A rotating electric machine includes an armature, a controller and a rotor. The armature includes an armature core and a multi-phase coil. The controller controls energization of the multi-phase coil. The rotor includes magnetic pole portions that are circumferentially spaced from one another, inter-pole permanent magnets each of which is interposed between one circumferentially-adjacent pair of the magnetic pole portions, and a bypass yoke portion located on the opposite radial side of the magnetic pole portions and the inter-pole permanent magnets to the armature. The number of the magnetic pole portions is equal to that of magnetic poles to be created in the armature core upon energization of the multi-phase coil. A plurality of magnetic circuits are formed by the armature core, the magnetic pole portions, the inter-pole permanent magnets and the bypass yoke portion; each of the magnetic circuits passes through one circumferentially-adjacent pair of the magnetic pole portions.