This study proposes a sensorless flux adaption direct torque and flux control (DTFC) for an interior permanent magnet synchronous motor (IPMSM), in which an maximum torque per ampere (MTPA) based on active flux and an adaptive second-order sliding mode observer (SOSMO) are adopted. Flux adaption DTFC is proposed based on the existing active flux concept. Thus, the stator current amplitude can be minimised in both steady state and transient state. Furthermore, to realise the sensorless control of the IPMSM, an adaptive SOSMO is proposed. Compared with constant gains SOSMO, the gains of the adaptive SOSMO can be adjusted adaptively with the motor speed changing. Then, the precision of position estimation is enhanced effectively in a wide speed range. Numerical simulations and experiments with a 60 kW IPMSM are implemented. In addition, the results validate the capability of the proposed sensorless flux adaption DTFC scheme.