[Problem]
An object of the present invention is to provide an electric power steering apparatus that is capable of realizing smooth steering wheel return without the uncomfortable feeling even if a driver intervenes in steering in a going straight state.
[Means for solving the problem]
An electric power steering apparatus comprising: a steering wheel return control section that calculates a steering wheel return control current by a steering angle, the steering torque, the vehicle speed and a steering angle velocity, and drives the motor by a compensation current command value made by adding the steering wheel return control current to the current command value, wherein the steering wheel return control section comprises an angular acceleration calculating section that calculates an angular acceleration corresponding to the steering angle, the vehicle speed and the steering torque, a correcting section that corrects a double integral value of the angular acceleration by a square of an angle velocity corresponding to the steering torque, a target steering angle velocity setting section that sets a target steering angle velocity based on a square root of a correction value from the correcting section, a steering wheel return control gain calculating section that calculates a steering wheel return control gain by multiplying a deviation between the target steering angle velocity and an actual steering angle velocity by a vehicle speed gain and a steering torque gain, and a steering wheel return control current calculating section that performs at least one control calculation among a P-control calculation, an I-control calculation and a D-control calculation to the steering wheel return control gain, and calculates the steering wheel return control gain that is limited by means of the vehicle speed gain and the steering torque gain.