Permanent magnet (PM) synchronous motors with starting cage, already developed in the 1960s for variable-speed textile drives, become increasingly important as energy-efficient PM line-start motors. Differing from the standard design with integrated magnets, a rotor design with surface-mounted magnets is presented. In the planning and design phase of drives with PM line-start motors, the simulation of switching on, running up, and pulling into step is essential. An analytical model is presented leading to voltage and mechanical differential equations that have to be solved simultaneously. Based on a prototype, the suitability of the presented model is demonstrated by direct comparison of simulated to measured data. Besides, the mean influence factors of the pulling-into-step behavior are identified and discussed.