The speed control problem for permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) drive system is studied in this paper. The predictive control has been proved as an effective solution for the fast transient response, but the performance will be deteriorated in the presence of model uncertainties and load disturbance. Thus a composite control method combining the nonlinear generalized predictive control (GPC) with the sliding mode control is proposed. In view of the chattering problems caused by the traditional sliding mode control, a high order terminal sliding mode controller is designed, which can reduce the chattering effectively. In the end, the stability of the system is proved. The simulation and experimental results show that, compared with PI controllers, the designed controller has the faster speed response and the stronger robustness, and the chattering is decreased obviously than the first order sliding mode controller.