A motor driving apparatus for driving a single-phase motor includes an inverter disposed between a battery and the single-phase motor, the inverter applying a first voltage to the single-phase motor at startup and applying a second voltage to the single-phase motor during a normal operation. A stop time period is present after application of the first voltage, application of the first voltage being stopped during the stop time period, and the inverter applies the second voltage after a lapse of the stop time period.