Preeclampsia (PE) is a disease of pregnancy and one of the leading causes of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Its etiology is unclear, and termination of pregnancy is known to be an effective treatment. However, there is an increasing focus on pregnancy safety. The establishment of an optimal PE animal model would provide a good foundation for the study of PE etiology and pathogenesis. This would help to prevent or delay disease progression, reduce maternal and fetal mortality, and improve pregnancy safety. Because of economy of use, easy access, strong survival ability, and short gestation period, rats and mice are widely used in animal experiments on clinical diseases. Referring to domestic and foreign literature, rat and mouse models of PE are summarized according to pathogenesis or generating method , including decreased uterine blood flow, overactivation of inflammatory immunity, vascular endothelial cell injury, blood hypercoagulability, and genetic modification. The construction method and phenotypes of rat and mouse models of PE are briefly reviewed.