Technical solutions are described for inverter commutation techniques for five-phase synchronous motor drives. An example method for five-phase motor control of a five-phase motor in a steering system includes receiving, by a processing device, a commanded modulation index mi, a phase advance angle δ, and a measured position θm. The method further includes generating, by the processing device, five duty cycles for each phase of the five-phase motor based at least in part on the commanded modulation index mi, the phase advance angle δ, and the measured position θm. Each of the duty cycles includes a fundamental component and an injected harmonic component. The method further includes performing, by the processing device, a pulse width modulation technique on each of the five duty cycles to generate on-times for a plurality of switches in phase legs of an inverter.