The automatic design of synchronous reluctance (SyR) machines is considered in this paper by means of finite-element analysis and multiobjective optimization algorithms (MOOAs). The research focuses on the design of the rotor geometry, which is the key aspect of the SyR machine design. In particular, the performance of three popular MOOAs is analyzed and compared in terms of quality of the final design and computational time. A procedure to minimize the computational burden of the optimized design process is introduced and applied to a three-layer and a five layer rotor. Two prototypes experimentally demonstrate the feasibility of the design procedure.