Vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) has been a hot topic in medical research in recent years. The cause of the disease is relatively complex, but the main clinical manifestations are multiple cognitive disorders, impaired short-term memory, and dementia, which seriously affect quality of life. The successful establishment of animal models is an important step in the study of the pathogenesis of VCI and as a means of identifying effective treatment options for patients. Numerous animal models of VCI have been established, of which rodent models are the most widely used. In rats, these include a four-vessel occlusion (4-VO) method, a modified 4-VO method, a three-phase 4-VO method, a two-vessel occlusion ( 2-VO) method, a modified 2-VO method, a modified common carotid stenosis method, and a one-sided common carotid arterial occlusion method. In mice, these include a common carotid artery stenosis method and an asymmetric common carotid artery surgery method. These surgical modeling method are associated with differing postoperative site of injury, severity of injury, survival rate, and behavior. We will systematically review the surgical method, phenotypes, evaluation, advantages, and disadvantages of the nine listed rodent VCI models. We hope that this will provide some guidance for researchers in the selection of relevant animal models.