The invention relates to a method for selecting a chopping frequency for application thereof to an inverter controlling a rotating electric machine, wherein the chopping frequency is chosen from among multiple predetermined frequencies depending on the position, in a map, of a current operating point of the assembly formed by the electric machine and the inverter, said map having at least the rotational speed (N) of the electric machine or the frequency (Fe) of the electric current applied thereto as parameter. In at least part of the map, the chopping frequency is furthermore chosen based on a parameter representative of a thermal condition of the electronic switches contained in the inverter. The invention furthermore relates to a method for controlling a corresponding inverter, and to a device implementing this method. The invention is preferably applied to an electric motor vehicle.