Hydraulic control valves are widely used in industrial production, agricultural equipment, construction machinery, and other large power equipment for controlling the pressure and flow of fluids in hydraulic systems. The driving method has a significant impact on the response and control accuracy of hydraulic valves. This paper reviews the driving methods of spools from five aspects: solenoid drive, material expansion drive, motor drive, hydraulic valve drive, and another drive. It summarizes the various schemes currently available for spool drive and analyzes each of them. After optimizing the driving method of the valve core, the control accuracy can reach 3%, and the minimum response time is 7 ms. According to the characteristics of the different drive methods, the differences between them are compared, the advantages and disadvantages of each drive method are analyzed, and the application scenarios for each drive method are identified. Solutions to the drawbacks of the existing drive methods are proposed, which provide directions for further optimization. We have found that solenoid drives are simple to control, low cost, and the most widely used. Material telescopic drives, motor drives, hydraulic valve drives, and other drives are costly, complex to control, and optional for use in special requirement situations. Based on the existing spool drive methods, an outlook on future drive methods is presented. This review facilitates a comprehensive understanding of the drive methods of hydraulic valve spools, points out the shortcomings of the existing drive methods, and is of great significance in improving the existing drive methods and proposing new drive methods. This paper has a positive effect on improving the control accuracy and responsiveness of hydraulic valves.