A starter includes a three-phase switched reluctance electric motor including a rotor and a stator, a pinion gear, a power inverter that is connected to the stator, and a rotational position sensor. The rotor includes a quantity of rotor poles that is between 6 and 16, and the stator includes a quantity of stator poles that is between 8 and 24. An outer diameter of the electric motor is less than 85 mm. An active length of the motor is less than 50 mm. An airgap distance between the rotor and the stator is between 0.1 mm and 0.5 mm. A ratio between a rotor pole arc and a stator pole arc is at least 1.0:1. A ratio between a stator diameter and a rotor diameter is at least 2.0:1, and a ratio between a stator pole height and a rotor pole height is at least 2.5:1.