Lithium-ion batteries (LIB) have received substantial attention in the last 10 years, as they offer great promise as power sources that can lead to the electric vehicle (EV) revolution in the next 5 years. Since the cathode serves as a key component in LIB, its properties significantly affect the performance of the whole system. Recently, the cathode surface modification based on coating technique has been widely employed to enhance the electrochemical performances by improving the material conductivity, stabilising the physical structure of materials, as well as preventing the reactions between the electrode and electrolyte. In this work, we reviewed the present of a number of promising cathode materials for Li-ion batteries. After that, we summarized the very recent research progress focusing on the surface coating strategies, mainly including the coating materials, the coating technologies, as well as the corresponding working mechanisms for cathodes. At last, the challenges faced and future guidelines for optimizing cathode materials are discussed. In this study, we propose that the structure of cathode is a crucial factor during the selection of coating materials and technologies.