In a drive circuit, one of an upper-arm switch and a lower-arm switch being in an on state by a main driver is referred to as a target arm switch. The other of the upper-arm switch and the lower-arm switch being in an off state by the main driver is referred to as an opposite arm switch. An intrinsic diode connected in antiparallel to the opposite arm switch is referred to as an opposite arm diode. The drive circuit includes a protective driver configured to determine whether a failure has occurred in the target arm switch. The protective driver is configured to change the target arm switch from the on state to the off state, and the opposite arm switch from the off state to the on state upon determining that a failure has occurred in the target arm switch.