systematically investigated. The as-prepared samples were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and particle size analysis. The electrochemical properties were investigated in terms of constant-current charge/discharge cycling tests. The XRD results showed that the rare earth ions doping did not change the olivine structure of LiFePO 4 , and all the doped samples were of single-phase with high crystallinity. SEM and particle size analysis results showed that the doping of La 3+ , Ce 3+ and Nd 3+ led to the decrease of particle size. The electrochemical results exhibited that the doping of La 3+ and Ce 3+ could improve the high-rate capability of LiFePO 4 /C cathode material, among which, the material doped with 1% Ce 3+ exhibited the optimal electrochemical properties, whose specific discharge capacities could reach 128.9, 119.5 and 104.4 mAh/g at 1C, 2C and 5C rates, respectively.