[Objective] The maglev system of the six-phase hybrid excitation flux switching linear motor (SHEFSLM) is nonlinear, strongly coupled and parameter-varying. Although the modular structure adopted by the SHEFSLM can effectively mitigate the magnetic circuit imbalance, external disturbances together with the inherent end effects of linear motors still bring severe challenges to the control of maglev system. To tackle these control performance problems, a variable exponential sliding mode control (VESMC) strategy is proposed for SHEFSLM maglev system. [Methods] Firstly, the electromagnetic thrust equation, levitation force equation and system state equation were derived based on the flux linkage equation, voltage equation and mechanical motion equation of the SHEFSLM maglev system. Secondly, a sliding mode surface was constructed, and a novel variable exponential reaching law was proposed. This reaching law was capable of adaptively adjusting the convergence rate, which enabled rapid convergence when the operating point was far away from the sliding surface and smooth convergence in the vicinity of the sliding surface. Hence, superior system stability was guaranteed and chattering was effectively suppressed. Subsequently, the stability of the closed-loop system was verified via the Lyapunov function, and the convergence time was determined by the controller parameters. Finally, simulation comparisons among the proposed VESMC, sliding mode control (SMC) and proportional-integral (PI) control were carried out. [Results] Simulation results indicated that compared with SMC and PI control, the VESMC proposed in this paper reduced the settling time of no-load startup by 68% and 73.3%, respectively. Under sudden step disturbances, the recovery time was shortened by 68% and 85.5%, respectively. In suppressing end effects, VESMC exhibited better performance than the other two control strategies. [Conclusion] In the presence of disturbances, VESMC exhibits stronger robustness, effectively attenuates the chattering inherent in sliding mode control, and improves the stability and dynamic performance of the system. It offers the advantages of small steady-state error, short settling time, and short recovery time, thereby effectively enhancing the control performance of the maglev system and meeting the control requirements.