Intersecting disciplines, as an important trend in the development of modern academic research and education, have exerted a profound and positive influence on scientific research activities. Based on control theory and fractional-order theory, this paper presents a novel approach for the speed regulation of a permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) in the presence of uncertainties and external disturbances. The proposed method is a composite control based on a model-free sliding mode and a fractional-order ultra-local model. The model-free sliding mode is a control strategy that utilizes the sliding mode control methodology without explicitly relying on a mathematical model of the system being controlled. The fractional-order ultra-local model is a mathematical representation of a dynamic system that incorporates the concept of fractional-order derivatives. The core of the controller is a new type of fractional-order fast nonsingular terminal sliding mode surface, which ensures high robustness, quick convergence, while preventing singularity. Moreover, a novel fractional-order nonlinear extended state observer is proposed to estimate both internal and external disturbances of the fractional-order ultra-local model. The stability of the system is analyzed using both the Lyapunov stability theory and the Mittag–Leffler stability theory. The analysis confirms the convergence stability of the closed-loop system under the proposed control scheme. The comparison results indicate that the proposed composite control based on the fractional-order ultra-local model is a promising solution for regulating the speed of PMSMs in the presence of uncertainties and disturbances.